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Martin Kaymer and Jordan Spieth tied after third round of Players
Will be paired again on final day Sunday
John Senden and Sergio Garcia nearest challengers
Franceso Molinari moves up with joint best of day 67
Golf’s new star Jordan Spieth drew level with Martin Kaymer at the top of the Players Championship leader board Saturday as the pair continued their personal battle for victory at the ‘fifth major.”
Spieth, who lit up the Masters with his inspired play at not yet 21 years of age, has not dropped a shot all week on the testing TPC Sawgrass course and scrambled for an inspired par on the final hole of the third round.
The left him on 12-under 204 after a 71 and drew him level with front runner Kaymer, who bogeyed the 18th to fall back to that mark.
Germany’s Kaymer, who opened with a joint course record 63 had to settle for a level par 72 on what is traditionally moving day at most tournaments, but the lead duo still kept a three-shot lead over nearest challengers Sergio Garcia of Spain and Australian John Senden.
Read: Records all the way as Kaymer leads
Spieth also made superb par saves on the 14th and 16th and wants to keep his run going on the last day with a $1.8 million prize up for grabs.
It would be really cool to play the whole tournament that way and that should be my goal tomorrow, with a
couple more putts falling,” he said.
England’s Lee Westwood is another two shots back after a 71 left him on seven-under-par, the same mark as his Ryder Cup colleague Francesco Molinari of Italy, whose 67 was the joint lowest score of the day.
Spieth, who eventually had to give best to Bubba Watson at Augusta in the first major of the season, admitted that the defeat still rankles. “Augusta left me feeling a little hungry,” he told the official PGA Tour website.
Read: Kaymer maintains lead over Spieth
He expects to receive the support of the galleries in what Kaymer is comparing to a Ryder Cup style situation, man against man.
“Hopefully we’ll get out there and give them something to cheer for,” Spieth said, “and try and gain momentum off of the fans who have been so special here.”
But 2008 winner Garcia, second last year to the absent Tiger Woods, may well be a factor again and he might have been closer to the leaders but for a three-putt bogey on the famous par-three 17th.
Last year he dumped his tee shot into the water to hand the title to Woods and says he has learned from the experience. “I’m looking forward to the final round. I am excited about it and going to give it my best shot like last year.
“Hopefully I will be in the same situation and able to handle the 17th and 18th better.”