Tommy Fleetwood tamed a difficult PGA National on Saturday with a 3-under 67 to take the lead at the Honda Classic.
The Englishman held steady through strong winds and firm conditions before closing with back-to-back birdies to pull away from the field. Fleetwood's 67 was nearly five strokes better than the third-round scoring average.
The 29-year-old has five victories on the European circuit but remains the highest-ranked player in the world (No. 12) without a PGA Tour win, something he's well aware of.
"If you're going to win around here, you've proven yourself as an all-around golfer," Fleetwood said, according to The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds. "Realistically, yeah, it probably is another step in my career. I'm not going to lie and say, 'Ah, I don't really mind about winning in America.' Of course I do. I want to win everywhere I play and the PGA Tour is for sure one of those places where I haven't done it yet."
Fleetwood tops 36-hole leader Brendan Steele by one shot. Steele finished with a 1-over 71 in Saturday's final pairing.
Englishmen Lee Westwood and Luke Donald carded matching 71s in the penultimate group.
Here's how the top of the leaderboard stands after Round 3:
| Place | Player | To Par | R3 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tommy Fleetwood | -5 | 67 |
| 2 | Brendan Steele | -4 | 71 |
| T3 | Luke Donald | -3 | 71 |
| T3 | Lee Westwood | -3 | 71 |
| T5 | Daniel Berger | -2 | 69 |
| T5 | Charl Schwartzel | -2 | 70 |
| T5 | Sungjae Im | -2 | 70 |
Notables Gary Woodland (1-over) and Shane Lowry (1-over) struggled after starting the day in contention. Woodland shot a 74, while Lowry was one better with a 73.
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (1-under) shot the low round of the day (66) and ended his day in a tie for 20th. By the time Round 3 was complete, he moved into a tie for eighth.
