Davis Thompson surged into the solo lead at the John Deere Classic, while Aldrich Potgieter’s bid for back-to-back wins faded in Saturday’s third round.
Thompson carded a four-under-par 67 in windy conditions at TPC Deere Run to move to 15-under 198 after 54 holes. The 26-year-old is bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back titles at the event since Steve Stricker completed a hat-trick from 2009 to 2011.
“Felt good. I was hitting it where I was looking the majority of the day,” said Thompson. “It was tricky. The wind made it tough. I wasn’t really scoring well on the front nine but then was able to finish strong. That was nice.”
He birdied the par-five 17th after narrowly missing an eagle putt, then rolled in a 10-footer at the 18th to take the outright lead.
“Birdieing 17 and 18 is always great,” he said. “It was nice to make that to get the sole lead.”
Thompson leads a tightly packed chasing group that includes fellow Americans Max Homa, Brian Campbell and David Lipsky, as well as Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo. All four players signed for three-under 68s to finish one stroke back on 14 under.
“It was so windy out there,” said Homa. “I was stoked with where my head was at. I could have gotten a little bit angsty and I didn’t, and that was the key to the round.”
Grillo birdied the 16th and 18th, Campbell rolled in a 36-footer to finish with back-to-back birdies, and Lipsky’s birdie at the 17th helped him stay within one of the lead.
American Kevin Roy, who opened with four birdies to seize the early lead, faded with four bogeys in his last eight holes to finish the day on 11 under after a 70.
From a South African perspective, Thriston Lawrence is tied 32nd on eight under after a one-under 71, while Garrick Higgo sits a shot behind following a two-under 69.
Potgieter, who claimed his maiden PGA Tour title last week in Detroit, dropped down the leaderboard after a four-over 76, leaving him on four under heading into the final round.
Thompson, currently ranked 70th in the FedExCup standings – the final qualifying position for next month’s playoffs – is chasing his second PGA Tour title.
“Hopefully I can put a good one together tomorrow,” he said. “Just be patient and stick to my game plan.”
<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
Article Link: Thompson leads John Deere Classic, Potgieter slips