Cameron Young is five shots clear of the field heading into the final round at the Wyndham Championship as England’s Aaron Rai saw hopes of retaining his title fade on Saturday.
Rai was within a shot of the lead when the second round was suspended due to bad weather at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, but Young finished his second round in 62 before following it up with a 65 or his third round to move clear of the chasing pack at 20-under par.
Young, who is ranked 44th in the world currently, admitted that he may have benefitted from the timing of the stoppage in play on Friday, as it afforded him an ideal way to start his day on Saturday morning.
“I think I was fortunate when the horn blew,” he said. “I had already hit on 16 and had hit a really good shot so got to come out to a pretty straight six-footer, which in a sense made it easier.
“As much as a bummer as it is to stop when you’re playing well, the way I was looking at it I was going to get a perfectly smooth green on an uphill six-footer to start the day for birdie.”
Nicolas Echavarria is the closest challenger to Young after shooting a five-under-par 65 in the third round on Saturday, at 15-under par overall.
Rai, on the other hand, did not get off to such a good start and was two over for the first nine holes of the third round.
Image:
Aaron Rai endured a frustrating day at the Wyndham Championship (David Beach/Cal Sport Media) (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)
The 30-year-old from Wolverhampton shot three straight birdies on 13, 14 and 15 to turn things around and sits tied for third place heading into Sunday, at 12-under par for the tournament, alongside Americans Mac Meissner and Chris Kirk.
In-form Matt Fitzpatrick shot 64 for his third round and sits at 10-under par, in a tie for seventh, as he looks to complete a third-straight top-five finish, following The Scottish Open and The Open.
Echavarria, though, believes Young will be tough to beat – although he fancies his own chances, and looks forward to duelling on Sunday.
“He’s a great player,” said the Colombian. “He hits it a long way. Clearly he’s being aggressive off the tee and it’s hard to do it out here, but he’s hitting fairways and he’s having short shots out there and I think that’s probably why he’s leading. He’s probably leading off the tee and hitting it close.
“I’ve been [here] before and I like being in this position, I like being in the final group. I’m not going to hide tomorrow. Yeah, we play tournaments to win.
“When I’m in the final group on Sunday, that’s why I put so much work into it.”
Who will win the Wyndham Championship? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage of the final round begins on Sunday from 7pm. For Sky customers, Sky Sports Golf is now found on channel 406. Not got Sky? Stream the PGA Tour, majors and more with no contract.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
