To-and-fro at top in Florida - but McIlroy hangs in there

Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose both grabbed the lead and then handed it over during the third round of the Honda Classic in Florida today.

Rose, who shared the halfway pace with 43-year-old American Tom Gillis, began with a 17-foot birdie putt, but then bogeyed the next two holes and really had to scramble to remain seven under par before ending the front nine as he began it.

McIlroy, who would take the world number one spot from Luke Donald by winning tomorrow, took over at the top with a hat-trick of birdies from the third in the windier conditions.

But the 22-year-old US Open champion followed those with back-to-back birdies and that handed the lead back to self-confessed journeyman Gillis, ranked 269th in the world and yet to win on the PGA Tour.

Victory for him would be rewarded with a Masters debut at Augusta next month and he kept that dream alive with a birdie on the fourth and then two remarkable escapes at the eighth and ninth.

First Gillis’ drive finished on the edge of water and he took a shoe and sock off and rolled up his trouser leg to hack the ball back onto the fairway, then saved par from 33 feet.

Rose followed him in from 14 feet after missing the green for the seventh hole in a row and on the next Gillis holed from 28 feet for another par after a poor chip from off the back of the green.

Masters champion Charl Schwartzel made the biggest move from the pack when he turned in 31 to stand seven under and joint third, but he found the lake at the 11th and double-bogeyed.

Fellow Englishman Gary Christian, a little-known graduate from the second tier Nationwide Tour, had his second successive 67 to improve to three under and was alongside 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell in a share of 14th place. McDowell still had five to play.

Tiger Woods was one further back following a 69 that threatened to be much better when he birdied the third, fourth and seventh. He played the remaining 11 holes in one over, however.

World number three Lee Westwood, playing with Woods for the third day running, also had three birdies, but bogeys at the seventh, 11th and 14th meant he remained one under with a 70.

Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, was two over for the day and level par for the tournament after 16.

McIlroy only just made it over the water from the rough on the 11th, but capitalised by holing from 45 feet to return to nine under.

He was still one ahead, however, as Gillis started the back nine with a five-foot birdie putt – and then continued a remarkable sequence by saving par from 33 feet yet again.

Gillis was 10 under and McIlroy nine under, with Rose and English one further back.

A brilliant nine-iron over the water to five feet on the short 15th - first leg of the three-hole ``Bear Trap'' - led to McIlroy drawing level with Gillis, but Rose fell three back when he three-putted the 14th.