PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida: Rory Sabbatini had a good round with his new putter for a second day, making five birdie putts to shoot a 4-under 66 and take a five-stroke lead in the Honda Classic Saturday. The South African will go into the final round at 9-under 201. Y.E. Yang, the 2009 Honda Classic champion from South Korea, birdied the last two holes for a 67 and moved into a tie for second with Jerry Kelly (68). Gary Woodland shot a 68 and was fourth, six shots behind. Second-round leader Kyle Stanley had a 74 to drop seven strokes back. Sabbatini, who switched to a new putter this week, made birdie putts of 2, 40, 12, 18 and 18 feet. He had the lowest round for the second day in a row after equaling the tournament course record with a 64 Friday. Wind over 15 mph (24 kph) was a factor for the third successive day, and players also dealt with occasional light rain. Fourteen players broke par, but the average score for the round was 3 over. With thunderstorms in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, tee times for the final round were moved up. Sabbatini, Kelly and Yang will tee off last. Kelly played with Sabbatini just last week at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico. Given the tough conditions at the PGA National course, Kelly doesn't consider his five-shot deficit insurmountable. “It's catchable in three holes,” he said. Sabbatini said a delay on the course Saturday may have helped him slow down and play even better after he made consecutive birdies on the front nine. The wait at No. 6 occurred when Kelly, playing two groups ahead of Sabbatini, lodged a shot in a palm tree. A newspaper photographer's zoom lens was used to identify the ball as Kelly's, allowing him to avoid being penalized for a lost ball. He escaped with a bogey on the hole. The inspection took time, so the twosome behind Kelly played through. Meanwhile, Sabbatini and his playing partner, Stanley, waited and wondered how they had caught up with Kelly. The interruption could have halted Sabbatini's momentum, but after the long wait he hit an iron 200 yards to 10 feet from the pin, one of his better shots of the day. Lee Westwood of England, who fell to No. 2 in the rankings this week behind German Martin Kaymer, was tied for 30th at 4 over after a 75. Westwood must finish alone in third place or better to regain the top ranking next week. First-round leader Spencer Levin was tied for 16th at 2 over after a 73.
