Orlando (Florida): The sun shone, Tiger Woods improved his score, but not his standing, and Jordan Spieth continued to blaze along on with a nine-under 63 and a staggering 20-under 196 on Day Three of the Hero World Challenge in Windermere near here on Saturday.With the fairways holding firm after Friday’s showers and the greens rolling out well, scores could have been lower, but among the early finishers, only Keegan Bradley made the most of conditions. Even as Spieth continued to open up a gap in over the rest of the field, Bradley turned the heat up.
Following rounds of 72 and 66, Bradley went one better on the day, ripping the field for a seven under 65, a bogey on the par-5 third notwithstanding, the 28-year-old made the turn at four under 32. A clear round, marked by a further three gained strokes meant that his charge up the leaderboard continues, finishing second at 13 under overall for the day alongside Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.
The spotlight, however, continues to shine on Spieth. Coming here off a runaway win at the Australian Open in Sydney last week, the 21-year-old Texan maintained his runaway lead over the rest of the elite field. He did lose it, on Day Two for a short while to Stenson, but other than that, he has headed the field in a manner reminiscent of his idol, Tiger Woods.
Matching Bradley’s charge, Spieth made the turn at four under 32 and continued to add to his total on his return journey that gives him a virtually unassailable lead, seven strokes ahead of second placed Bradley and Stenson. Spieth finished his day fittingly with a monster 60-foot putt on the 18th that gave him an extra stroke’s cushion.
