Martin Laird suspected that four straight birdies early in the round and no bogeys had put him in the lead yesterday at The Barclays. When he finally glanced at a leader board, it gave him quite a jolt.
It was a not-so-subtle reminder that winning goes a long way in these playoffs, and Laird put himself in a great spot. He was at 12-under 201, three shots clear of Dustin Johnson and Jason Day with one round left at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.
A victory for the 27-year-old Scot would move him to No. 1, assuring him a spot in all four majors next year and making him a serious contender for the $10 million FedEx Cup payoff.
Tiger Woods also has something at stake today, but it most likely won�t be a trophy. After missing only one fairway in each of the first two rounds, Woods hit his opening tee shot off the property and took triple bogey.
He couldn�t get those three shots back and shot 72, putting him nine shots behind. He needs a steady final round just to advance to second round next week outside Boston.
Johnson, struggling with a cold and his swing earlier in the week, began to hit his stride on a sunny day in northern New Jersey. On the 616-yard 13th hole, he blasted a 3-wood to about 15 feet for eagle and added consecutive birdies a short time later on his way to a 64 that gave him a chance to win.
�I definitely put myself into the hunt,� Johnson said.
Day remains there, too, although he didn�t help himself on a day for scoring at Ridgewood. The 22-year-old Australian regained the lead by chipping for eagle on the short par-4 fifth hole, but he simply missed too many putts and struggled enough with his driver to give it away.
LPGA: In Winnipeg, Manitoba, overnight leader Michelle Wie shot an even-par 72 to fall into a tie with Jiyai Shin after a rainy Saturday at the Canadian Women�s Open.
Shin shot a 69 to erase the three-stroke lead Wie took into the third round at the St. Charles Country Club. Both were at 10-under.
Champions: In Snoqualmie, Wash., Bernhard Langer fired a 9-under 63 to take a one-shot lead over Nick Price after the second round of the Boeing Classic.