Keegan Bradley matched the low round of the day with a 7-under 63 on Saturday to grab a share of the lead after 54 holes at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Bradley moved 13 spots up the leaderboard to sit in first alongside Grayson Murray, who carded a 6-under 64. The duo is now at 14-under 196 headed into Sunday’s fourth and final round at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
The only slip-up for Bradley came at the par-3 11th, where he settled for bogey after his tee shot found the bunker in front of the putting surface. Bradley turned in a clean round aside from that, racking up eight birdies, including two at Nos. 17 and 18.
“Those were crucial holes to finish up the day and hopefully get in the last group,” Bradley said of his strong finish. “Then 18, kind of hit a bad drive and got a good break and hit a beautiful 6-iron onto the middle of the green, two-putted for birdie. That was huge.”
Murray began the day in a group that trailed three co-leaders by one shot. He played a bogey-free round, highlighted by an eagle at No. 9.
Murray is looking for his second tour win after claiming the Barbasol Championship in 2017. He called Saturday a continuation of how he fared with his 63 on Friday.
“Basically (Friday), I felt like I didn’t do much wrong … just trying to emulate (Saturday) like I did (Friday),” Murray said. “Hit a lot of fairways, greens … and just a lot of stress-free things. At the end of the day, it adds up to I would like to say an easy 64. I don’t think 64s are ever easy, but sometimes they’re a little easier than others.”
Sam Stevens was one of two golfers to share low-round honors with Bradley on Saturday, with his 63 giving him sole possession of third, one stroke off the lead.
Stevens, 27, is in search of his first victory on the PGA Tour. He also stayed bogey-free while tallying seven birdies.
“I was in this position a couple times last year with a chance to win,” Stevens said. “Sometimes I played good and gave myself a chance; other times, not so much. Hopefully (Sunday) I can keep putting the ball in the fairway.”
Canada’s Ben Silverman (64 on Saturday), Japan’s Taiga Semikawa (66), Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (67), Chris Kirk (67) and Byeong Hun An of South Korea (68) are struck in a five-way tie for fourth at 11-under 199.
Even with that logjam at fourth, with Murray going toe-to-toe with him and Stevens lurking in the shadows, Bradley is focused only on his performance on Sunday.
“It is what it is,” Bradley said of the crowded leaderboard. “I’m trying to just worry about myself. If I go out and shoot a good round (Sunday), it’s going to be tough to beat. There (are) a lot of great players and a lot of players within a handful of shots of the lead, so (it will) be difficult as usual.”
An was one of the co-leaders heading into Saturday’s action along with Austin Eckroat and China’s Carl Yuan. Eckroat slipped into a tie for ninth with a third-round 69, while Yuan fell even further with an even-par 70 that has him tied for 13th.
“It was disappointing where I finished,” An said. “Hit some poor shots. Hit good shots, ended up in poor spots. Missed some putts here and there.”
Argentine Emiliano Grillo skyrocketed 46 spots on the leaderboard thanks to his 63, putting him into a tie for ninth with Eckroat and two others.
–Field Level Media
