Jim Furyk made his only birdie on the par-5 second hole and had to rely on a couple of strong par saves on the back nine at Firestone Saturday for an even-par 70, giving him a one-shot lead over Louis Oosthuizen going into the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
Furyk began the week with a 63, and he’s not sure he didn’t hit the ball better in the third round. Under three days of sun-baked conditions, the greens lost their moisture and enough wind arrived to make players think more than they would prefer.
Oosthuizen had to scramble for pars at the start before he settled into his round of 68.
Keegan Bradley, who can move into the top eight in the Ryder Cup standings with a runner-up finish, had a 67 and was four shots behind. He will be in the final group Sunday, when tee times are pushed forward to avoid thunderstorms forecast throughout the day.
Instead of approach shots that spun back, even a wedge was taking a big bounce forward, making it tough to get it close.
Furyk wasted the few opportunities he had early in the round, missing from 7 feet for birdie on the third and from 6 right behind the hole on the par-3 fifth hole.
‘‘We had a little bit more wind going on, the greens firmed up a little bit, and I just felt like it was a lot harder to get iron shots close to the pin,’’ Furyk said.
Furyk, who led by five strokes on the front nine, was at 11-under 199.
PGA — J.J. Henry had an eagle for the third straight day and scored 14 points to take the third-round lead in the Reno-Tahoe Open. John Daly and Justin Leonard were among more than a dozen players within striking distance in the tour’s first modified Stableford scoring system event since 2006.
Champions — David Peoples matched his career best with a 10-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead in the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn.
Web.com — Jim Renner of Plainville and Rob Oppenheim of Andover each posted their third straight round in the 60s to remain in contention in the Cox Classic in Omaha. Renner fired a 4-under 67 and Oppenheim shot 69 to enter Sunday’s final round tied for sixth with two others, three shots behind leaders Russell Henley and Luke Guthrie.