Second-year tour player Zac Blair and Brandt Snedeker have a share of the lead after three rounds of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
The pair top the leaderboard at 16 under but have a host of challengers queuing up behind them as they prepare for the final round on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
On a day when scoring was good, Australians John Senden and Marc Leishman tumbled out of contention.
The pair started the day tied for 13th but fell back, Senden shot an ever-par 70 with his five birdies cancelled out by five bogeys while Leishman failed to get it going early.
The Victorian made a single bogey and eight pars on the front nine before coming home with four birdies and a bogey to shoot a two-under 68 and be in a tie for 23rd.
It was Blair though who was the story of the day as the unheralded 25-year-old launched his bid for a first win on the PGA Tour.
Despite a rough finish to the day, Blair was full of positives even after he missed a two-foot birdie putt on his last hole.
Blair three-putted for par on the closing par-five at Waialae and had to settle for a six-under 64, giving him a share of the lead with Snedeker.
Snedeker missed birdie putts of 10 feet and 12 feet on the last two holes for a 66.
The missed tap in on the last cost Blair the outright lead but he shrugged it off.
"Just pulled it. Nothing more to it," Blair said with a shrug.
"Didn't hit the best putt and it didn't go in."
Kevin Kisner is one shot back and recovered from a five-iron that wound up on the other side of the corporate tents behind the par-three 17th for his only bogey of the round.
He also got up-and-down from behind the green on the 18th for a birdie and a 66.
Kisner will be in the final group for the third time in his past four PGA Tour starts.
Si Woo Kim, the 20-year-old from South Korea, finished strong with a birdie and an eagle for a 65 that put him two back.
The round of the day belonged to PGA Tour veteran Matt Kuchar, the popular American finished his round five off the lead after a brilliant eight-under 62.
Kuchar's round featured seven straight birdies on holes four through ten. He then bogeyed par fours 12 and 16 but also made birdies at the 14th, 15th and par five 18th.
Australia's Adam Scott fired a third consecutive round of two-under 68 top be six under for the tournament and 10 shots off the pace.
Share
