Date: January 18, 2009
Author: PA Sport

Aussies in contention

Nathan Green, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy are all in contention heading into the final round of the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Halfway leader Green had a consistent round with just two birdies and just one bogey to card a one-under-par 69, which took him up to nine-under overall, one shot off the lead. Scott shot a second successive four-under-par round of 66 to move up to seven-under overall and a tie for 10th place. Ogilvy carded a 68 to be equal with Scott at seven-under, three shots behind leader Zach Johnson. Marc Leishman and Jarrod Lyle are well down the leaderboard in 40th and 50th place respectively. Johnson is alone at 10-under, one shot clear of Green, David Toms, Shigeki Maruyama and Brian Gay. Tadd Fujikawa lit up the Waialae Country Club golf course with a sizzling eight-under-par round to rocket up the leaderboard into a share of sixth place at eight-under overall. American Tom Pernice Jr, who led the tournament going into the third round, had a disastrous six-over-par round to plummet down the leaderboard. Toms made the biggest move of the players in the second place group with a 65 while Maruyama and Gay each managed a 68. Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, played the front nine in three-under with three birdies to grab a share of the lead. Maruyama and Gay were both two-under through nine after both birdied the par-five ninth. Johnson added his final birdie of the day at the 12th, but it was good enough for the lead through 54 holes. “One shot, one errant shot can be a matter of a two- or three-shot swing. So out here, it&aposs just, you know, it didn&apost really matter,” Johnson said. “I think that&aposs the beauty of this course. It doesn&apost surprise me it&aposs congested, and the guy that sticks to his own and makes some putts tomorrow is probably going to come out on top.”