Patrick Reed shot 3-under-par 69 and took a two-stroke lead over Hunter Mahan and Jason Dufner into the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship on a day Tiger Woods roared into contention on the TPC Blue Monster at Trump National Doral in Miami.
The 23-year-old Reed, who has won the Wyndham Championship and the Humana Challenge since August for his first two PGA Tour victories, bounced back from an early bogey to get his round going with a 41-foot eagle putt on the eighth hole and made three birdies on the back nine.
“Everybody was really bunched going into Saturday and I felt I played really well,” said Reed, who helped Augusta State upset Oklahoma State to win the 2010 NCAA Championship. “After that early bogey, I was able to fight back into contention.
“I’m in the right position with the lead going into the final round and I just have to go out and shoot another low round tomorrow.”
Dufner rebounded from a double-bogey 5 on the fourth hole, where he hit his tee shot into the water, with three birdies on the next four holes and added three more in a row to start the back nine en route to a 68.
Mahan, who was tied for the lead after 36 holes, needed three shots to reach the 18th green and missed a 17-foot putt par to close out a 71.
Woods, playing probably his best golf of the year, carded eight birdies in a 66 — four on each nine — and was three shots back in a tie for fourth with Jamie Donaldson of Wales, who had two birdies on each side while posting a 71.
Phil Mickelson bounced back from 74-75 with a 69 and was tied for 14th and Adam Scott, who could take the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings from Woods with a victory this week, shot 72 and was tied for 21st.
