Jim Furyk remained one shot ahead of Steve Stricker at the BMW Championship the day after he became only the sixth player in tour history to shoot a 59. CHARLES REX ARBOGAST / Associated Press
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Jim Furyk recovered from a sluggish start with three birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn Saturday in the third round of the BMW Championship.
A three-putt bogey from 30 feet on the par-5 18th forced him to settle for a 2-under 69 and a one-shot lead over Steve Stricker.
It was a far different finish from Friday, when Furyk hit a wedge to 3 feet for birdie on his final hole (No. 9) for a 12-under 59, becoming only the sixth player in PGA Tour history to hit golf's magic number.
No one expected another round like that from him - though Matt Kuchar had a 61 in the morning when conditions were calm - with firm fairways, fast greens and increasing wind. Furyk did enough to give himself another chance to end three years without a victory.
But his work is far from over. He was at 13-under 200 and will be paired in the final group with longtime friend Stricker, who had a 64.
Brandt Snedeker, tied with Furyk to start the third round, got up-and-down from behind the 18th green for birdie to get back to even-par 71 for the day and remain in the hunt just two shots behind.
And very much in the picture was Tiger Woods, who was four shots back.
Miyazato keeps Evian lead: With teen amateur Lydia Ko of New Zealand in pursuit, Mika Miyazato of Japan held a one-stroke lead after two rounds at the Evian Championship at Evian-Les-Bains, France.
Miyazato shot a 2-under 69 and was at 8 under with a round to go in the fifth and last women's major of the year.
Ko, who is only 16, had four birdies in an error-free 67.
Suzann Pettersen of Norway had four birdies for a 69 to share second with Ko.
Luiten leads KLM Open: Joost Luiten mastered wet and windy conditions to shoot a 4-under 66 and take a one-shot lead after the third round of the KLM Open at Zandvoort, Netherlands.
Luiten, aiming to become the first home winner of the tournament since Maarten Lafeber won the then-Dutch Open in 2003, has a 10-under 200.
Overnight leader Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain slipped to second with a 70.
Noh has 3-shot lead: South Korea's Seung-Yul Noh shot a 1-under 70 to take a three-stroke lead in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, the third of four events in the
Web.com Tour Finals series.
Jim Herman (67) and South Africa's Tyrone Van Aswegen (68) were tied for second.
Scores, B11
Original Print Headline: Furyk starts slow, forges one-stroke lead
Other - Golf
Zach Johnson is having a September to remember, and there's still one very big week to go.
At Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Ill