Goggin in hunt to save US tour card

Australian golfer Mathew Goggin faced a huge task to salvage his US PGA Tour card but he’s given himself a fighting chance.

Ranked outside the top 200 on the money list after a miserable season with 12 missed cuts from 21 starts, Goggin’s game has burst to life in the last three weeks.

A tie for 13th in Las Vegas and tied 22nd in California reaped $US117,571 and lifted him to 178th among money earners.

And rounds of 67 66 68 had the Tasmanian tied sixth at the McGladreys Classic in Florida going into the final round of the season’s penultimate tournament.

With $US720,000 on offer to the winner on Sunday (Monday AEDT), Goggin is playing for career security as that would comfortably put him among the top 125 season earners who retain full playing rights.

To win however, he must get past veteran American stars Davis Love and Jim Furyk, both keen to put the frustrations of the US Ryder Cup team’s defeat by Europe behind them.

Goggin was four shots behind Love and Furyk, who were tied for the lead at 13-under 197, two clear of India’s Arjun Atwal and American D.J. Trahan.

Love, who served as the US Ryder Cup captain, and Furyk, who was on the US team that fell at Medinah, each fired four-under par 66s in the third round.

Furyk, 42, has seven top-10 finishes this season but still seeks his first title since the 2010 Tour Championship. He has 16 career US PGA crowns.

Love, 48, is seeking his 21st career PGA victory and his first since 2008.

The tournament host is enjoying his home field advantage – as well as a release from the stresses of his Ryder Cup captaincy.

“It’s nice to be 100 percent focused on my golf,” said Love, who had a share of the third-round lead at Memphis this year and finished tied for third.

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