Sony Open round three: Look no further than the top trio

Unless someone seriously raises their game among the chasing pack, this is a three horse race. Okay, this is wobbly Sunday and with the capricious wind playing its’s part our leaders don’t inspire great confidence. But surely one of them can take the top score to at least 14 under.

Anyone bold enough to launch a serious charge is going to have to put himself at the mercy of the wind, which heavily subdued scoring Saturday. So is it feasible to expect Ted Purdy and Steve Stricker to fire five under just to get in a playoff? They haven’t managed a 65 between them so far this week.

There’s more than a few golf fans hoping Jim Furyk girds his loins for a big charge, and it might be worth a nickel or two on his head at just over 20, but only with a view to laying back if he does get near the leaders. Short of a dramatic collapse by the top three, I don’t think he’s got a hope in hell of actually catching them.

Remember, since 2000 the winner has come from the final pairing, except two years ago with Vijay Singh’s dramatic last day ambush. But even he was no more than four shots back.

My money would be firmly on Luke Donald if I thought he could get back on top of his putter. It let him down badly on Saturday while Charles Howell III is clearly showing the benefits of some solid putter practise over the holiday season. So it’s a bit too close to call for my liking - and the market agrees, pricing them both at about 2.7.

But I take one of them to stay ahead of Paul Goydos, who was showing distinct signs of wear and tear Saturday.

The real pity is that the top of the board is not more competitive. One sorry absentee is Chad Campbell. The gates to glory were wide open, so what did he go and do? Shoot a five over. At least that’s not as bad as J B Holmes’s effort on Friday to follow Michelle Wie into oblivion.