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Casey has one-stroke lead at Valspar

The Associated Press

PALM HARBOR, Fla. — The final hour changed the dynamics of the Valspar Championship, just not the lead.

That still belongs to defending champion Paul Casey, and he saw only the upside of having his three-shot margin shrink to one, and going from a final round pairing with a player who is 0 for 195 on the PGA Tour to playing alongside the No. 1 player in the world.

On a Saturday at Innisbrook that began with all 70 players who made the cut still very much in the mix, Casey surged to a three-shot lead until a bogey on the 18th hole for a 3-under 68 that left him one shot ahead of Dustin Johnson.

At stake for Casey is a chance to become the first back-to-back winner of the Valspar Championship since this PGA Tour event began in 2000.

Behind him is Johnson, who is going for his second victory in three starts.

“Of the guys on the leaderboard, he’s the one I would want to be paired with, so it doesn’t bother me,” Casey said. “Obviously, two shots would have been nicer than one, but one is better than level, or one behind.”

Johnson had some say in that final margin with one of his best shots of the day, a 9-iron from a bunker a few paces in front of a steep lip to the front shelf of the 18th green, 10 feet behind the hole. He made that for a 67 to get into the final group.

And that was good news for Casey?

“He’s the best player in the world. That’s why I work and I do what I do, because I want to play against the best in the world,” Casey said.

He also pointed to Johnson being the favorite, at least in the eyes of thousands of fans on a warm, sun-filled day at Innisbrook, the kind of buzz it had last year when Tiger Woods played for the first time.

“I actually feel very little pressure,” Casey said. “You look at my results versus Dustin’s. He’s the better player, so it’s pretty simple. If I go out tomorrow and beat him, I actually might win, plain and simple. Great scenario.”

LPGA Tour

PHOENIX — Yu Liu played the final four holes in 4 under Saturday for a 7-under 65 and the third-round lead in the Founders Cup.

The 23-year-old Chinese player eagled the par-5 15th and birdied the par-3 17th and par-4 18th to reach 19-under 197 at Desert Ridge in the event that honors the 13 women who founded the LPGA Tour.

Tied for the lead with top-ranked Sung Hyun Park entering the round, Liu had a one-stroke lead over Carlota Ciganda. Trying to become the second former Arizona State player to win the event in three years, Ciganda shot 65, playing the final five holes in 5 under with an eagle and three birdies.

Angel Yin was 16 under after a 66. Park had a 69 to get to 15 under.

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