Playing out of the penultimate twosome, overnight co-leader and World No. 407 Austin Cook stalled out to a 4-under-par 31-36=67 in the third round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, down two places to T3 on 18-under 195, two shy of 54-hole pace-setters Martin Laird (65) and Patrick Cantlay (65), who were also overnight-co-leaders.
The 29-year-old is chasing his second TOUR title in 85 events, first since the 2018 RSM Classic during his rookie campaign, that maiden win coming 71 starts ago as the 54-hole leader by three. After opening with 63-65, he co-led with four others and hit nine (of 14) fairways and 15 greens in regulation. The Arkansas alum mustered a 0.158 SG: Off-the-Tee and 0.095 SG: Approach, but stayed in contention with a 0.757 SG: Around-the-Green. He went out in 4-under, circling birdie-3s at holes 1 (from 14'4") and 4, and a pitch-in eagle-3 at 9 from 61'9" away, but limped home in even-par, trading one birdie-2 at 17 with one bogey-5 at 12. Cook registered 1.667 putts per GIR and -0.495 SG: Putting with 29 total putts, saving par at 8 from 11'0" but missing three birdie chances from inside of 10 feet. Sunday, he’ll play out of the third-to-last twosome, a second straight lap with Brian Harman (67), who was also a 36-hole co-leader.