Harrington well placed in New Jersey

Padraig Harrington was in contention going into the final day at The Barclays at Liberty National in New Jersey, hitting a third-day 67 to sit at four under, five shots clear of Paul Goydos and Steve Marino at the top of the leaderboard.

Padraig Harrington was in contention going into the final day at The Barclays at Liberty National in New Jersey, hitting a third-day 67 to sit at four under, five shots behind Paul Goydos and Steve Marino at the top of the leaderboard.

The Dubliner picked up five shots in the space of six holes on the back nine to finish with six birdies and two bogeys.

He was one of five players on four under, including Tiger Woods and Ian Poulter.

Woods also hit a 67, improving on his first two rounds of 72 and 70.

Consecutive birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh holes set Woods up for an impressive round, and although he dropped a shot at the par-four 10th, two more birdies moved him onto four under for the tournament.

Americans Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar were the other two players on four under.

Goydos and Marino both hit 68 in the third round to lead by two strokes from Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson, who also carded a 68, and Webb Simpson.

The American youngster, who headed the field after round two, slipped down the leaderboard after a 72.

Steve Strick and Heath Slocum were also well-placed at six and five under respectively.