Out of the final threesome, R1 co-leader, R2 leader and World No. 1310 Martin Trainer stumbled to a 4-over-par 37-37=74 in R3 of the HPE Houston Open, now in a five-way T2 on 6-under 204, one back of leader Scottie Scheffler (69).
The French-born American was an improbable midpoint leader (65-65) as a pre-tourney 1000/1 outright, having missed 17 of his last 18 cuts (T58, 2021 3M Open). After sleeping on his first 36-hole lead/co-lead in 82 events, he mustered two birdies in R3 on six (of 13) fairways and 11 greens in regulation, outbalanced by four squares and a double bogey-6 at six (3-putt from 51'7"). The Southern Cal alum gained 0.385 strokes off-the-tee and 0.426 on-the-green, but lost 2.456 on approach and 1.251 around-the-green. He’ll play out of the penultimate threesome on Sunday with Kramer Hickok and Kevin Tway, in search of his second TOUR win, first since the opposite-field Puerto Rico (on debut) 71 starts ago in 2019, where he came from two back (3rd) with 5-under 67 to win by three. See link below to post-round comments.