RICHMOND, Texas -- Matt Kuchar fired the round of the day at the Nationwide Tour Championship on Saturday, posting a 5-under 67 to take a three-shot lead heading into the final round.
The top 20 players on the money list following this season-ending event will earn invitations to the PGA TOUR next season. But the field was contending with more than just their futures in the third round.
Heavy winds blasted The Houstonian on Saturday, forcing everyone to adapt.
‘It was tough out there,’ said Kuchar, who stands at 13-under-par 203. ‘But I got some lucky breaks. Things went my way.’
Already a winner this season, Kuchar’s ticket to the PGA TOUR is all but punched. If he hangs on to win again, he would move to fourth on the money list.
Saturday, he collected an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys to pull three shots ahead of Boo Weekley.
Kuchar, one of five second-round co-leaders, had a birdie at the second hole, a bogey at the fourth and an eagle at the par-5 fifth. He went on to bogey the seventh, then moved to 10 under around the turn with a birdie at the ninth.
Following back-to-back birdies from the 14th, Kuchar was comfortably in the lead. His final birdie came on an unlikely chip-in from just in front of the 17th green.
Instead of complaining about the wind, Kuchar chose to embrace the challenge it provided.
‘The course is just completely different,’ he said, ‘and it was fun to try and figure it out.’
Weekley, who was ninth after the second round, moved into solo second place with a 4-under 68, his best round of the week so far. He stands at 10-under 206.
Andrew Buckle and Cliff Kresge -- two of the five second-round co-leaders -- share third place at 9-under 207 following matching 71s. Chris Baryla, another second-round leader, is one shot further back at 208.
The fifth second round co-leader, Brandt Snedeker, shot a 75 and tumbled into a tie for eighth place at 5-under 211.
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