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Ogilvy fights to top

Co-leader Geoff Ogilvy chips on the 17th green during the third round of the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Co-leader Geoff Ogilvy chips on the 17th green during the third round of the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy overcame an eight-shot deficit at the start of play Saturday, shooting an 8-under-par 64 to tie Brett Wetterich for the lead after three rounds at the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Wetterich, bidding for his first PGA Tour victory, began the day alone in the lead but scrambled to a 72 and joined Ogilvy at 12-under 204.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, seeking his first tour title since 1998, bogeyed No. 18 to fall out of a three-way tie for the lead. A round of 72 left him one stroke off the pace and tied with Pat Perez at 11 under.

Perez, a fourth-year tour veteran seeking his first win, shot 67.

With the elevated greens firmer than in the first two rounds and winds still strong, bogeys became more frequent on the long Country Club at Mirasol course. None of the players among the top eight at the start of the third round broke par.

The conditions failed to faze Ogilvy, who won his first title in 108 PGA Tour starts two weeks ago at Tucson, Ariz., then took last week off.

“I just kept hitting nice shots and getting good putts,” he said. “Maybe six months ago, sneaking right up the leaderboard deep on Saturday, I might have gotten a bit more nervous than I did. I was nothing but comfortable.”

The Aussie struggled to a 73 in the opening round but began to surge when he birdied four of the first six holes. He also birdied Nos. 17 and 18.

Wetterich and Janzen, playing in the final twosome, swapped the lead three times early. They struggled on the back nine, where most of the holes went into the wind, and slipped back to Ogilvy on the leaderboard.

On No. 15, Wetterich drove into a hazard and took a stroke penalty, then made a 12-foot putt to save bogey. That dropped him out of a three-way share for first.

Wetterich regained a tie for the top at No. 17 when he hit a bunker shot from about 100 feet to within 6 inches of the pin for a birdie.

Among those undone by the wind and fast greens was Chad Campbell, who shot 64 for the first-round lead. He bogeyed six consecutive holes on the back nine, shot 80 and fell to 1 under.

Davis Love III, runner-up the past two years, double-bogeyed three of the final five holes and shot 78 to drop to 2 over.

No. 2-ranked Vijay Singh, the lone player entered among the world’s top six, shot 70 and was 6 under. Todd Hamilton, the champion last year, shot 72 and was 4 under.

Some players thrived in the gusty conditions – 1993 champion Fred Couples and Mark Hensby each shot 66. Couples was at 8 under and Hensby at 6 under.

Fergus ahead at SBC Classic

Keith Fergus shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Mark McNulty after two rounds of the Champions Tour’s SBC Classic at Santa Clara, Calif.

The 51-year-old Fergus, a former golf coach at Houston and three-time winner in 14 years on the PGA Tour, had six birdies and a bogey on the Valencia Country Club course for a 7-under 137.

McNulty shot a 66 to move to 138, two strokes ahead of Gary McCord (66) and D.A. Weibring (69). Mike Reid was in fifth place at 141 after a second-round 71, and 62-year-old Isao Aoki, the first-round leader, followed an opening 69 with a 73, dropping to 142.