Sahith Theegala conjured a back-nine birdie spree to edge into a two-stroke lead after the third round of the Fortinet Championship on Saturday.
Theegala, chasing a first individual title on the PGA Tour, carded a five-under-par 67 to put daylight between himself and the pack heading into Sunday’s final round.
The bogey-free performance included four birdies in the final seven holes of Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, with Theegala moving to 17 under after 54 holes.
That left the 25-year-old from California two clear of three players locked on 15 under including Justin Thomas, Australia’s Cam Davis and South Korea’s Kim Seong-hyeon.
Erik van Rooyen, the only South African to make the cut, is on five under (T47) after rounds of 67, 67 and 73.
“My goal hasn’t necessarily been to win, but to keep getting better,” said Theegala. “Keep putting myself in contention on the back nine come Sunday, and that’s what I hope to do tomorrow.”
Two-time Major champion Thomas vaulted back into contention with a superb seven-under-par 65.
Thomas’ round included five birdies and a brilliant eagle three on the par-five 15th, when he chipped in from a greenside bunker.
“I’m putting myself in a lot better positions to have good things happen,” said Thomas, who is without a win this season. “But more than anything, mentally I truly believe that good things are going to happen, so that’s at least a good start.”
Davis also posted a seven-under-par round after a scintillating back nine that concluded with four straight birdies. Six of Davis’ seven birdies came after the turn.
“I kept myself out of trouble for the most part and when I did, I got an up and down, which is really good,” Davis said. “To keep bogeys off the card around here isn’t easy and I’m always happy when I’m able to keep a whole round together like that.”
Kim, meanwhile, fluffed a chance to move within one shot of the lead after missing a short birdie putt on the 18th green that would have got him to 16 under.
Elsewhere on Saturday, veteran Matt Kuchar was the day’s other big mover, posting a seven-under-par 65 to move to 14 under overall, three off the lead.
“Certainly a great leaderboard, some really good names up there at the top,” Kuchar said. “I’m thrilled to be part of those names and looking forward to having some fun out there.
“This is kind of why we all play – golf gets a lot more fun when you’ve got a chance to win a tournament on Sunday.”
Kuchar is tied in fifth alongside Eric Cole, who posted a 68.
© Agence France-Presse
