Resurgent Fowler leads by one in Zozo Championship
Rickie Fowler shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead after the third round of the Zozo Championship in Inzai City, Japan, putting himself in position for his first PGA Tour win in 3 1⁄2 years.
Fowler last won in 2019 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Keegan Bradley also had a 66 and was a shot back at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo. Fellow American Andrew Putnam was a further shot behind after a 68 in the only PGA Tour event in Japan.
In a closely bunched field, 10 more players were between three and five shots off the lead.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in this situation,” Fowler said. “Obviously (I) remember being in those situations before. But no — it will be tough tomorrow.”
Fowler has been close in several majors, including a second-place finish in the 2018 Masters.
“Yeah, definitely had some tough times the last few years, but I always knew it was there,” Fowler said.
“It was always just a fine line — a shot or two here or there. Just nice to kind of see it starting to build momentum and confidence and the ball rolling the right direction.”
Defending champion and local favorite Hideki Matsuyama shot a 66 for his best round of the week. He was 10 shots off the lead.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Spanish golfer Adrián Otaegui grabbed a commanding six-stroke lead of the Andalucía Masters after carding a 7-under 64 in the third round in Sotogrande, Spain.
Otaegui entered the day sharing the lead with countryman Ángel Hidalgo and Min Woo Lee of Australia. But Otaegui opened up a huge gap on the leaderboard after hitting eight birdies to go with a single bogey at Valderrama.
Hidalgo (70) fell six shots back to tie with Swede Joakim Lagergren (67). Lee (71) was another shot behind.
“I’m very happy, everything went perfectly today” Otaegui said. “The crowds were pushing amazingly, so that was unbelievable.”
On Sunday, Otaegui will aim for his fourth European tour win and his first since winning the Scottish Championship in 2020.
LIV GOLF
Peter Uihlein has a one-shot lead going into the final day of the LIV Golf Invitational-Jeddah after a 7-under 63 in the second round in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia.
The American made seven birdies and one eagle to compensate for a double bogey on the 13th hole at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.
Uihlein took over from previous leader Brooks Koepka, who had a 3-under-67. Sergio Garcia (64) and Charl Schwartzel (67) were three strokes off the lead.
This is the seventh and final LIV Golf Invitational for individual and team play. The last event of the inaugural season will be in Doral on the Blue Monster Course at Trump National in two weeks for four-man teams.
LIV Golf is funded by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund, but this is the first tournament held in Saudi Arabia after previous events in London, Portland, Bedminster, Boston, Chicago and Bangkok.