PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Jordan Spieth had a performance that matched the magnificent views — finally — at Pebble Beach on Saturday.
Spieth took only 10 putts on the back nine, closed with a pitch that checked up inches from the cup for another birdie and shot a 7-under 65 to open up a six-shot lead going in the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Starting out the weather-delayed event tied with Jason Day and Derek Fathauer, Spieth never gave anyone a chance.
Following his only bogey of the round — a 7-iron over the cliffs on No. 8 that narrowly stayed up in the rough above the putting surface — he ran off three straight birdies, made a tough, curling 6-foot par putt on the 12th and then closed with three birdies and another tough par save on his last four holes.
He was at 17-under 197 and had his largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
Brandt Snedeker did his part with a 30 on the front nine — he started on No. 10 — for a 67 to pull within two shots when he finished. Spieth was up the hill on the 14th, doing what Spieth does — a 6-foot par save.
“Those putts scare me,” Spieth said after making a downhill 3-footer for par on No. 4.
But he made them all, except for the 8-foot par putt on No. 8 that he missed immediately, pausing when a heel print nearly kicked the ball left and into the cup.
Snedeker, trying to win at Pebble Beach for the third time in five years, was at 11-under 204 and will be in the final group with Spieth, along with their amateur partners. Spieth is playing with country singer Jake Owen, while Snedeker’s partner is Nashville businessman Toby Wilt.
“Jordan is going to be out outnumbered,” Snedeker said. “We got three Tennesseans in that group, so it will be a lot of fun to get in there. But the front nine will be huge tomorrow, the first seven holes. I’ve got to go out there and make some birdies and put some pressure on him.”
Dustin Johnson spent three days with Spieth and couldn’t keep up, at least not on the greens. The U.S. Open champion made three birdies over his last six holes and saved par from a shot into the Pacific Ocean on No. 18 for a 66. He was seven shots behind.
There were questions whether Johnson’s second shot ever cleared the hazard along the ocean wall. A television replay was not entirely conclusive.
Couples a stroke ff Champions Tour lead
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Fred Couples birdied the final two holes to pull within a stroke of the leaders in the PGA Champions Tour’s Allianz Championship.
The 57-year-old Couples shot a 7-under 65 to reach 11-under 133 on The Old Course at Broken Sound.
Doug Garwood, Joe Durant, Scott McCarron and first-round leader Olin Browne shared the top spot, all birdieing the par-5 18th. Garwood shot 64, Durant 65, McCarron 66, and Browne 69. Tom Pernice Jr. had a 64 to match Couples at 11 under.
Couples is playing in Florida for the first time since the 2006 Honda Classic. He birdied the first three holes, dropped a stroke on the par-4 fourth, birdied the par-5 sixth and eagled the par-4 10th. The Hall of Famer won the last of his 11 senior titles in 2014.
Bernhard Langer was tied for 54th after his second straight 71. The 59-year-old German star is coming off a victory in the season opener in Hawaii, his 30th career victory on the PGA Tour Champions. He won the Allianz Championship in 2010.
Defending champion Esteban Toledo was 8 under after a 67.
Winning Ryder Cup captains Jose Maria Olazabal and Paul McGinley are making their debuts on the 50-and-over tour in the first full-field event of the year. Olazabal was tied for 23rd at 6 under after a 67, and McGinley was tied for 44th at 3 under after a 73.
John Daly eagled the 18th in a 75 that left him tied for 69th at 2 over.
Masters champ Willett regains lead in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Reigning US Masters champion Danny Willett took a three-shot advantage after three rounds of the Maybank Championship Malaysia, scoring a five-under 67 to finish the day ahead of American David Lipsky.
The top-ranked player at the tournament was 16-under par after 54 holes, a score that could have been bettered had he not agonizingly missed out on an eagle in the final hole.
But the 29-year-old Englishman seems to be thriving despite unpredictable weather conditions at the Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, opening with three rounds of 67 or better for just the third time in his career.
The world’s 15th-ranked golfer has yet to win since he triumphed at the Masters in April 2016, and has only managed three top-10 finishes since.
Lipsky, searching for a first title since 2014, put on a sturdy showing to card a 68 and move within sight of Willett heading into the last day of the $3 million tournament co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.
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