CLEVELAND, Ohio — Rickie Fowler is in the hunt Saturday at the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic 2017 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

The third round began with Fowler, a terrific player and fan favorite, in third.

HONDA CLASSIC TEE TIMES

Among other notables who began the tournament Thursday: Adam Scott of Australia, defending champion and ranked No. 7 in the world; Danny Willett of England, 2016 Masters champion; Justin Thomas of the United States, winner of back-to-back events in Hawaii in January; and Sergio Garcia of Spain, winner of the Dubai Desert Classic three weeks ago.

HONDA CLASSIC LEADERBOARD

HONDA CLASSIC
Site: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Course: PGA National (Champions Course). Yardage: 7,140. Par: 70.
Purse: $6.4 million (First prize: $1,152,000).
Television: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC Sports).
Defending champion: Adam Scott.
Previous week: Dustin Johnson won the Genesis Open to reach No. 1 in the world.
Notes: What used to be the “can’t miss” start of the Florida swing suddenly is missing plenty of star power. Defending champion Adam Scott at No. 7 in the world is the highest-ranked player. Rory McIlroy would have been there except for his rib injury. Tiger Woods, the biggest gallery attraction, withdrew because of back spasms. … Masters champion Danny Willett is making his American debut this year. He has not played in the United States since the Ryder Cup. … This is the 11th straight year at PGA National, matching the longest streak of any course to host the Honda Classic since an 11-year run at Inverrary from 1972-83 (Inverrary hosted The Players Championship in 1976). … PGA National has hosted the PGA Championship twice (Jack Nicklaus in 1971 and Larry Nelson in 1987) and the Ryder Cup (1983). … Rickie Fowler is in the field. The Californian played two events on the West Coast swing, missing the cut at Torrey Pines and tying for fourth in Phoenix. … Dustin Johnson, who lives in West Palm Beach, has played the Honda Classic only three times. He missed the cut twice. … Because of the World Golf Championship moving to Mexico, South Florida has just one PGA Tour event for the first time since 1970. … Thirty-six players in the field already are eligible for the Masters.
Next week: WGC-Mexico Championship.
Online: www.pgatour.com

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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