The knock on Rickie Fowler is that he doesn’t win enough for the number of chances he gets, and he will have another one on Sunday.
Fowler rode an early birdie binge to a 7-under-par 64 and will take a four-stroke lead over Matt Kuchar into the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale https://tpc.com/scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“It’s been a long time coming (winning at TPC Scottsdale) and I definitely want to win,” said Fowler, who has been close several times in the tournament. “The Thunderbirds (who manage the tournament) have been awesome and the fans have been very supportive of me.
“It would be great to win here and I need another good 18 holes of golf to get it done.”
Fowler, seeking his fifth PGA Tour victory and first since the 2017 Honda Classic, followed rounds of 64-66 with birdies four of the first six holes on his way to a 54-hole total of 20-under 193.
Kuchar posted a bogey-free 65, while fourth-ranked Justin Thomas is five back in solo third after a 68, and Byeong Hun An of South Korea finished at 66 and is seven behind in a tie for fourth with Branden Grace of South Africa, who came in at 69.
Defending champion Gary Woodland birdied four holes on the back nine in a 66 and is eight back in a tie for sixth with Bubba Watson, who had a 68, while Harold Varner III totaled 68 and is 10 down in a tie for eighth with Martin Laird (70) of Scotland, Cameron Smith (71) of Australia and Trey Mullinax (72).
Sixth-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain, who played nearby at Arizona State, is tied for 18th after a 70, and seventh-ranked Xander Schuaffele of La Jolla and San Diego State shot 67 and is tied for 26th.
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