Cink maintains five-shot lead at RBC Heritage

Stewart Cink of the United States lines up a putt on the 17th green during the third round of the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. (Getty Images/AFP)

Stewart Cink continued his record-setting march towards a third RBC Heritage title on Saturday, firing a two-under par 69 to maintain a five-stroke lead in the US PGA Tour event in South Carolina. The 47-year-old American didn’t find it as effortless as it appeared in back-to-back 63s in the first two rounds, but his three birdies against one bogey were enough for a record 54-hole total in the event of 18-under par 195. Five up to start the day, he takes a five-stroke lead over 24-year-old compatriot Collin Morikawa into the fourth round. Morikawa, gearing up for the defense of his US PGA Championship crown next month, had five birdies and a bogey in his four-under 67 for 200. Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo was alone in third after a 69 for 201, with South Korean Im Sung-Jae (69) and England’s Matt Wallace (65) tied on 202. “It was not the hottest day with the putter, but under the circumstances it’s not easy to remain totally freed up, so that’s kind of what I was doing out there today,” said Cink, whose three-round total was two shots lower than the previous record set by Justin Leonard in 2002. Cink was scrambling early, salvaging a par after a miscue off the tee at the first. He was in the left rough off the tee at three, where he made bogey for the first time since the first hole of the tournament. Cink righted the ship with birdies at the fourth and fifth, rolling in a 23-footer at the fourth and blasting out of a greenside bunker to five feet at No. 5. He rolled in an eight-footer for birdie at 14, having saved par from the pine straw at the 11th and from off the fairway at 12. But he missed a birdie attempt from inside four feet at the 15th. “I was a little bit tied up in the results and it’s something I can recognize and hopefully get better at tomorrow,” Cink said. “But it’s natural - it happens to everybody. I’m still pleased with a pretty solid round and didn’t do a lot of damage to myself.” Morikawa was at even par for the day through nine holes, after a birdie at the second and bogey at the seventh. He stuck it close at three straight holes to birdie the 13th, 14th and 15th, then rolled in an eight-footer at 17 to claim solo second on 13-under. “Things actually weren’t looking too good on the front,” Morikawa said. “Putts were off, everything was a little off, and I had to get it turned around. “A lot of low scores out there, and on a course like this you’ve got to make birdies or else you’re going backwards,” Morikawa said. He admitted that his missed short putt at the seventh and the abundance of birdies dropping around him unsettled him. But once he calmed down and adjusted his putting, he was able to turn things around, rapping in a two-foot birdie at the 13th, a four-footer at 14 and a three-footer at 15. Morikawa said he’d have to putt pressure on Cink early Sunday to have any chance of overtaking him. “If I go out and shoot even par like I did on the front nine today, it’s not going to get the job done no matter how many birdies I make on the back,” he said. Despite his healthy lead, Cink – who in September ended an 11-year title drought that stretched back to his 2009 British Open victory – has reason to know there’s no guarantee on Sunday. The largest rally for victory in the tournament was his own comeback from nine adrift to win his second Harbour Town title in 2004. Leading 3rd-round scores (USA unless noted, par-71) 195-Stewart Cink 63-63-69 200-Collin Morikawa 65-68-67 201-Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 68-64-69 202-Matt Wallace (ENG) 65-72-65, Im Sung-jae (KOR) 68-65-69 203-Webb Simpson 71-68-64, Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) 71-64-68, Harold Varner 66-68-69, Corey Conners (CAN) 67-64-72 204-Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA) 70-69-65, Daniel Berger 67-71-66, Kevin Streelman 67-71-66, Maverick McNealy 71-67-66, Charley Hoffman 68-69-67, Brian Harman 67-70-67, Billy Horschel 66-67-71 205-Matt Kuchar 70-68-67, Camilo Villegas (COL) 69-68-68, Chris Kirk 70-67-68, Abraham Ancer (MEX) 69-66-70