WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 2017: Zach Johnson, Thomas Pieters Share Lead

Zach Johnson and Thomas Pieters ended Saturday's third round at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with a share of the lead at nine-under.

Johnson posted a five-under 65 on Saturday, while Pieters carded a four-under 66 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

They hold a one-shot advantage over Australia's Scott Hend:

Jimmy Walker was the 36-hole leader, but a four-over 74 dropped him into a tie for 10th at three-under.

Both Johnson and Pieters were tied with Hend at eight-under entering their final holes of the day, but they came through with clutch putts.

Johnson initially secured the solo lead when he nailed the following birdie attempt on the 18th, as seen in this video courtesy of the PGA Tour:

It seemed as though Pieters was destined to settle for a second-place tie entering Sunday, but he matched Johnson's effort with a 32-footer for birdie on No. 18:

Johnson had a somewhat inconsistent day with three bogeys, but the good outweighed the bad, as he also carded eight birdies.

He was strong in terms of iron play as is typical for the American veteran, and his best shot of the day may have been this one on No. 11, which set up a birdie:

Pieters was firing on all cylinders to open the round, as he birdied four of his first five holes and quickly climbed to the top of the leaderboard.

That included a ridiculous approach on No. 3 en route to his third consecutive birdie:

"

122 yards to 8 inches. @Thomas_Pieters extends his lead.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/TQcHWwIlrt

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 5, 2017"

Things got dicey for Pieters down the stretch, which allowed some of the top performers in the field to narrow the gap.

From No. 9 through No. 17, the Belgian posted four bogeys and just two birdies.

His recovery on the 18th gave him momentum heading toward the final round, though, and he has a chance to accomplish something at the Bridgestone that hasn't been done in nearly two decades, according to Justin Ray of GolfChannel.com:

The best performance of the day came courtesy of Hend, who improved by 10 spots with a seven-under 63.

Hend had eight birdies and one bogey, and he closed out his round with a strong birdie putt to make himself the clubhouse leader:

The Aussie is something of a jet-setter, as he has played all over the world since last entering a tournament in the United States, per Will Gray of GolfChannel.com:

Many of the biggest names in golf entered the tournament, and one of them remained in position to make a run for the win Sunday.

Rory McIlroy shot a two-under 68, which leaves him at six-under for the tournament and three shots behind the co-leaders.

Although he parred each of his final six holes, McIlroy kept himself in the hunt with this chip-in for birdie on No. 12:

Most of the other highly ranked stars in the tourney have a ton of work to do in the final round if they are going to have any chance of stealing a victory.

Jason Day fired an even-par 70 to remain at three-under; Jordan Spieth is two-under after a one-over 71 on Saturday; and Dustin Johnson sits at one-over by virtue of a two-under 68.