KIRK IN POSITION TO END DROUGHT

Chris Kirk’s last win on the PGA Tour was nearly eight years ago. He’s put himself in a position to change that at the Honda Classic.

Kirk battled his way to a 4-under round of 66 on Saturday, putting him at 13under 197 for the week and giving him a two-shot lead over Eric Cole (66) through three rounds at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

His last win on tour was at Colonial in 2015 — 180 tournaments ago. He’s a fourtime winner on tour, played in the Presidents Cup in 2015, and has been waiting to hoist a trophy again since.

Kirk made a wild birdie on the last, after his second shot on the par-5 18th wound up next to the grandstand and underneath someone’s bag that was left against the structure. He got a drop, chipped on from there and made the putt to restore a two-shot lead.

And now he has a chance to be a winner again — with most of the players nearest to him on the leaderboard looking for their first tour wins.

“It’s been so long since I’ve won,” Kirk said. “I’m going to be plenty nervous, just as nervous as those guys are probably.”

Cole stayed in the mix with his second consecutive round of 66.

“It’s awesome,” Cole said. “I’ve never played this event before. Tried to qualify a bunch of times I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

Justin Suh holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 12th, and is alone in third at 10 under. He shot even-par 70 on Saturday.

Shane Lowry (65) is 9 under, and right in the mix after having a chance to win the Honda last year until the 72nd hole. He’s tied with Ben Taylor (69).

“If I can just hang around all day, hopefully I can give myself a chance coming down the stretch,” Lowry said. “I think I did what I needed to do today.”

Among those lurking: defending champion Sepp Straka, who followed opening rounds of 69 and 68 with a 66 on Saturday. He’s 7 under for the week, six shots back. It was Straka’s sixth consecutive round in the 60’s at PGA National.

“It’s a tough test, but if you’re hitting it good, you can score,” Straka said.

Straka went to Georgia, as did Kirk. When Straka got his first win at Honda a year ago, Kirk was one of the players who braved an intense rainstorm to congratulate Straka when it was over.

“We stay together all the time. He’s usually the guy that gets us a house,” Straka said. “I’ve gotten to know Chris very well over the last few years, one of my best friends. He’s been playing great golf for a couple years now. It’s not surprising to me, especially around this course.”

Elsewhere

Talor Gooch made a 4foot birdie putt on his final hole to tie Peter Uihlein for the lead in a LIV Golf season debut at Mayakoba that looks to be an Oklahoma State alumni reunion.

Uihlein was in the lead for most of Saturday at El Camaleon until a bogey-birdiebogey finish led to a 5-under 66. Gooch played bogey-free, ending his round with an approach to short range on the par-4 first hole.

They were teammates at Oklahoma State — Uihlein was a junior having won the U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay when Gooch was a freshman.

They were at 9-under 133, one shot ahead of Charles Howell III, who played for the Cowboys more than a decade earlier. Howell opened with three straight birdies and closed with a birdie for a 66.

Thai rookie

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap shot a bogey-free 64 to grab a four-stroke lead over fellow countrywoman Atthaya Thitikul after round three of the $1.7 million LPGA Thailand.

Yannik Paul’s lead at the Hero Indian Open was trimmed from five shots to one, over fellow German

Marcel Siem, after the third round of the European tour event in New Delhi.