FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Rickie Fowler kept bogeys off his card for the second straight day Saturday and closed with a 5-foot birdie putt for a 3-under 68, giving him a one-shot lead over Patrick Reed going into the final round of The Barclays.

Fowler has gone 45 holes without a bogey at Bethpage Black, the site of two U.S. Opens and among the toughest courses on the PGA Tour. Along with his three birdies, he made three par-saving putts of at least 10 feet, including one from 25 feet early in his round.

And he needed them all.

Reed overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the front nine and was tied for the lead on the back nine until the final two holes. Reed missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th and his 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole missed weakly to the right.

Fowler, who was at 9-under 204, now is in prime position to win for the first time on the PGA Tour in a year and play his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

This is the final tournament for Americans to earn one of the eight automatic spots for the Ryder Cup matches at the end of next month. Fowler was at No. 12 going into the opening Fed-Ex Cup event with its $8.5 million purse and needed at least a third-place finish to earn a spot.

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Reed, who is No. 8 in the Ryder Cup standings, settled into his round and wound up with a 71, putting him in the final group with Fowler. Right behind was Adam Scott, who also saw his share of putts go in, especially a 45-foot birdie on the 15th hole. Scott started out his round by holing a lob wedge from 98 yards for an eagle, and his 65 was the lowest score of the tournament.

LPGA: Ariya Jutanugarn missed a chance to take a big lead into the final round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, making two late bogeys at Priddis, Alberta.

A week after withdrawing from the Rio Olympics because of a left knee injury, the 20-year-old Thai player bogeyed the par-4 16th and par-5 18th for a 5-under 67. At 17-under 199, she had a two-stroke advantage over In Gee Chun of South Korea.

CHAMPIONS: Gene Sauers took the Boeing Classic lead at Snoqualmie, Washington, two weeks after his victory in the U.S. Senior Open.

Sauers, 54, two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke lead over Joe Durant. Sauers, a three-time PGA Tour winner, has a 12-under 132 total.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Bradley Dredge’s lead at the Made in Denmark was trimmed to one stroke after he shot a 1-over 72 in the third round at Farso, Denmark.

One of the three players tied for second – with David Lipsky (67) and Adrian Otaegui (68) – was Thomas Pieters of Belgium, who is seeking a victory to push his claim for a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup. Darren Clarke names his wild-card selections Tuesday.


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