PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Retief Goosen felt so much pain in his lower back Friday, he decided to pull out of the next tournament and get treatment.
A day later, Goosen found himself atop the leaderboard at the Transitions Championship after he ran off three straight birdies late in his round Saturday for a 6-under-par 65, giving him a share of the lead with Jim Furyk (66) with more than just another PGA Tour victory at stake.
Today is Goosen’s last chance to qualify for the Masters.
Furyk, coming off his worst season since he was a rookie, hit a 6-iron to 3 feet to set up a birdie on the par-3 15th hole and had the lead to himself until a three-putt bogey up a steep slope on the 18th.
The past two champions at Innisbrook were at 11-under 202, with plenty of others close to them.
Goosen started the third round five shots behind Jason Dufner, who had a 70. Going into the final round, there are 26 players within five shots of the lead on a Copperhead course that allows birdies early and demands close to perfection down the stretch.
Sang-moon Bae found that out the hard way. Bae, a rookie from South Korea, had the lead to himself for most of the back nine until Furyk caught him at the 15th.
On the next hole, Bae drove into the trees to avoid the water running down the right side of the fairway, pitched out, then flew the green and three-putted for a triple bogey. He birdied the 17th and salvaged a 68. He was one shot behind, along with Dufner.
Miyazato, Tseng share LPGA lead
PHOENIX — Ai Miyazato birdied three straight holes on the back nine and finished with a 6-under 66 for a share of the third-round lead with Yani Tseng at the LPGA Founders Cup.
Miyazato, the ninth-ranked Japanese player who has seven LPGA Tour victories, birdied Nos. 14-16 and closed with two pars for a bogey-free round.
Tseng had a chance to take the outright lead on the par-4 18th after hitting to 10 feet out of the right fairway bunker, but her birdie putt rolled just past the left edge. The top-ranked Taiwanese star settled for a 67 to match Miyazato at 14-under. Second-ranked Na Yeon Choi was a stroke back after a 67.
Calcavecchia shoots another 67
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Mark Calcavecchia shot his second straight 4- under 67 in rainy conditions to take a two-stroke lead at the Champions Tour’s Toshiba Classic.
Calcavecchia, a 13-time PGA Tour winner who won the Boeing Classic last year for his lone victory on the 50-and-older tour, had six birdies and two bogeys.
Fred Couples (69), the 2010 winner, was a stroke back along with Loren Roberts, who had a 70.
Spaniard tops Andalucia leaderboard
MARBELLA, Spain — Eduardo De la Riva, who competes on the Spanish regional tour, shot a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Andalucia Open.
He was at 12-under 204 going into the final round. A stroke behind were 18-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero (68) and England’s Simon Khan (66).
