PALM BEACH GARDENS — Rory McIlroy navigated windy conditions for a one-under par 69 Saturday to seize a two-stroke lead after 54 holes at the US PGA Honda Classic, where top-ranked Tiger Woods impressed. McIlroy fired four birdies against three bogeys at PGA National to stand on 12-under par 198, two strokes ahead of American Russell Henley. Scotsman Russell Knox was third on 201 with Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas on 202 and England's Luke Donald, Australian Stuart Appleby and Americans Ryan Palmer and Keegan Bradley on 203. McIlroy could join Jack Nicklaus, Mark Calcavecchia and Johnny Miller as the only repeat winners of the $6 million event, the 24-year-old Northern Irishman having taken the title in 2012 to become world No. 1 for the first time. Woods, meanwhile, made seven birdies against two bogeys on his way to a five-under 65, his low round of the year, to stand on 205, seven strokes off the pace in a share of 17th after only making the cut on the number. “I struck the ball well and made some putts,” Woods said. Two-time major champion McIlroy teed off only one stroke ahead of playing partner Brendon de Jonge and each birdied the first and par-5 third holes, but Zimbabwe's de Jonge fell two back with a bogey at the fourth. De Jonge took a double bogey at the sixth but McIlroy made bogeys at the sixth and par-3 seventh. De Jonge birdied eight but a bogey at nine and a double bogey at 11 heralded a back-nine collapse, a bogey-bogey finish taking him to a 76 and eight shots off the lead. McIlroy sank a five-foot birdie at 12 to move four clear of the field and followed a bogey at 14 with a nine-foot birdie putt at 16. Henley, who had 10 pars and a bogey to start, birdied 12 and reached 10-under with a 150-yard eagle shot from the fairway at the par-4 14th. Fisher wins 5th European Tour title Ross Fisher ended a four-year European Tour title drought with a three-stroke victory Sunday in the Tshwane Open. The 33-year-old Englishman finished with a two-under-par 70 to win from Northern Irishman Michael Hoey and South African Danie van Tonder. Fisher, whose last triumph came at the 2010 Irish Open, sealed first place with an eagle three on 15, his medium-distance left-to-right putt always on course for the pin. It gave him a four-shot cushion at the par-72, 7,281-meter The Els Club Copperleaf, the longest European circuit layout. The Englishman, ranked 82 in the world, was a model of consistency over the course west of Highveld city Pretoria, shooting rounds of 66, 65, 67 and 70 for a 20-under 268 total. — Agencies
