Honda Classic 2017: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Rickie Fowler seized the lead Saturday at the Honda Classic by virtue of a five-under 65 in the third round at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Fowler entered the day trailing co-leaders Ryan Palmer and Wesley Bryan by one stroke, but they faded, while the 28-year-old American thrived with a bogey-free round.

Here is a look at the leaderboard entering Sunday's fourth round, with Fowler leading England's Tyrrell Hatton by four shots at 13 under par:

Fowler played a mistake-free round Saturday with five birdies and no bogeys.

He found himself in the same situation at the Honda Classic through two rounds last year, but as Justin Ray of GolfChannel.com pointed out, Fowler fared much better in Saturday's third round than he did in 2016:

Fowler played the front nine at three under par, and by the time he made the turn for the back, he had seized the outright lead.

As see in this video from the PGA Tour, a birdie on No. 9 pushed Fowler to the top of the leaderboard, and he never looked back:

After six straight pars to kick off his back nine, Fowler boarded the birdie train once again with a beautifully played hole on No. 16.

Fowler set himself up nicely with a great approach shot, and his red-hot putter finished the job to give him a three-stroke lead:

Per Golf Channel, Fowler was dominant on the greens, which gave him a leg up on the rest of the field:

Fowler entered the 18th hole with a comfortable lead, but he managed to put an exclamation point on his excellent round.

The 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year carded his fifth birdie of the day to enter the fourth round with a huge advantage:

Fowler's closest competition, Palmer and Bryan, struggled Saturday.

Palmer carded a three-over 73, and Bryan ended with a two-over 72. That leaves them both with a big mountain to climb in the final round.

The rest of the field likely needs Fowler to falter Sunday to have a legitimate chance, but there are some strong golfers lurking if that happens.

Gary Woodland is among those tied for third at seven under par, and he had a solid day with a four-under 66 that included this clutch eagle on No. 18:

Woodland is part of a group at seven under par that also includes two-time major champion Martin Kaymer.

Additional major winners sit just one shot further back, as Jimmy Walker, Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson are at six under par.

Walker made a big charge Saturday with a five-under 65, while both Dufner and Johnson carded three-under rounds.

Although Dufner had three bogeys, he remained in the hunt by taking advantage of the par-five third hole with an eagle:

Johnson struggled on the front nine, but his trademark consistency returned on the back with five birdies and no bogeys:

Walker, Dufner and Johnson would stand out as huge threats if they were a few shots closer, but the Honda Classic is Fowler's tournament to lose.

Fowler hasn't won a PGA Tour event since 2015, and his world ranking has dropped to 14th, according to PGATour.com.

Coming off a fourth-place finish at the Phoenix Open and with his putting stroke locked in, though, Fowler is the unquestioned favorite to hoist the trophy Sunday.

Post-Round Reaction

After surging to the lead Saturday, Fowler was pleased with his performance, but well aware that he can't afford to take his foot off the gas during Sunday's closing round, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): "I know I have the lead, and it's nice to go out in front. But you still have to play, and especially around this place, it can jump up and bite you at any time."

Although Fowler knows there is still work to be done, he was glad that he didn't fall into the same third-round trap that he did at the 2016 Honda Classic: "I did better than last year. I'm definitely in a better position that last year."

With a four-shot lead at his disposal, Fowler has a nice cushion that won't force him to be perfect Sunday.