CIMB Classic 2012: Day 3 Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More

Day 3 at the CIMB Classic saw some top performances from the best golfers in the world, highlighted by some big risers in the leaderboard.

Bo Van Pelt's round of 62 helped shoot him up to the top of the leaderboard, while Chris Kirk's 63 also made him a major riser. 

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is back in 10th place and struggling to stay afloat. He's been excellent at times, but hasn't had the sustained excellence needed to ascend further up the leaderboard.

Here is the latest analysis and highlights from Day 3's action.

Bo Van Pelt and Robbert Garrigus Tied for the Lead

Bo Van Pelt was the story of Day 3. With a birdie on the final hole, he would have achieved a rare score of 59, but he unfortunately double-bogeyed the hole. 

Excluding his collapse on the last hole, Van Pelt was in complete control all day. He was nailing his putts, and he rarely had to scramble to save par.

Van Pelt had 11 birdies on the day, with five straight at one point. His excellent performance cannot be overstated.

Meanwhile, Robert Garrigus has been excellent under the radar. He put aside some early struggles on Day 3, in which he bogeyed the first two holes, to finish with a two-under 69 on the day. He is tied with Van Pelt at 16-under for the lead.

Behind the leaders is Chris Kirk, who shot a stellar 63 in the third round. Brandon de Jonge and Jbe' Kruger round out the top-five.

Tiger Watch

Tiger Woods was right in the thick of things after nine in the third round. He started with a front-nine 30 and set himself up nicely to finish the day high on the leaderboard.

Unfortunately, Tiger finished the back nine three-over par, pushing himself back to 10th. His double bogey on the par-three 14 was the back-breaker here.

While Tiger can't be ruled out, he will need a minor miracle to come back from six strokes back.

Highlights

Tiger and Van Pelt were the headliners today, but the shot of the day belongs to Jason Dufner, who aced 201-yard seventh hole.

Jeff Overton also holed out a 138-yard approach shot on the first hole in a beautiful shot.

The third day of action at The Mines was full of exciting shots and close finishes. Expect more of the same on the final day.