Wasn't pretty, but Moore leads by 1 at Travelers

Ryan Moore shot a 66 in Saturday’s third round and leads the Travelers Championship by one stroke over Aaron Baddeley.
Ryan Moore shot a 66 in Saturday’s third round and leads the Travelers Championship by one stroke over Aaron Baddeley.

CROMWELL, Conn. -- Ryan Moore is in contention in the Travelers Championship -- again.

Moore had an eagle and two birdies Saturday in a bogey-free 4-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Aaron Baddeley into the final round.

"This is a tournament I really want to win and I know it's a tournament I can win," said Moore, who has four top-10 finishes in eight starts in the event.

The 31-year-old Moore had a 13-under 197 total at TPC River Highlands after opening with rounds of 63 and 68. He won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia at the start of the season in October for his third PGA Tour title.

"Today was a great example of 'it doesn't have to be pretty' to shoot a great golf score," Moore said. "I honestly didn't feel great all day hitting the ball, but drove it well enough to kind of keep myself out of trouble."

Moore eagled the par-5 sixth, holing a 37-foot putt from just off the green, to take the lead early in the afternoon. He has made one eagle in each of his three rounds this week.

The eagle on No. 6 was something of a lucky break, Moore says, as his drive was off target.

"I hit it right off the tee, quite a bit right and straight into the trees, which is not a good place to be, and obviously walking up I did not think I was going to have a shot at all," Moore said. "Just planned on pitching out almost sideways with the way the rough is. And apparently got a really good bounce and chased way down the cart path, and I was actually still sitting on the edge of the cart path and I was only maybe 230 yards out. So it had gotten pretty far down there."

Moore chipped in for a birdie on No. 11 to move to 12 under and break a four-way tie for the lead.

No one who has held a share of the third-round lead has won the Travelers since Stewart Cink in 2008.

Baddeley had six birdies and a bogey in a 65.

"Around here you feel like you should birdie every hole. There are a lot of birdie holes out there," said Baddeley, the Australian who won the last of his three PGA Tour titles in 2011. "But you have to be patient."

Sergio Garcia, K.J. Choi, Scott Langley and Michael Putnam were tied for third at 11 under. Garcia had a 65, Choi shot 69, Langley 70 and Putnam 69.

Garcia has five top-10 finishes in nine PGA Tour starts this season, and won the European Tour's Qatar Masters in January.

"It's been a solid season so far," Garcia said. "There's no question I'd like to have played better at the Masters and last week (at the U.S. Open)."

Masters champion Bubba Watson was nine strokes back after a 67. He won in 2010 at River Highlands.

Former Stanford star Patrick Rodgers, making his pro debut, was 4 under after a 71.

Defending champion Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) was 2 under after a 71.

John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) recorded an even-par 70. Daly recorded an 8 on the par 4 No. 10, but responded with back-to-back birdies and an eagle. Daly finished with four birdies and a double bogey in his round. He is at 2 under for the tournament.

WEB.COM TOUR

Former Razorback on top in Classic

WICHITA, KAN. -- Former University of Arkansas player Sebastian Cappelen fired a bogey-free five-under par 65 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Andres Gonzales after three rounds of play in Air Capital Classic at the Crestview Country Club.

Cappelen, playing in his first professional event, is at 14-under 196 for the tournament.

Sung Joon Park, Matt Weibring, Blayne Barber and Rob Oppenheim are all three shots back at 199.

Glen Day (Little Rock) is at 2-under 208 for the tournament after an even-par 70 on Saturday.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

Lehman on top by 3 strokes

GLENVIEW, Ill. -- Tom Lehman opened a three-stroke lead in the Champions Tour's Encompass Championship, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 66 before play was suspended because of a thunderstorm.

Lehman had a 13-under 131 total at North Shore Country Club, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey. The 55-year-old Minnesotan won the last of his seven senior titles in 2012.

Thirty-one players were unable to finish the round.

Kirk Triplett, John Inman, Roger Chapman and Bart Bryant were 10 under. Triplett and Inman shot 67, Chapman had a 68, and Bryant had two holes left when play was washed out for the day. Bryant was 5 under for the day.

EUROPEAN TOUR

Ilonen leads Irish Open

CORK, Ireland -- Finland's Mikko Ilonen birdied the final hole for a 2-under 69 and a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Irish Open.

Ilonen had a 12-under 201 total at Fota Island.

England's Danny Willett shot a course-record 8-under 63, making a hole-in-one on the seventh, to move into second place. Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell was 10 under after a 69.

Sports on 06/22/2014

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