JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Steve Marino ran off three straight birdies late in the third round Saturday for a 3-under 68 to catch Paul Goydos for a share of the lead at The Barclays and give himself another shot at his first PGA Tour victory.
On a Liberty National course shortened by 355 yards — Tiger Woods said it was like playing the "ladies tees" — a bunch of other players felt the same way about their chances.
That includes Woods.
Despite missing six putts inside 12 feet — one of them for eagle — Woods made two big pars on the back nine and shot a 67 that left him five shots out of the lead going into the final round.
Goydos made his move early with three straight birdies that put him atop the leaderboard throughout most of the day. On holes where everyone was picking up birdies, however, Goydos settled for pars and shot a 68.
"If you told me on Thursday I would have to play and start Sunday tied for the lead, I wouldn't play," Goydos said.
Goydos and Marino were at 9-under 204, two shots clear of 24-year-old rookie Webb Simpson (72) and Fredrik Jacobson (68). Steve Stricker had a 68 and was three shots behind at 207.
The Barclays is the only PGA Tour event Woods has played at least three times without finishing in the top 10. He was among 11 players separated by five shots going into the final round.
Marino lost in a playoff at Colonial this year, and he shared the 36-hole lead with Tom Watson at the British Open. He figures that being in the mix for a title can only serve him well, and Marino should find out how much on Sunday.
"I felt like I was ready to win back then, too," Marino said. "It just didn't turn out that way. I just feel like I'm playing real well right now, and I'm going to do the best I can. I think if I play well, I'll have a good chance to win the golf tournament."
There is plenty of other inexperience with him.
Simpson, who was in Q-school eight months ago, is trying to become the first rookie to win on the PGA Tour this year. He did well to stay in contention after badly pulling his tee shot into the water on the par-3 11th and taking triple bogey.
Jacobson has never won a PGA Tour event in his six years as a full member.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: At Snoqualmie, Wash., Mark McNulty shot a 7-under 65 to share the lead with Loren Roberts heading to the final round at the Boeing Classic. Roberts had four birdies in his final six holes to match McNulty's 65 and finish at 11 under in the second round. The duo holds a two-shot lead over Bernhard Langer and first-round leader Mark O'Meara. McNulty was 4 under on his first nine holes, then made another four birdies on the back nine.
LPGA TOUR: At North Plains, Ore., rookie Anna Nordqvist's 3-under 69 moved her into a 1-shot lead over Seon Hwa Lee and Ai Miyazato going into the final round of the Safeway Classic. Nordqvist, who won the LPGA Championship earlier this year, was at 10-under 134 after the first two rounds. Miyazato had three straight birdies on Nos. 8-10, all par-5 holes, to edge up the leaderboard with a 68. Lee sank a birdie putt on the par-4 18th hole and wound up with a 70.
US AMATEUR: At Tulsa, Okla., Byeong-Hun An will face fourth-seeded Ben Martin in his bid to become the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur. After being 1 down heading to the 13th hole, the 17-year-old South Korean won four straight holes to close out a 3-and-2 victory against Fresno State sophomore Bhavik Patel. Martin took a 4-up lead through six holes as Texas senior Charlie Holland got off to a sloppy start, and he cruised to a 5-and-4 victory.
EUROPEAN TOUR: At Gleneagles, Scotland, Peter Hedblom shot a 4-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over Paul Lawrie after three rounds at the Johnnie Walker Championship.