Garcia takes control at Barclays

Barely a week after ending his PGA Tour drought, Sergio Garcia finds himself in with a chance of winning back-to-back titles.

Barely a week after ending his PGA Tour drought, Sergio Garcia finds himself in with a chance of winning back-to-back titles.

The 32-year-old, who won the Wyndham Championship on Monday to end a four-year wait for a title in America, carded a two-under-par 69 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead into the final round of The Barclays in Farmingdale.

It was the Spaniard’s third sub-70 round at the Bethpage Black course and he has a pretty handy lead over halfway leader Nick Watney, who shot an even par.

“At the moment, I want to go back to the hotel, take a nice shower, and relax,” Garcia said. “I don’t want to think about tomorrow at all.

“There will be plenty of thinking tomorrow. So I just want to go out there and try to play the way I’ve been playing, try to believe in what I’m doing as much as I’ve been doing, and if I manage to win, that will be great.

“If I don’t, it will still be great. I’ll be giving it my best effort, so we’ll see.”

American Watney admits he is delighted with his performance so far.

“I’m just going to need to hang around,” Watney said. “If Sergio goes out and shoots four or five-under, you’ve just got to tip your hat.

“But I’m super excited to be in the last group.”

Kevin Stadler is a further shot behind after carding the lowest round on Saturday – a six-under-par 65 – while Brandt Snedeker and Bob Estes are joint fourth at six-under following rounds of 68 and 72 respectively.

Rounds of 68 from Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen helped them to four-under, which leaves them tied for 10th alongside Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

“Trust me, I was certainly frustrated,” Woods said. “I kept telling myself I’m right in the ball game and no one was going anywhere. Nobody was running away with it.”

World number one Rory McIlroy and England’s Luke Watson are a further two shots behind after rounds of 69.