PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Rory Sabbatini had another good round with his new putter Saturday, shooting a 4-under 66 to take a five-stroke lead in the Honda Classic.
Sabbatini will go into the final round at 9-under 201.
Y.E. Yang, the 2009 winner, birdied the last two holes for a 67 and moved into a tie for second with Jerry Kelly (68). Gary Woodland shot a 68 and was fourth, six shots behind. Second-round leader Kyle Stanley had a 74 to drop seven strokes back.
Sabbatini, who switched to a new putter this week, made birdie putts of 2, 40, 12, 18 and 18 feet. He had the lowest round for the second day in a row after tying the tournament course record with a 64 Friday.
The South African, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, seeks his sixth PGA Tour title and his first since the 2009 Byron Nelson Championship.
Wind over 15 mph was a factor for the third successive day, and players also dealt with occasional light rain. Fourteen players broke par, but the average score for the round was 3 over.
With thunderstorms in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, tee times for the final round were moved up.
Lee Westwood, who fell to No. 2 in the rankings this week behind Martin Kaymer, was tied for 30th at 4 over after a 75. Westwood must finish alone in third place or better to regain the top ranking next week.
First-round leader Spencer Levin was tied for 16 at 2 over after a 73.
Kelly hit an iron that lodged in a palm on No. 6 but escaped with a bogey and made six birdies. Yang sank birdie putts for 16 and 9 feet on the final two holes.