Masters champion Adam Scott has suffered back-to-back bogies halfway through the third round of the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast.
Scott, who hadn’t bogeyed a hole for the first two days of the tournament, dropped shots on the seventh and eighth to go into the turn two over for the day and tied for the lead with American Rickie Fowler and David McKenzie.
Victorian McKenzie briefly held a one-shot lead but bogeyed the ninth to fall back to eight under overall.
The 46-year-old has had a mixed day so far, sinking three birdie putts but also having bogies at the first, seventh and ninth.
Scott, who begun the round with a two-shot overnight lead, is yet to make a birdie at Royal Pines as the leaders struggle to build their scores.
Fowler put together a solid first nine until he bogeyed the ninth to avoid taking an outright lead of his own.
The lengthy Royal Pines layout is again proving tough with strong gusty winds making scoring difficult.
Gold Coast-based Steven Jeffress (-1) is poised nicely to strike behind the leading trio, alone in fourth at seven under.
US PGA Tour player Marc Leishman is also making a move, shooting a three-under 68 to move into a tie fifth at five under.
South Australia’s Peter Cooke, US-based Australian Cameron Percy and NSW professional Nick Flanagan have posted the best completed rounds of the day after firing four-under 67s.