John Senden will have to come from six shots behind on Sunday for Australia to retain the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational after a solid, yet unspectacular third round.
Looking to keep the trophy in Aussie hands after Adam Scott’s 2011 victory, Senden ground out a one-under par 69 to move to five under 205 for the tournament, tied sixth but six behind American leader Jim Furyk (70) who is 11-under 199.
South African Louis Oosthuizen moved into striking distance with a 68 leaving the former British Open champion just a shot behind at 200.
Reigning PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley (67) sits third at 203 with Rory McIlroy (67) and Steve Stricker (68) a shot further back.
Senden started strongly with a precision approach on the first leading to an early birdie before a lovely cut shot from deep rough to just five feet on the third helped gain another shot.
The Queenslander gave the shot right back after missing the fairway and green in the right rough on the fourth but bounced back with a lovely 11 foot birdie roll on the fifth to be inside the top four.
However it was a round of stalled momentum as he slipped back off the pace with a three-putt bogey on the eighth hole and then despite dropping a 29 foot birdie bomb on 13, gave it right back with bogey on 14.
Having hoped for breezy conditions, Senden was unable to negotiate the prevailing gusts as well as he would have liked, hitting just four fairways in his round.
He did manage to hit 14 greens, but didn’t knock down many pins, sitting an average 40-feet away on approach.
“I had a few mistakes off the tee and I certainly felt a little `grindy’ out there today,” Senden said.
“The conditions just kept me off my clean flow and I didn’t quite go to that next level of calmness I needed to really handle the tough day.
“But I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I probably need to shoot a 66 or 67 to have any chance so that will be the goal.”
Geoff Ogilvy is the next best Australian sitting 10 shots back at one under par in a tie for 21st.
Aaron Baddeley (even), Adam Scott (+2), Marc Leishman (+2), Jason Day (+5), Greg Chalmers (+7) and Robert Allenby (+14) will predominantly use Sunday’s final round as practice leading into next weeks final major, the PGA Championship.
