PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida, CMC – Three successive bogeys on the back nine ruined Stephen Ames’ charge in the third round of the Honda Classic on Saturday, leaving him with much to do on the final day of the US$5.6 million tournament today.
The Trinidad and Tobago-born golfer was cruising at two-under through 11 but dropped shots on the 15th, 16th and 17th to finish with a disappointing one-over 71.
At two-under, 208 overall, the 45-year-old is 15th on the leaderboard, nine strokes adrift of clubhouse leader Colombian Camilo Villegas who carded a 67 to remain out front at the PGA National Resort.
He is three strokes clear of Australia’s Nathan Green and Fiji’s Vijay Singh at eight-under with the American pair of George McNeill and Matt Every tied for fourth two strokes back.
Ames, who shot a course record 64 in Friday’s second round, started poorly with a double bogey on the first but birdies on the par-3 fifth and par-4 sixth, returned him to even par.
He picked up another shot on the ninth to make the turn at one-under and when he birdied the par-4 11th, it looked as if he would fire on the back nine as he had done a day earlier.
But after parring three straight, he followed that up with three dropped shots to fashion a messy end to his round.
