MIAMI (REUTERS) - Adam Scott survived a nightmare 15th hole to move one step closer to a 12th PGA Tour victory as he ended the third round of the Honda Classic in a tie for the lead with Sergio Garcia at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida on Saturday.

Three strokes off the pace overnight, Scott surged three ahead with a barrage of birdies on the challenging PGA National layout until he ran up a quadruple-bogey seven after twice finding water, first from the tee and then from the drop zone.

However, the Australian rebounded with a birdie at the par-three 17th before parring the last to card a four-under 66 for a nine-under total of 201.

His playing competitor Garcia, bidding for a ninth PGA Tour win, sank a six-foot birdie putt at the par-five 18th to shoot 67 and join Scott at the top of the leaderboard.

American Blayne Barber (69), a rookie on the PGA Tour last season, was alone in third place, four shots behind.