From the final pairing, PGA TOUR rookie and World No. 176 Alex Smalley held his nerve with a 3-under 32-35=67 in R3 of the RBC Canadian Open for a 54-hole total of 9-under 201, down one place to T3, two back of co-leaders Tony Finau and Rory McIlroy.
The 25-year-old, making his tourney debut, will be in the penultimate threesome on Sunday with Sam Burns and R1/R2 leader and today’s playing competitor Wyndham Clark (68). He’s posted three straight rounds of 67, including a six-birdie three-birdie showing on Saturday, and ranks No. 1 SG: Tee-to-Green (13.438) though 61st SG: Putting (-1.906), losing ground with the flat stick in all three laps thus far, but did end today with birdie-3 at 17 (from 16'10") and a par-saver at the last from 12'8". The Duke alum is chasing a third top 10 of the season in 23 events, first since T6 at the Mexico Open four starts ago (solo 7th thru 54 holes), and looking to supplant a career-best T2 at the opposite-field Corales back in March, where he was T9 at the three-quarter mark (69-65-73-65).