Former world number one Martin Kaymer closed in on his first title in almost five years Saturday, firing a six-under par 66 to take a two-shot lead over Adam Scott in the US PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament.
Germany’s Kaymer hasn’t won since his 2014 US Open triumph at Pinehurst, battling shoulder and wrist injuries along with a loss of focus and confidence as he slipped to his current 186th in the world.
But Kaymer didn’t put a foot wrong on the Muirfield Village course in Dublin, Ohio, nabbing six birdies without a bogey for a 15-under par total of 201.
Australia’s Scott, another former major champion who hasn’t won in more than three years, had seven birdies in his 66, using a spectacular approach at the tough 18th hole to set up a three-foot finishing birdie.
Scott’s 54-hole total of 203 put him two shots in front of a trio of players headed by three-time major winner Jordan Spieth and including Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and American Patrick Cantlay.
Matsuyama produced the best score of the day, capping his 64 with a chip-in for birdie from dense rough at 18. Cantlay carded a 68 and Spieth a 69.
Kaymer, who shared the overnight lead with South Korean rookie Lee Kyoung-hoon and American Troy Merritt, pulled away methodically as Lee’s hot start gave way to a tough back nine and Merritt failed to fire.
Lee pulled away with four birdies in the first five holes. But he bogeyed four of five from the seventh through the 11th to fade to six off the lead.
Kaymer, meanwhile, drained a 14-foot birdie putt at the third, and stuck it close for birdies at the ninth and 11th before rolling in a long birdie bomb at the 13th.
Birdies at 15 and 16 stretched his lead, and he said he’d try to take the same approach on Sunday.
“I said to my caddie today on the range a very true thing, you know it doesn’t really matter if you are 60th and play 18 holes or you lead the tournament and play 18 holes, the 18 holes don’t change,” Kaymer said. 
“That will be my same attitude tomorrow: stay in control of the golf ball, hit fairways, hit greens, use the chances that will appear and see what happens.”
Scott’s lone bogey was a three-putt at the ninth hole, and the Australian was confident he has the game to win again.


LIU FIRES 66
China’s Liu Yu fired a five-under par 66 on Saturday to seize a share of the third-round lead in the US Women’s Open alongside good friend Celine Boutier of France.
Boutier, who played the last four holes of a second-round 70 on Saturday morning, returned to post a two-under par 69 in the third round at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina.
She and Liu, who forged their friendship when both played on the Duke University golf team that won the 2014 US collegiate title, were tied on seven-under 206, one stroke in front of Americans Lexi Thompson and Jaye Marie Green and 36-hole leader Mamiko Higa of Japan.
Boutier, who won her first LPGA title at the Vic Open in Australia in February, was alone in front on eight-under until her lone bogey of the round at the 16th.
Liu, seeking her first tour title, started the day four adrift but bounced back from a three-putt bogey at the third with three birdies on each side.
That included a rare birdie at the difficult par-three 11th, that helped position her for a bid to become just the second player from the Republic of China to win on the LPGA tour, along with nine-time winner Feng Shanshan. She would be the first golfer from China, male or female, to win a major championship.