Goggin, who started the day tied for the lead with Kenny Perry, carded a one-under-par 71 on another windy day at the demanding Muirfield Village Golf Club.
The Australian leads with an eight-under 208 total with one round left, while Mike Weir, Justin Rose, Kenny Perry, Matt Kuchar and Jerry Kelly were in a five-way tie for second at five under.
Goggin built a three-shot lead with two birdies in the first three holes, before the threat of lightning stopped play for two hours, 25 minutes.
The delay seemed to hurt his momentum, as he made just one birdie in the remainder of the round, not that they were easy to come by on a course with thick rough and slick greens.
But he kept his mistakes to a minimum, making only two bogeys, to end the day in a great position to win the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event.
Goggin now believes he can defy expectations to win on Sunday. "Three shots in front, I expect to win," he said.
But the 33-year-old Australian will be in turbulent, uncharted waters as he seeks his first victory in 186 starts on the PGA Tour.
Rose, boosted by an eagle at the par-five 15th, stayed in contention for his first tour victory.
"I would prefer to be leading by three, but three back is a great place to be," he said. "There's really no pressure. I'm in a position where it's win-win."
No comments:
Post a Comment