LOS ANGELES, Aug 2 — Brendon Todd clung to a one-stroke lead after yesterday’s third round of the WGC St Jude Invitational with South Korea’s An Byeoung-hun, Justin Thomas and Phil Mickelson making a charge.
Todd, trying to win his third title of a coronavirus-interrupted 2019-20 PGA season, scrambled to a one-under par 69 to stand on 12-under 198 for 54 holes at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
An, still chasing his first US PGA victory, answered a double bogey at 11 with birdies on four of the last six holes to shoot 66 and reach 199 to join the American in today’s final duo.
American Rickie Fowler was third on 200 with defending champion Brooks Koepka fourth on 201 and Thomas fifth on 202 after a 66.
Fifty-year-old Mickelson shot 66 to join a pack in sixth on 203 that included South African Louis Oosthuizen, England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick and American Chez Reavie.
Todd, who led by two when the day began, opened with a 14-foot birdie putt, took a bogey when he missed the fairway and green at the par-4 fifth and birdied the par-3 eighth on a 22-foot putt.
But he struggled with three bogeys and three birdies on the back side, the highlights being a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-4 12th and a birdie at the par-5 16th after sending his second shot into a greenside bunker.
He blasted out and sank a 16-foot birdie putt only to bogey 17 and miss a seven-foot birdie putt ahead of parring the last. — AFP
