Golf-Stricker in pole position for third straight win in Silva

CHICAGO, July 9 (Reuters) - Two-time defending champion Steve Stricker shot a flawless round of eight under par on Saturday to head into Sunday’s final round of the John Deere Classic with a two stroke lead.
The American followed up his earlier rounds of 66 and
 64 with a bogey-free 63 to reach 20-under par with the kind of spectacular golf that could well bring him a third consecutive triumph in the Silvas, Illinois event.

“I feel pretty relaxed out there to tell you the truth, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” Stricker said.
“But it’s going to be tough. There’s going to be guys that will come out of the blocks shooting probably lights out right away, and I’m going to have to continue to do what I’ve been doing the first three days.”
Stricker, ranked five in the world, began the day by draining a superb 75-foot birdie putt on the first and ended with a 15-foot par save on the 18th to make sure he maintained his two stroke cushion over Zimbabwean Brendon de Jonge, who also shot 63 on Saturday.
“Obviously (Stricker) knows how to play this golf course very, very well. He’s very comfortable around it,” de Jonge said.
“But it’s nice that I do have a chance tomorrow….regardless of who it is, you’re going to have to play a good round of golf and you’re going to have to make a bunch of birdies.”
Overnight leader Chez Reavie slipped back to outright third place at 17-under after overcoming a bad start to his round. He bogeyed the sixth and eighth holes but made birdies in four of his last six to finish a shot clear of fellow American Kyle Stanley and three behind Stricker.
“It’s hard enough to win an event three times let alone three in a row so it’ll be tough tomorrow,” Stricker said.
“You gotta fight through those nerves and everything, but it would mean a lot. It would be pretty special to be a part of that list.”