SHANGHAI — World No. 2 Jordan Spieth fired the round of the day, a flawless nine-under 63, to climb into contention at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions here Saturday.
The 22-year-old American had nine birdies and no bogeys to storm up the leaderboard from 27th to a share of fifth place, three shots behind leader Kevin Kisner.
Weather delays due to rain and thunder in the morning meant two players of the last three-ball group finished in almost total darkness after the 5:02pm (0902 GMT) sunset time at Sheshan International Golf Club.
The third member of the group, Scotland’s Russell Knox exercised his right not to tee off on 18 in the gloom and will have to come back Sunday morning to complete his third round.
Overnight leader Kevin Kisner saw his lead whittled to one stroke after a 70 took him to 16-under par.
One shot behind are Knox, the 2013 winner here Dustin Johnson and China’s young Li Haotong who for the third day running showed he could compete with the cream of world golf by shooting a six-under 66.
Spieth, starting his third round 10 strokes behind Kisner, moved into contention by collecting eight birdies through 15 holes to move to 12-under par.
He missed a 15-foot eagle putt at 18th for a 62, but still signed for a nine-under 63 and a 13-under total.
Masters and US Open champion Spieth said it could have been even better as he missed four shortish birdie putts that, had they all dropped, would have seen the 22-year-old post a 59 — an almost mythical score achieved only six times in PGA Tour history.
Meanwhile local 20-year-old hero Li was off to an electrifying start for the third day running, pouring in four straight birdies including putts of 20 and 25 feet at the first and fourth before a bogey at the fifth arrested his charge.
When Li holed another 20-footer to birdie the long 603-yard eighth the roars could be heard all over the course.
Another long birdie putt at the 13th and a much shorter effort at the 15th took him to a share of second at 15-under.
Kisner had just 24 putts in his 66 on Friday, but little dropped Saturday until he went the direct route and chipped in at 15. He followed with a birdie at the short par four 16th to grab the clubhouse lead.
Former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, hit by food poisoning earlier in the week, started the day level with Spieth but his 68 left the four-time major champion eight shots off the lead.
Shin takes lead Jenny Shin shot a 7-under 65 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over fellow South Korean player Kim Ha-neul in the LPGA Tour’s Toto Japan Classic.
Shin had her second straight bogey-free round at Kintetsu Kashikojima, reaching 13-under with a birdie on the par-3 17th and closing with a par.
Shin moved to Torrance, California, when she was 9 years old and won the 2006 US Girls’ Junior at 13. She’s winless in her five-year LPGA Tour career.
Angela Stanford was 11-under along with South Korea’s Sun-Ju Ahn and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum. Stanford, tied for the first-round lead with fellow American Ryann O’Toole, followed her opening 65 with a 68. Ahn, a 19-time winner on the JLPGA, shot a 65, and Phatlum birdied six of the first eight holes in a 66.
O’Toole had a 70 drop into a tie for eighth at 9-under. Fourth-ranked Lexi Thompson also was 9-under after a 68. Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was another stroke back after a 69. Michelle Wie was 1 under after a 73. — Agencies
