Kevin Na drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole to snatch the outright lead from Matt Kuchar after the third round of the Players Championship Saturday as Rickie Fowler made his move with a six-under par 66, the best round of the day. Na, frequently taking excessive practice strokes and often backing away from his shot, otherwise struck the ball sweetly in carding a bogey free 68 to reach 12-under for the tournament. The South Korean-born American met with rules official Mark Russell after his round to discuss his slow play but said there were no problems. Fellow American Kuchar had a mixed day, combining seven birdies with four bogeys, including one on the notoriously difficult ‘island green' 17th, for a round of 69 to finish a shot behind Na. Kuchar and Na began the day in a three-way tie for the lead with Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion. Johnson shot a one-over 73 to slip back into equal fourth with Ben Curtis (70)at seven-under. It was a sign of the difficulty of the course that Na and Kuchar were the only players to post three rounds in the 60s and Na was one of only three players, along with Curtis and Carl Pettersson, that were bogey free Saturday. While Kuchar and Na jostled for the outright lead, most of the buzz around a sun-drenched TPC Sawgrass layout surrounded Fowler. The 23-year-old Californian, who claimed his first PGA Tour win at Quail Hollow last week, racked up seven birdies before spoiling his otherwise flawless round with a bogey at the last, missing a putt from less than four feet. He ended the day perfectly poised, two shots behind Fowler and one behind Kuchar. For most of the round, Fowler, who would become the tournament's youngest winner, was right on target, and even when he got in trouble, he remained unflustered. On the fifth hole, he drove into a bunker, 200 yards from the pin, but blasted out of the sand to just four feet and made birdie. Tiger Woods made an even-par 72 and was two-under for the tournament, tied for 34th place. Phil Mickelson signed for a 69 to climb 16 places to be equal 14th. Spain's Sergio Garcia made a double bogey on the par-five second hole to tumble back to a tie for last place but receovered to finish with a four-under 68 leaving him level with Mickelson. Santos wins Madeira Open Ricardo Santos became the first Portuguese-born player to win on home soil by capturing the Madeira Islands Open Sunday. Santos shot a final round 63 to win by four strokes and set a new championship record of 22-under par on the Santa da Serra course. Swede Magnus Carlsson came second after a 67. Victory earns Santos, a former Challenge Tour graduate, a one-year European Tour exemption as well as entry to the upcoming PGA Championship at Wentworth.
