KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Chris Stroud and Ryan Moore both overcame mistakes and bogeys on the back nine Saturday to take a share of the lead after the third round of the CIMB Classic.
Stroud started the day five strokes back but surged into contention after five birdies on the front nine - including four in a row - before hitting into the water on the 12th hole and carding two bogeys for a 4-under 68.
Moore (69) opened up a three-shot lead on the back nine only to bogey four of five holes to give it right back. Both were on 12-under 204, one stroke ahead of their nearest rivals.
“There’s trouble everywhere,” Moore said. “It doesn’t take that bad of a shot to get in a very bad spot out here, with the rough the way it is, the fairways as narrow as they are.”
The tricky conditions led to huge momentum swings throughout the day at the PGA Tour event, with plenty of balls in the water and in the rough beneath the palm trees lining the course at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
Overnight leader Keegan Bradley looked nothing like the golfer who shot 65 and 66 in the first two rounds, carding 76 to fall back to a share of sixth place.
There won’t be much room for mistakes today.
Eight players are within four shots of the lead, with Gary Woodland (67) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (69) a stroke back in a tie for second.
Even Phil Mickelson, who this week called his swing “terrible” and said he sometimes has no idea where his drives are going, is back in contention, shooting a 68 to sit just five shots off the lead.
Bryce Molder (Conway) is only five shots back heading into today’s final round. Molder shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to hold a three-day total of 209, which leaves him in a tie for 11th.
Molder’s round included seven birdies and two bogeys.
David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) is in a tie for 70th after a 1-over 73 on Saturday. His round included five birdies, three bogeys and a triple bogey.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Five-way tie in Texas
SAN ANTONIO - Kenny Perry bogeyed the final hole to drop into a five-way tie for the lead in the AT&T Championship.
The Charles Schwab Cup points leader followed his opening 65 with a 71 to match Mike Goodes, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and Anders Forsbrand at 8 under.
Goodes had the round of the day, shooting a 63 on TPC San Antonio’s AT&T Canyons Course to jump 43 spots on the leaderboard. Montgomerie had a 68, and Langer and Forsbrand shot 69.
The top 30 on the money list today will advance to the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. Perry entered the regular-season finale 494 points ahead of second-place Langer in the race for a $1 million annuity.BMW MASTERS Guthrie falters late
SHANGHAI - American Luke Guthrie stumbled at the end of the third round and wound up tied for the lead with Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello in the BMW Masters.
Guthrie has led the European Tour event since his 65 in the opening round, and he had a three-shot lead at one point on the back nine at Lake Malaren. But his tee shot caught the bunker on the 16th, leading to a bogey. And he was in such an awkward spot on the 18th green that Guthrie felt his best option was to chip off the putting surface. He missed an 8-foot putt to take another bogey for an even-par 72.
Cabrera-Bello was far more efficient, keeping bogeys off his card in a round of 67.
His final birdie on the par-3 17th turned out to be good enough for a share of the lead.
They were at 8-under 208, one shot ahead of Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (67).
John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 6-over 78 to fall to 4 over for the tournament and into a tie for 36th place along with six others.
LPGA
Pettersen retains lead
YANGMEI, Taiwan - Defending champion Suzann Pettersen struggled with three early bogeys but recovered for a 1-over 73 to maintain a four-shot lead inthe LPGA Taiwan Championship.
The Norwegian dropped three shots over the first five holes but had three birdies and just one more bogey the rest of the way to finish three rounds at 6-under 210. Azahara Munoz (69), Sun Young Yoo (72) and Carlota Ciganda (72) were tied for second at Sunrise Golf and Country Club.
The second-ranked Pettersen has three LPGA Tour victories this year, winning in Portland, Ore., and France in consecutive starts last month. She also won a Ladies European Tour event this year in China.
Taiwanese star Yani Tseng, the 2011 winner, was 10 over after a 72.
Winless in 41 LPGA Tour since the 2012 Kia Classic, she has tumbled from first to 25th in the world ranking in seven months.Leaderboard PGA/ASIAN TOUR CIMB Classic At Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, West Course (Par 72, 6,924 yards) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Chris Stroud ................. 67-69-68-204 Ryan Moore ................. 63-72-69-204 Gary Woodland ............ 68-70-67-205 Kiradech Aphibarnrat ... 67-69-69-205 Jerry Kelly .................... 71-69-66-206 ARKANSANS Bruce Molder ............... 73-69-67-209 David Lingmerth .......... 73-78-73-224 EUROPEAN TOUR BMW Masters At Lake Malaren Golf Club, The Masters Course (Par 72, 7,607 yards) Shanghai Luke Guthrie ................. 65-71-72-208 Rafa Cabrera-Bello ....... 73-68-67-208 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano . 71-71-67-209 Gregory Bourdy ........... 70-73-67-210 ARKANSAN John Daly ..................... 68-74-78-220 LPGA Taiwan Championship At Sunrise Golf and Country Club Course (Par 72, 6,533 yards) Yang Mei, Taiwan Suzann Pettersen ......... 68-69-73-210 Azahara Munoz ............ 73-72-69-214 Carlota Ciganda ............ 72-70-72-214 Sun Young Yoo ............ 73-69-72-214 Caroline Hedwall .......... 71-73-72-216 Beatriz Recari ............... 72-71-73-216 CHAMPIONS TOUR AT&T Championship At TPC San Antonio, AT&T Canyons Course (Par 72, 6,923 yards) San Antonio Mike Goodes ......................73-63-136 Colin Montgomerie ............68-68-136 Bernhard Langer ................67-69-136 Kenny Perry .......................65-71-136 Anders Forsbrand ..............67-69-136 Kirk Triplett .........................70-67-137 Scott Dunlap ......................69-68-137 - Complete scores, Page 7C
Sports, Pages 35 on 10/27/2013