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Justin Rose leads heading into final round of the Memorial

Justin Rose hits off the 15th tee during the third round of the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, on June 6, 2015.

Justin Rose hits off the 15th tee during the third round of the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, on June 6, 2015.

(Darron Cummings / Associated Press)
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Justin Rose made an early surge Saturday at the Memorial, when it seemed as though everyone except Tiger Woods was making a move. Rose kept right on going until he posted a 6-under 66 and emerged with a three-shot lead.

Five years after he first had that handshake with Jack Nicklaus after winning his tournament, Rose put himself in great position by missing only one green — just barely — on the back nine and creating a little comfort going into the final round.

He was at 15-under 201, three clear of Francesco Molinari and David Lingmerth.

“I guess I played a good, solid, patient round of golf. It ended up turning into a great round of golf,” Rose said. “I made my birdies when I had a chance and I limited the mistakes. Kind of surprised to play my way into a three-shot lead. I was looking just to keep pace, but it’s a fantastic position going into Sunday.”

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Woods was in a peculiar position after the worst score of his pro career.

When he tapped in for quadruple-bogey 8 on the final hole at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, he had an 85 and was in last place. For the first time, he will tee off as a single. Woods did not speak to reporters after the round. The round didn’t feature the kind of shockingly bad chips he had in Phoenix when he shot 82. It was mediocre golf when he wasn’t making bogeys and double bogeys.

Molinari had four birdies on the front nine until he cooled and shot 69. Lingmerth opened with a birdie to expand his one-shot lead at the start of the round, followed two bogeys with an eagle and then stalled. He shot 72.

Jim Furyk, another past champion at Muirfield Village, had a 70 and was four shots behind.

Dustin Johnson and Keegan Bradley were among the early starters who showed what the course might yield. Johnson, who has been frustrated with his swing in recent weeks, happened to walk by the TV when he saw a commercial of himself. He was swinging it great, noticed a difference in the setup, worked it out on the range with Claude Harmon III and then shot 29 on the front.

In vintage Johnson fashion, he started the back nine with a double bogey and an eagle, then settled into a 65. Bradley was playing behind him. Bradley and Johnson are friends who often play money games at The Bear’s Club — the course Nicklaus build in Florida — and Bradley was inspired to keep up. He also shot 65.

So did Kevin Streelman, who was in a group at 10-under 206 that included defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (71). Bradley was six shots behind, while Johnson was lagging at seven shots out.

Masters champion Jordan Spieth finished with a double bogey for a 72 and was nine shots behind.

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Suzann Pettersen took a one-stroke lead in the Manulife LPGA Classic, making an eagle and four birdies on the first 11 holes and closing with seven pars for a 6-under 66.

Pettersen had a 19-under 197 total at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Canada. Bothered by a shoulder injury this season, the 34-year-old Norwegian player won the last of her 14 LPGA Tour titles in 2013.

Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe was second after a 67. Cristie Kerr was third at 17 under, also after a 67. She won the Kia Classic in California in March for her 17th LPGA Tour title.

Petersen birdied the first three holes, eagled the par-5 ninth and made another birdie on No. 11.

Uribe rebounded from a bogey on No. 11 with birdies on 12 and 14. She won the tour’s unofficial HSBC Brazil Cup in 2011.

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Second-ranked Inbee Park, the winner last year at Grey Silo in Waterloo, had a 70 to reach 9 under. Top-ranked Lydia Ko also was tied for 32nd at 9 under after a 68.

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Swedish golfer Alex Noren carded a 5-under-par 67 to take a two-shot lead of the Nordea Masters in the third round, while local favorite Henrik Stenson flew up 28 places to lie five shots back at Malmo, Sweden.

Noren, whose victory here in 2011 was his third and last on the European Tour, birdied four of his first five holes. He has three top-10s this year, including runner-up at the Dubai Desert Classic to Rory McIlroy.

Maximilian Kieffer of Germany was two shots behind after a 70, and Sebastian Soderberg (71) another shot back with Swedish countryman Jens Dantorp (73).

Stenson, the highest-ranked golfer in the field at No. 4, scored an eagle-3 on the first hole and birdied his last hole in a 68 to climb into a three-way tie for sixth. Local amateur Marcus Kinhult, who led during the first two days, shot 77 and dropped into a tie for 14th.

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Mark Calcavecchia made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a four-under 68 and a one-stroke lead over Joe Durant heading into the final round of the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic at Des Moines.

Calcavecchia, 54, had a nine-under 135 total at Wakonda Club. He has struggled most of the year after off-season surgery on his right hand. But he birdied the last two holes Saturday to grab the lead from Durant, who also shot a 68.

Paul Goydos, Brian Henninger and Michael Allen were tied for third at seven under, all shooting 70. First-round co-leaders Jose Coceres and Billy Andrade fell well back.

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