HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Stewart Cink maintained his five-stroke lead and set one other scoring mark on the RBC Heritage with a 2-under 69 on Saturday, transferring nearer to his third victory at Harbour City Golf Hyperlinks.
Cink, 47, cooled off from his tempo within the first two rounds, when he shot a pair of 63s for his lowest profession 36-hole rating and shattered the occasion’s midway scoring mark shared by Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson.
This time, Cink scrambled his approach to 18-under 195, additionally a match mark for lowest 54-hole rating. The file had been held by Justin Leonard at 16-under 197 in 2002.
PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa was at 13 below after a 67. Emiliano Grillo of Argentina had a 69 and was one other shot behind in third.
Matt Wallace of England and Sungjae Im of South Korea have been tied at 11 below. Wallace shot 65 and Im 69.
Whereas Cink slowed down, nobody else might dent his massive lead amid Harbour City’s slim fairways and smallish greens. That left Cink in prime place for a 3rd plaid winner’s jacket for his assortment after ending first in 2000 and 2004.
Cink rallied from behind in each of his earlier wins right here. His problem 17 years later will probably be sustaining his poise on a course the place front-runners are sometimes upended. Solely as soon as up to now eight tournaments right here because the third-round chief come out on high – and that was Webb Simpson final yr.
Corey Conners started the day 5 photographs behind Cink and completed with a 72. He was in a gaggle of 4 at 10 below that included defending champ Simpson.
Simpson, who set the scoring mark of 22 below final June, had the spherical’s lowest rating at 64.
Whereas the primary two rounds confirmed off Cink’s accuracy, this one referred to as on his scrambling capacity to remain out entrance. He was proper off the tee on No. 1 and left of the green on No. Three, the latter miscue resulting in his first bogey since Thursday’s opening gap.
Cink slammed the door on any hope he would possibly falter with back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth holes to revive the massive lead.
On the again 9, Cink saved par after driving onto the pine straw on No. 11 and once more on the following gap after his tee shot stopped in opposition to a small, unfastened department left of the green.
When Cink rolled an Eight-footer for birdie on the 14th – his first in 40 rounds on that difficult par Three – he had a six-shot lead.
Any hope of the world’s top-ranked golfer, Dustin Johnson, making a third-round cost ended with a double-bogey 5 on the par-Three seventh. He shot a 71 and remained at 5 below.