Van Pelt, Garrigus share lead in Malaysia; Woods still 5 back

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Defending champion Bo Van Pelt nearly shot 59 on Saturday, but he double-bogeyed the final hole to fall into a share of the third-round lead with Robert Garrigus at the CIMB Classic.

With the closing double-bogey, Van Pelt posted a 9-under 62 to match the course record. He finished 54 holes at 16-under-par 197. Garrigus birdied the final three holes to join him there after shooting 2-under 69.

Chris Kirk fired a 63 to move into third place at minus-15. Jbe Kruger (69) and Brendon de Jonge (66) share fourth at 14-under-par 199. Brian Harman carded a 5-under 66 to end alone in sixth at minus-13.

Tiger Woods had six birdies in the first eight holes on Saturday at The Mines Resort and Golf Club. That gave him the lead, but he played the back nine in 3-over par en route to a 2-under 69. He is tied for 10th at 11-under-par 202.

Woods ran home a 15-footer for birdie at the first, then sank a 9-foot birdie try at the third. Back-to-back birdies from inside eight feet at five and six moved Woods to 12-under, where he was part of a 5-way tie for the lead.

After a par on No. 7, Woods rolled in a 5-footer for birdie at the eighth to take the lead at 14-under. As he parred the next three holes, Woods fell behind Van Pelt and would not catch him.

Woods bogeyed the 12th, but got that shot right back with a birdie on 13. His tee ball at the par-3 14th came up well short and rolled back into the water.

That led to a double-bogey. Woods drained a 20-foot birdie effort at 15, but bogeyed the next two holes to slide to 11-under. He finished there thanks to a nice par-saving putt at the last.

"Just one of those things. The back nine I made too many mistakes. I just kept making bad decisions and bad swings," Woods said in a televised interview. "I've got to shoot a low one tomorrow and hope for the best.

"I'm going to need some help, but I need to shoot something really low and that might not do it. I put myself so far back on this golf course that it's going to be tough to make up shots."

Van Pelt, who won last week in Australia, was on fire from the start. He birdied the first two holes, both from just outside 10 feet. Van Pelt rolled in an 8-footer at the fourth and got to 11-under with a birdie on No. 6.

The 37-year-old converted an 11-foot birdie putt at the eighth to kick off a hot stretch of golf. He sank a 7-footer for birdie on nine and drained a 16- foot chance for birdie at 10.

Van Pelt continued his hot play with birdies at 11 and 12. That spurt of five consecutive birdies gave Van Pelt the lead at 16-under.

With a chance a shooting 59, Van Pelt cooled off as he parred three in a row from the 13th. He birdied the par-3 16th from six feet out, then 2-putted for birdie on the 17th to go three clear of the field.

Van Pelt needed a birdie at the last for a 59. He pushed his second shot into a greenside bunker, and left his third in the rough. Van Pelt's chip for par stopped eight feet from the hole, and he 2-putted for double-bogey.

"I knew I had a chance there coming up the last. I played well all day and hit a really good drive. Probably one of the best swings under the circumstance and I just ended in the rough," Ven Pelt said on TV of his drive at the last.

"I was in kind of in a bad spot and unfortunately my 9-iron kind of squirted off to the right on me. All in all, I'll take a lot of good from the day."

Garrigus bogeyed the first two holes and was out of the lead by the third. He came back with birdies at five and eight, but stumbled to another bogey on the ninth.

The second-round leader erased that mistake with a birdie on No. 10. Garrigus stumbled to another bogey at the par-3 14th, but closed with three consecutive birdies to join Van Pelt in the lead.

NOTES: Garrigus has had a piece of the 54-hole lead three previous times on the PGA Tour and finished second all three times, while Van Pelt has lost all four times he has owned a share of the third-round lead...Jason Dufner had a hole-in-one on the par-3 seventh.