Texas Children's Houston Open

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Rickie Fowler stumbles late, giving Sung Kang three-shot lead entering final round in Houston

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Josh Hedges

If Rickie Fowler is going to win the Shell Houston Open on Sunday, he’ll have to play the finishing holes at the Golf Club of Houston a lot better than he has so far this week.

After starting the third round seven strokes back of leader Sung Kang, Fowler charged to a share of the lead, going eight under through 14 holes. But then he stumbled getting it home, bogeying the par-4 17th (when he couldn’t get up and down for par from a greenside bunker) and double bogeying the par-4 18th (with a four-putt from 56 feet), to find himself trailing by three strokes after posting a five-under 67.

Through the first three rounds of the tournament, Fowler is five over on the 15th to 18th holes. He also has 22 birdies, the most he has ever had through 54 holes in a PGA Tour event.

Kang, meanwhile, wasn’t quite as hot with his putter on Saturday as he was the first two days in Houston, where he made 300 feet of putts. Even so, the 29-year-old from South Korea’s one-under 71 kept him in the lead as he attempts to win his first PGA Tour title and secure a late berth into the Masters in the process. His 17-under 199 total ties the tournament's 54-hole scoring mark, set initially by Louis Oosthuizen in 2012.

Russell Henley sits in third place, four shots back at 13 under. Luke List shot Saturday’s best round, posting seven-under 65, to creep into fourth place at 12 under.