WGC-Cadillac Championship: J.B Holmes five clear after hole-in-one

J.B Holmes fired a hole-in-one on his way to a two-under third round 70, to take a five shot lead in to the final day of the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Holmes holed the 207-yard par-three fourth with a seven-iron, seeing his tee-shot land 20-feet short of the pin and roll perfectly in to the cup, just two groups after Dustin Johnson nailed an almost identical shot at the same hole. 

Four late birdies extended Holmes' advantage, while world No 1 Rory McIlory sits ten strokes back after another up-and-down round at Doral. 

Firm favourite

Holmes, the overnight leader, opened by three-putting the first from just five feet, before holing the fourth to move to ten-under. The world No 41 dropped a second shot on the seventh by duffing a chip after over-hitting his approach shot over the green, with a missed putt from eight-feet seeing Holmes also bogey the 12th.

With the American’s lead back down to three, Holmes responded by firing four successive gains from the 14th to the 17th to move six clear, although a wayward tee-shot in to trees at the 18th and a 25-foot par putt running over the edge of the cup saw him finish with a dropped stroke. 

Johnson followed his ace with further gains on the fifth and eighth on his way to a three-under 69 and a share of second with compatriot Bubba Watson.

"I can't worry about what J.B. is doing," Watson said, who holed a bunker shot from behind the 18th green for birdie. "This golf course is hard enough as it is. If I start worrying about other people, I'm going to lose it."

An eagle at the par-four 16th keeps Ryan Moore within six of the lead, while Sweden's Henrik Stenson leads the European challenge a further shot back alongside former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.

Adam Scott carded a bogey-filled third round 75 with a double-bogey at the last to move tied-eighth alongside Sergio Garcia, Webb Simpson and Lee Westwood - who posted six birdies and four dropped shots in his 50th WGC event.

"I think 70 is a pretty good score," Westwood told Sky Sports 4. "I made a couple of mistakes out there. I hit a lot of good shots though and didn't get rewarded for some of them.

"I'm trying to keep myself in shape at the moment. I'm 42 in a couple of months but I still really feel fit and fresh and mentally sharp and keen to keep playing.

"As long as I am enjoying getting out of bed and practising and working on my game there's no reason I shouldn't carry on."

Off colour

A day after apologising for throwing his club into a lake, McIlroy shot four birdies and as many bogeys in a third round level 72.

McIlroy got off to a good start and moved within five of the lead after birdies at the third and seventh, but hit his tee-shot at the eighth behind a tree and saw his third shot stop inches short of the water in the first to back-to-back bogeys.

A gain at the 11th was followed by two further dropped shots on the 13th and 14th, although the Northern Irishman’s chip from the bunker at the 16th to within three-feet of the cup set up a birdie putt. 

Watch the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship live on Sunday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.