Kevin Kisner shot a six-under 64 in the third round of the RSM Classic in Georgia on Saturday to build a three-shot lead as he aims for his first win on the US PGA Tour.
Already a runner-up four times this year - three in a playoff - Kisner has never had a chance this good.
He birdied his last three holes on the Seaside course to move to 16-under overall and build some separation over fellow American Kevin Chappell and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell.
Cameron Percy (69) is the best of the Australians, tied for 20th at seven-under, followed by Stuart Appleby (67) a shot further back and Mark Hensby (71) and Rhein Gibson (68) both at four-under.
Chappell overcame a rough start for a 68.
McDowell (65) had a mental blunder. On the first fairway, he lifted his ball to clean when he realised for the first time this week the conditions no longer were lift, clean and place. The one-shot penalty gave him par instead of a birdie. He was four back.
"What I've learned is you just can't hold back on this tour," Kisner said.
"Any time you think you're doing great, somebody else is, too. I'm just going to try to keep making birdies. I'll put a number of 20, 21 (under) in my head and see if they can catch that one."
Alex Ceja had his third straight 67 and was the only other player within five shots of the lead.
This is the first time Kisner has had the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour - he was tied with Russell Knox going into the final round in Shanghai two weeks ago at the HSBC Champions, where Knox won by two shots.
McDowell is the only one feeling as though he is playing with house money. His game was in full reverse this year until he slowly began turning it around, and he won Monday in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba.
"A big weight lifted off my shoulders," McDowell said.
The victory gave him a sense of freedom, and that's how he's swinging the club. As for the penalty on the opening hole?
McDowell was used to it. He said there were preferred lies at the British Masters and European Open, and part of the time in Hong Kong and all but one day in Mexico.
"I literally just got into automatic pilot mode in the first fairway," he said. "Before I realised that, Michael Kim is looking at me funny. I'm like, 'OK, I just picked this ball up.' What an idiot. ... It was a big 4, and it makes for a better story at the end."
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