Golf:A storming finish took Australian Adam Scott back into the lead with a round to go at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron today.
Scott, who opened the week with an eight-under-par 62 that was only one off Tiger Woods’ Firestone course record, birdied four of the last seven holes for a 66.
The 31-year-old, who has Woods’ ex-caddie Steve Williams on his bag, now stands 12 under par and is one in front of compatriot Jason Day and Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa.
Woods is 13 strokes back in joint 38th place after his first comeback event continued with a 72, but Scot Martin Laird is only two behind and England’s world number one Luke Donald just three back after a 64 spoilt only by a closing bogey.
Donald returned to the form which won him the Scottish Open a month ago and now has a chance to capture his fourth title of the season.
Already the winner of the World Golf Championships match play crown this year, plus the BMW PGA and Scottish titles, Donald had climbed all the way from 21st into a tie for the lead until his last hole slip and then Scott’s superb finish.
Rory McIlroy kept himself in the picture with birdies on the 16th and 17th in a round of 67 as he finished on seven under.
Laird, winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, was married in Colorado last Saturday and told reporters after his bogey-free 67: “If it was any other tournament other than this or a Major I wouldn’t be here. But I played pretty good here last year and came here thinking that if I play well there’s no reason I can’t pick up the trophy.”
Donald stated: “I hit the ball really nicely and finally made a few more putts, which was nice to see. I just tried less as simple as that. Sometimes you can get over-analysing things.
“It’s a very hard thing to do, but in golf in general that’s what you need to do sometimes. It just frees you up.”
Ishikawa is donating all his winnings to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami appeal fund this year and he matched Donald’s 64.
Play had been brought forward because of the threat of thunderstorms later and with the 76-strong field split in halfway Woods and Ian Poulter found themselves teeing off in the first group of the day at 7am.
Neither could make the move they were hoping for, however.
Woods, in his first event for 12 weeks after knee and Achilles tendon injuries, bogeyed the first and eighth, made birdie putts of 20 and six feet at the ninth and 15th, but took six on the long 16th after pitching into the back bunker and three-putted the last.
“I made nothing again,” he said after dropping alongside Phil Mickelson. “But the good news is that I’ve flushed it all week and I’m feeling great.”
Poulter had a nightmare 80, starting with a triple bogey seven after a wild drive and repeating that on the 13th.
Lee Westwood improved from 27th to 18th with a 68 for four under, while Simon Dyson is two over, Justin Rose three over, Pádraig Harrington four over, Paul Casey five over, Graeme McDowell eight over and Open champion Darren Clarke no longer last after a 69 brought him alongside Poulter on 10 over.
Australian Stuart Appleby is now bringing up the rear seven strokes further back.
THIRD ROUND SCORES
(USA unless stated, par 70):
198Adam Scott (Aus) 62 70 66
199Jason Day (Aus) 63 70 66, Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 67 68 64
200Keegan Bradley 67 65 68, Martin Laird (Sco) 66 67 67
201Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 68 66 67, Luke Donald (Eng) 68 69 64, Rickie Fowler 68 64 69
202Zach Johnson 70 68 64
203Steve Stricker 71 65 67, Rory McIlroy(N Irl) 68 68 67
204Kyung-tae Kim (Kor) 66 72 66, David Toms 68 68 68
205Robert Karlsson (Swe) 68 65 72, Nick Watney 65 70 70, Francesco Molinari (Ita) 73 64 68, Matt Kuchar 71 69 65
206Ryan Moore 66 66 74, Lee Westwood (Eng) 67 71 68
207Peter Hanson (Swe) 70 67 70, Aaron Baddeley (Aus) 68 70 69, Charley Hoffman 68 69 70, Stewart Cink 66 70 71, Bubba Watson 69 70 68
208D A Points 66 70 72, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 72 68 68, Lucas Glover 68 68 72, Brandt Snedeker 66 68 74, Edoardo Molinari (Ita) 72 66 70
209Jim Furyk 73 69 67, Anders Hansen (Den) 72 70 67, Scott Stallings 69 68 72, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 70 72 67, Gary Woodland 70 66 73, Bo Van Pelt 68 70 71, Mark Wilson 69 69 71
210Hennie Otto (Rsa) 69 66 75
211Phil Mickelson 67 73 71, Tiger Woods 68 71 72, Richard Green (Aus) 69 68 74, Heath Slocum 71 65 75
212Dustin Johnson 73 69 70, Hunter Mahan 71 69 72, Alexander Noren (Swe) 69 73 70, Arjun Atwal (Ind) 68 73 71, Sergio Garcia (Esp) 68 72 72, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 71 71 70, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 69 70 73, Simon Dyson (Eng) 77 66 69, Y E Yang (Kor) 72 71 69
213Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 74 71 68, Sean O'Hair 72 72 69, Robert Allenby (Aus) 70 73 70, Justin Rose (Eng) 71 70 72, Ernie Els (Rsa) 71 71 71, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 66 72 75
214Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 66 77 71, Bill Haas 72 72 70, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 68 70 76, Alvaro Quiros (Esp) 73 74 67, Padraig Harrington(Irl) 71 70 73
215K J Choi (Kor) 74 71 70, Paul Casey (Eng) 73 71 71
216Jonathan Byrd 67 74 75, Pablo Larrazabal (Esp) 66 76 74
217Brendan Steele 69 74 74, Jhonattan Vegas (Vie) 73 70 74
218Jeff Overton 72 73 73, Graeme McDowell(N Irl) 71 72 75
220Miguel Angel Jimenez (Esp) 73 73 74, Ian Poulter (Eng) 71 69 80, Darren Clarke(N Irl) 77 74 69
221Harrison Frazar 72 72 77
222Jae-bum Park (Kor) 73 72 77
223Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) 74 72 77
227Stuart Appleby (Aus) 73 76 78
