JACKSON, Miss. — Keith Mitchell completed with a pair of birdies Saturday for a 7-under 65 and averted a few of the blunders that tripped up different contenders, giving him a one-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical of the Sanderson Farms Championship.
At stake for Mitchell, whose lone PGA Tour victory was greater than 5 years in the past, is an opportunity to earn a spot in 4 premium occasions on the PGA Tour subsequent yr.
He holed a birdie putt from simply inside 40 ft on the seventeenth gap, then completed by appropriately judging his lie within the tough with an method to six ft for his final birdie. Mitchell, who was at 20-under 196, had a one-shot lead over Beau Hossler.
“The putt on 17 was simply an enormous bonus,” Mitchell stated. “Then I obtained an accident lie on 18 and hit an important shot. All in all, it began form of gradual and the final 10 holes I used to be simply capable of capitalize a bit bit extra.
Eight different gamers have been inside 5 of the lead.
Hossler and Daniel Berger have been tied at 17 beneath as they approached the flip on the Nation Membership of Jackson, and it did not take a lot to make this match seem broad open.
Hossler birdied the ninth and instantly discovered himself forward by two photographs when Berger made his first bogey of the match with a three-putt from 30 ft on the tenth, after which hit into the water on the par-5 eleventh for an additional bogey.
Berger, who bogeyed 4 of the primary 5 holes on the again 9 — together with each par-5s — salvaged a 71 and was 5 photographs behind.
Hossler gave the impression to be in full management till lacking the inexperienced lengthy on the par-4 twelfth, leaving himself a 4-foot par after which shockingly three-putting from there for double bogey that dropped him out of the lead.
He responded with two robust par saves and three birdies over his final six holes for a 68 to at the least get into the ultimate group with Mitchell.
Requested to evaluate his play, Hossler replied, “Very, excellent, minus about 4 minutes.”
Kevin Yu made a late transfer with two birdies for this third straight 66 and was alone in third, two photographs behind as he goes for his first PGA Tour victory. Of the main six gamers, solely Mitchell and former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (68) have received on tour.
Mitchell missed out on the FedEx Cup playoffs and is planning to play the autumn to see if he can end within the high 60 to get into the primary two $20 million signature occasions at Pebble Seaside and Riviera. A victory would get him into The Sentry at Kapalua, one other $20 million purse, together with the Masters.
“Solely received as soon as and attempting to shut the door a second time, which has been clearly very troublesome for me,” stated Mitchell, whose lone victory was the Honda Traditional in 2019.
Glover does not put a number of inventory into expertise successful on tour.
“Everyone out right here is so good and so seasoned to win,” Glover stated. “All of the younger guys arising, it is like this system is totally different than 20 years in the past. However coming down the stretch tomorrow nerves are nerves, and realizing the way to deal with it’s distinction.
“The depth of expertise is so deep that there shall be a number of guys who most likely aren’t fearful about nerves.”
Glover, who received in consecutive weeks final August, had a 68. He was at 16-under 200 with Bud Cauley (67) and Jacob Bridgeman, a rookie who held it collectively on the finish. Coming off a bogey, Bridgeman hit a fabulous 6-iron beneath the timber and onto the inexperienced to keep away from one other bogey and closed by making a 7-foot par putt.
