Ogilvy and Wetterich share lead

Geoff Ogilvy recently got his first taste of victory. Brett Wetterich is still looking for his first bite.

Taking drastically different paths, Ogilvy and Wetterich share the lead after Saturday’s third round of the $5.5m (€4m) Honda Classic.

Ogilvy, an Australian who posted his first PGA Tour victory in his last start at the Chrysler Classic, and Wetterich, still looking for his first win, are at 12-under-par 204 and lead Lee Janzen and Pat Perez by one shot.

Ogilvy carded the day’s low round with an eight-under 64. He came out firing with birdies on three of his first four holes to put himself into contention for his second consecutive victory.

The 27-year-old Ogilvy started the day tied for 19th at four-under. He credits his surge in part to the after affects of his victory in Tucson.

“There’s a big psychological boost to winning a golf tournament and you see it all the time,” Ogilvy said.

“It makes you believe you’re a better player and that’s the biggest key out here. Like on a day like today. Maybe six month ago, sneaking up the leaderboard on Saturday, I might have got a bit more nervous. But today, I was nothing but comfortable.”

Tied for eighth here three years ago, Wetterich opened the tournament with consecutive bogey-free rounds of 66 but he was not as precise on Saturday. He made the turn with a 34 after three birdies and a bogey and had a rough back nine, with bogeys at numbers 10, 11 and 15 before a birdie at the par-five 17th.

“I struggled a lot but I kept my head in the game and I think that’s more important to me than shooting the five or six-under round,” Wetterich said.

“Going out and shooting even par today and still being tied for the lead, I think for me it’s great.”

The Honda Classic has been good to players looking for their first tour victory. Eight golfers have notched their first wins here including Todd Hamilton last year.

“To go out and shoot a good round tomorrow is important for me,” Wetterich said.

“If I can go out and shoot three-under, two-under, just a good solid round of golf, I think that would be really important for me confidence wise.”

Janzen finished where he started, one shot out of the lead. He was hot early with birdies at numbers two and three but gave up a share of the lead with a bogey on the eighth.

The two-time US Open champion could have forged a three-way tie for the lead but a closing bogey dropped him to a tie for third with Perez.

“I hoped that it would have gone better than this, but really, at the start of the week, all you want to do is have a chance on Sunday,” Janzen said.

“I think I’m in a great position for tomorrow.”

Perez birdied three of his last five holes for a 67. Joe Ogilvie matched that number and is fifth at 206.

“At one point I was seven back, so I just figured I would try and get somewhere in the top 10 by the end of the day and see what happens tomorrow,” Perez said.

“It’s kind of nice to be one back, actually.”

Fred Couples vaulted up the leaderboard with a 66 and is tied for sixth with Robert Damron at 208.

Hamilton, the defending champion, shot a 72 on Saturday and is tied for 26th, eight strokes back.