Two bogeys over 54 holes. That’s impressive anywhere on the PGA Tour. At PGA National, with its plentiful water and The Bear Trap waiting to gobble up hopes, it’s almost unimaginable. But that’s what Daniel Berger has achieved in the first three rounds of the Honda Classic. And with that kind of precision comes a sizeable reward: a five-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
Playing 15 minutes from his home in Jupiter, Fla., Berger shot one-under-par 69 on Saturday to get to 11 under. A bogey on the par-5 18th hole prevented him from notching the fourth bogey-free round in his career at the Honda, and there are four players tied at five shots back: Shane Lowry (67), Sepp Straka (69), Chris Kirk (71) and Kurt Kitayama (71).
Berger, 28, who has held a solo 54-hole lead only twice in seven full seasons on the tour, is looking for his fifth win. The 2021 Ryder Cupper’s last victory came just more than a year ago at Pebble Beach, when he charged with a 65 in the final round.
Lowry, the 34-year-old who won the 2019 Open Championship, shot a second straight 67 that was highlighted by back-to-back birdies at Nos. 11 and 12. He’s trying to win for only the second time on American soil—the first victory coming in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone in 2015.
Kirk, 36, has been trying for his fifth PGA Tour victory for more than six years, with his last win achieved in 2015 at Colonial. He was Berger’s closest pursuer on Saturday until he double-bogeyed the 14th hole.
Straka, 28, and Kitayama, 29, are both looking for their maiden wins on the PGA Tour.
The overall purse is $8 million with the winner earning a prize money payout of $1.44 million. Here’s the prize money payouts for every golfer who made the cut. Come back after the tournament and we’ll update this with individual names and prize money payouts.