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Spieth with another big finish leads by 5

World No.1 Jordan Spieth has gone five up over fellow American Brooks Koepka in leading the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

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Source: AAP


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Jordan Spieth has capped an 8-under round of 65 with a 10-foot eagle to take a five-shot lead into the final round of the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Three strokes adrift of second-placed American Brooks Koepka, defending champion Patrick Reed is the only other player within eight shots of the world No 1.

Saturday's hardy Kona wind didn't slow anyone down who was playing well.

Spieth started the day with a four-shot lead and ran off four straight birdies.

Koepka, in only his second tournament in nearly three months, had six straight birdies on the front nine.

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That streak ended when he made par on the downwind, par-5 ninth hole. And with a par on the closing hole, he still had a career-best 63.

At one point, Koepka pulled within one-shot of the lead.

Spieth had talked the previous day about learning to be patient because he would have more holes to play from the final group.

Along with taking care of the holes where birdies are likely, he picked up a bonus with a 50-foot birdie putt up the slope and with the grain on the 12th hole.

And then, his short game took over.

From just short of the 14th green, he chipped into the grain to 2 feet for birdie.

His second shot into the par-5 15th went just long, leaving him in a tough spot with a back pin.

It looked as if the best play was a chip that bounced onto the green and rode the grain and slope.

Instead, Spieth opened a lob wedge and threw it up in the air with a flop shot that settled 3 feet away.

He saved par on the 16th with another tough chip and closed out his round with a second shot that had the gallery thinking it might go in.

The way this week has been going, who could blame them?

Spieth was at 24-under 195, one shot shy of the 54-hole record at Kapalua that Ernie Els set in 2003 on his way to an eight-shot victory.

Els is the only player in PGA Tour history to finish a 72-hole event at 30 under or better (he was 31 under).

Brandt Snedeker (65) and Fabian Gomez (70) were nine shots back. The best-placed Australian is Steven Bowditch (69) in equal sixth at 14 under.


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