Driscoll 54-Hole Nationwide Tour Leader

ROCHESTER, New York -- James Driscoll bogeyed the last Saturday for an even-par 70, but still leads by three after 54 holes of the Xerox Classic.

Driscoll completed three rounds at 10-under-par 200. He owns the 54-hole lead for the second time in his Nationwide Tour career, and will go for his second tour title on Sunday.

David Mathis moved into second place with a 3-under 67 Saturday. He completed three rounds at 7-under-par 203. Jason Day, who is No. 2 on the money list, shot 68 to grab a share of third at minus-6. He was joined there by Scott Parel (71) and Justin Bolli (69).

Two-time winner this season Roland Thatcher fired the low round of the day with his 6-under 64. That moved him from a share of 35th to solo sixth at 5-under-par 205.

Driscoll opened with a seven straight pars at Irondequoit Country Club. At the eighth, he came up short of the green with his approach and could not get up and down for par.

The 29 year old atoned for that mistake with a birdie at the ninth. Driscoll drove left off the 11th tee and had a bad lie with his second. He pitched well short of the green, but knocked his third inside 10 feet.

Driscoll missed his par-saving putt to again slip to minus-9, one clear of Mathis. Driscoll got a lucky bounce on to the putting surface with his drive to the short, par-4 12th.

He two-putted for birdie, but gave that shot right back after missing the green on 13. Driscoll started to pull away late as he drained a 15-footer for birdie on 16 and a six-foot birdie putt on 17.

Those birdies gave him a four-shot lead at 11-under, but he found the right trees off the tee at the last and that led to a closing bogey.

‘Today wasn’t quite as good as the last two days, but it still was a good round overall, especially on a difficult golf course,’ Driscoll stated. ‘When the wind blows like it did today, even-par is a good score.

‘If you happen to steal a couple of birdies on this course, that’s great. If you can just eliminate the bogeys, which I was fortunate enough to do for a long time out here, pars go a long way.’

Mathis was hot early with a birdie at the first, then back-to-back birdies from the seventh that got him to seven-under. He moved to minus-8 with a 10-foot birdie putt on 11. However, Mathis parred six in a row before stumbling to a bogey on the par-4 18th.

‘I felt like I’ve been hitting the ball pretty well, but just missing cuts by a shot or two,’ said Mathis, who has missed five straight cuts and seven of the last nine overall. ‘I haven’t been holing putts or just having a couple holes where I made a bad decision. I felt good about how I’ve been playing and just haven’t gotten anything out of it, so its been frustrating.’

Tom Carter, who stood alongside Thatcher at plus-1 entering the round, carded a 4-under 66 to move into a share of seventh at 3-under-par 207. He was joined there David McKenzie, Mark Wiebe and two-time winner this year Nick Flanagan.

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