Field Level Media
05 Jul 2020, 05:10 GMT+10
Matthew Wolff played his final seven holes in 5 under to cap a round of 8-under-par 64 on Saturday and seize a three-stroke lead through three rounds of the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Wolff sits at 19-under 197 -- a career-low total after three rounds -- through 54 holes at Detroit GolfClub, following his second straight round of 64. The 21-year-old is aiming to become the youngest two-time PGA Tour winner since Tiger Woods.
Ryan Armour and Bryson DeChambeau are tied for second at 16 under after each shot 67. The pair entered the day, along with Wolff, in a six-way tie for third, one stroke back of Chris Kirk and Webb Simpson.
Kirk, who shot 70, is tied for fourth at 14 under, along with Troy Merritt (67), Mark Hubbard (69) and Ireland's Seamus Power (69). Simpson is tied for eighth with four others at 13 under, after shooting 71.
Wolff had a wild round that included just five pars -- and only one in the first 10 holes. He racked up six birdies and two bogeys on the front nine before another bogey at No. 10.
After birdieing 12, Wolff caught fire at the par-5 14th, hitting his 223-yard second shot inside of 14 feet and draining the putt for eagle. He added birdies at 15 and 17, both from inside seven feet, and got up-and-down for par at 18 to cap his day.
"The mindset going into the week with my caddie Nick was just to really tell myself to not care," Wolff, who has yet to make a top 10 in 13 starts this season, said after his round. "And I don't think I'll ever not care, but if I tell myself that, it takes the pressure off all those shots. ...
"It seems like it worked out pretty well."
Armour had a great round going, at 5 under on the front nine and 6 under through 16 holes, before finding trouble off the tee at the par-5 17th and making double bogey. He bounced back at 18 with a speedy 21-foot birdie putt from the fringe that narrowly found the side of the cup.
"Yeah, 18 was a big putt," he said afterward. "You're looking at probably 3 or 5 from where I hit it."
The 44-year-old Armour will be in the final pairing with Wolff on Sunday as he also seeks his second career PGA Tour win.
"It's gonna take some birdies," Armour said. "No one is not accelerating right now. We know we gotta make a lotta birdies."
DeChambeau, seeking his seventh straight top-10 finish and sixth career win, also finished with a birdie, capping a quick run of 4 under over the final six holes. He also had two birdies and a bogey on the front nine.
Merritt remains the only player in the tournament without a bogey thus far, collecting five birdies in his round.
Simpson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 6, was 2 under through four holes but didn't make another birdie all day. After a run of 13 straight pars, he missed a par putt from inside five feet at 18 to finish with a bogey.
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