By ,
Published May 02, 2016
Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - J.B. Holmes ran off four straight birdies on the back nine Saturday as he pushed his lead to five strokes after three rounds of the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Holmes carded a 2-under 70 to finish 54 holes at 11-under-par 205. He will go for his fourth PGA Tour title on Sunday. Holmes had a hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth.
Dustin Johnson, who also aced the fourth, shot 3-under 69 to move into a share of second place at minus-6. He was joined there by Bubba Watson, who holed a bunker shot at No. 18 for birdie and a round of 2-under 70.
Ryan Moore struggled on the front nine, but rallied for a 2-over 74. He fell into fourth place at 5-under-par 211 at Trump National Doral.
Bill Haas fired a 7-under 65, the second-best round of the week, and he soared into a tie for fifth place at minus-4. He stands alongside former Masters champion Louis Oosthuizen (67) and Henrik Stenson (72).
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy managed an even-par 72. He shares 12th place at 1- under-par 215.
Holmes led by two to start the round, but there was a quick 2-shot swing at the first. Holmes 3-putted for bogey, while Moore stuffed his approach inside two feet and kicked that in for birdie.
Moore found water at the third and that led to a triple-bogey, which dropped him down the leaderboard.
Holmes parred two and three before carding his hole-in-one at the par-3 fourth. That moved Holmes four clear of Adam Scott. Holmes dipped back to even-par for his round as he bogeyed the seventh after a poor chip shot.
After four straight pars around the turn, Holmes bogeyed the par-5 12th. His drive stopped in the bushes and he chipped out. He knocked his fourth to six feet, but missed the par-saving putt.
Holmes was two clear of Johnson at that point, but pulled away starting with a 12-foot birdie effort at the 14th. He made another 12-footer at 15. At the short par-4 16th, Holmes drove into a greenside bunker and blasted to a foot.
He kicked that in for birdie. Holmes again converted a 12-foot birdie chance, this time at the 17th. That moved him to 12-under, where he led by six.
Holmes pushed his drive into the right trees at 18. He played his second back to the fairway before knocking his third to 26 feet. Holmes closed with a 2- putt bogey to trim his advantage to five.
"It was a lot of fun. Had a great time out there and just enjoyed playing a difficult golf course and enjoyed the challenge. It was definitely hard," Holmes said. "Just like any golf course, you have to chip it and putt it well, so you have to be a good ball-striker on this golf course. You have to be able to put your ball in the right position to make putts."
Johnson found water off the tee at the second and that led to a bogey. He jumped to 4-under with his hole-in-one at the fourth. Johnson moved to minus-6 with birdies at the fifth and eighth.
The 29-year-old ran off seven straight birdies from the ninth. He briefly inched within one of Holmes with a 22-foot birdie putt at the 16th.
Johnson also pushed his drive into the right trees at 18. He chipped back to the fairway and played his third to 29 feet. Johnson 2-putted for a closing bogey to end at minus-6.
"I had a great number for a 7-iron, and actually, I pushed it just a hair right. It was still a really good shot obviously and got lucky it went in," said Johnson of the fourth. "I really played well all day today. Just didn't roll the putter that great."
Watson, who has finished second at this event in 2012 and 2014, had four pars and a bogey through five holes. He wrapped birdies at the sixth and eighth around a bogey at the seventh.
Around the turn, Watson traded a birdie for a bogey from the 10th. After four pars in a row from the 12th, the two-time Masters champion 2-putted for birdie on the 16th. Watson found sand with his approach at the last, but he holed the bunker shot for a closing birdie.
NOTES: Holmes has won three of the previous five PGA Tour events in which he had at least a piece of the 54-hole lead ... If Holmes wins, he would be the first wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour since McIlroy won the Open Championship last year ... Tiger Woods is the only player to win this event in wire-to-wire fashion, doing so in 2002 and 2006 ... Both times Watson finished second at this event, he went on to win the Masters ... The last time two players aced the same hole was at the 2013 Barclays, where K.J. Choi and Greg Chalmers both had hole-in-ones on the par-3 14th.
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