Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – J.J. Spaun fired a five-under par 65 to grab a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the US PGA Sony Open in Hawaii after fellow American Patrick Fishburn faded late. Spaun grinded out birdies on 16 and 18 after bogeys at the 15th and 17th holes to finish 54 holes on 13-under 197 at Honolulu’s windy Waialae Country Club.
“It was a pretty solid round overall,” Spaun said. “Just got off to a pretty solid start. Made a few pars on the first couple holes and then a nice birdie on three. Just took what it gave me and took the opportunities when they came and capitalized on it.”
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Germany’s Stephan Jaeger fired a PGA career-low 62 with nine birdies and a bogey to share second on 198 with Americans Eric Cole and Fishburn, who shot 68 after sharing a 36-hole lead with countryman Denny McCarthy.
“I got off to a nice start. The back nine was completely different. It was brutal,” Fishburn said. “I had a lot of downgrain, downwind putts that you couldn’t really get aggressive with. It was a little bit tricky but I hung in there the best that I could. I wish I would have made those last two (par) putts but it was an OK day. I’m glad it’s four rounds so I get another shot at it tomorrow.”
Spaun, who won his only PGA title at the 2022 Texas Open, is from Los Angeles and has been watching news reports intently about the devastating wildfires in that area. “It’s pretty tragic,” Spaun said. “I don’t have any family or friends in that region that have been affected but I know a lot of people that know people that were affected, and it’s devastating. It’s sad to see.”
Spaun sank a birdie putt from just outside 17 feet at the 16th to match Fishburn for the lead at 13-under. Fishburn sank a birdie putt from just inside six feet at 14 to reclaim the sole lead, and when Spaun missed the green and made bogey after missing a 10-foot par putt at the par-3 17th, Fishburn had a two-stroke lead. But Fishburn missed the 15th green on his approach and made bogey, while Spaun chipped inside five feet at 18 and sank his birdie putt to again share the lead at 13-under. Fishburn found his first greenside bunker of the week at 17, then pitched to six feet only to miss his par putt, leaving Spaun alone on top.
– Spaun relaxed in Hawaii –
At the par-5 18th, Fishburn blasted off the lip of a fairway bunker into a greenside bunker then pitched to just inside eight feet but curled his birdie putt right of the hole, leaving Spaun atop the leaderboard.
“I’ve felt pretty calm and relaxed,” Spaun said. “It’s always laid back and easy going. I’ve been carrying that mindset on the course and it’s easy to feel that way when you’re playing well.”
Fishburn opened with back-to-back birdies to take charge, making a 16-foot putt at the first and a 50-foot chip in at the second hole, then followed a bogey at the third with a 10-foot birdie putt at the fifth. He stretched his lead to two strokes with a 33-foot birdie putt at the eighth and a six-foot birdie putt at the par-5 ninth. But he missed the green at the par-3 11th and made bogey to fall back into a tie with Spaun, who then took bogey at 15 to fall back briefly.
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