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You Oughta Know: Honda Classic

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NORTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 06: Brandt Snedeker hits the ball on the fifth hole during the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on September 6, 2010 in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images)

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – While the Honda Classic boasts a strong field, the two names sharing the lead after 54 holes have a combined zero PGA Tour wins between them. Here’s what You Oughta Know heading into the final round at PGA National, as Luke Guthrie and Michael Thompson try to hold off some of the game’s best along the Bear Trap:

• Sharing the lead after three rounds, both Guthrie and Thompson are looking for their first career PGA Tour wins. Thompson was a runner-up at last year’s U.S. Open at The Olympic Club, his best career finish, while Guthrie’s best result came when he tied for fifth at last year’s John Deere Classic.

• This is the fourth time that Geoff Ogilvy has been inside the top three heading into the final round at the Honda Classic. He was tied for the 54-hole lead in 2005 at the Country Club of Mirasol before finishing tied for sixth, while a year later he was second after both the third and fourth rounds. In 2001 at TPC Heron Bay, the Aussie was tied for third after 54 holes before ultimately finishing runner-up to Jesper Parnevik.

• Now living just down the road from PGA National, Lee Westwood is in position for his third top-10 finish at this event in the last four years. The Englishman finished tied for ninth here in 2010, while a Sunday 63 propelled him to a fourth-place finish last year. He starts his final round tied with Ogilvy in third, two shots off the pace.

• Finishing his round just as windy conditions began to worsen, Y.E. Yang posted the day’s only bogey-free round, shooting a 3-under 67 that was also the lowest overall score Saturday. The former PGA champion moved up 36 spots on the leaderboard, and after barely making the cut he will begin the final round tied for seventh, just four shots behind the co-leaders.

• Gusty winds throughout the afternoon Saturday caused scores to soar, as the teeth of the ‘Bear Trap’ were on full display. Players averaged 72.75 strokes during the third round, more than two shots higher than Friday’s second round average of 70.48 and nearly three shots worse than the first round, when the field averaged just 70.15 strokes amid benign conditions. More wind is expected for Sunday’s final round at the Champion Course.