Leishman and Wise set for Sunday duel in Texas

Pair hold a four shot lead over rest of the field heading into the final day of Byron Nelson

Marc Leishman of Australia plays his second shot from a fairway bunker on the ninth hole during the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Marc Leishman of Australia plays his second shot from a fairway bunker on the ninth hole during the third round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Australia’s Marc Leishman and American Aaron Wise share a four-shot lead over the rest of the field heading into the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas.

A three-putt bogey on the 18th cost Wise what would have been a one-shot advantage after he completed a three-under-par 68 to sit 17-under at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

Leishman — who produced a stunning opening round 61 — signed for a 69, recovering from a bogey on the second hole to sink successive birdies at 14 and 15 as he battled with the American for the outright lead as conditions turned more windy.

Wise, meanwhile, dropped two shots on the front nine, where he also picked up four strokes before the turn.

READ MORE

The 21-year-old, chasing a first PGA Tour victory, looked set to finish the third round holding a narrow lead following back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17, only to then lose composure at the 502-yard final hole.

Leishman’s compatriot Matt Jones climbed up four places on Saturday into a tie for third with Kevin Na (69) on 13 under after his 68 left him four shots adrift of the leaders, having also made a bogey at the 18th.

Charles Howell III was the biggest mover, some 44 spots, with his blemish-free six-under 65 leaving the American in a group of players tied for 11th at 10 under.

World number three Jordan Spieth was struggling to make an impact on his home-town tournament, the Texan shooting an even-par 71, which included three bogeys, to be tied for 29th on seven under.

Brian Gay, meanwhile, sits in a tie for fifth place at 12 under following a round of 72 — which saw one of his drives casually picked up and then swiftly put down by a spectator, the man wearing flip flops and having a drink, as the ball rolled off the fairway into sand towards a concessions stand.

Collated third round scores & totals in the USPGA Tour AT&T Byron Nelson, Trinity Forest Golf Club, Irving, Texas, United States of America (USA unless stated, par 71):

196 Aaron Wise65 63 68, Marc Leishman(Aus)61 66 69

200 Kevin Na 66 65 69, Matt Jones (Aus) 67 65 68

201 Brian Gay 67 62 72, Jimmy Walker 64 67 70

202 Ryan Blaum 66 69 67, J.J. Spaun 64 69 69, Kevin Tway 67 65 70, Keith Mitchell 65 68 69

203 Joel Dahmen 67 68 68, Shawn Stefani 68 66 69, Derek Fathauer 70 67 66, Sung Kang (Kor) 68 68 67, Branden Grace (Rsa) 66 68 69, Martin Piller 69 63 71, Charles Howell III 69 69 65, Nicholas Lindheim 66 69 68

204 Ethan Tracy 65 72 67, Peter Uihlein 65 70 69, Adam Scott (Aus) 67 65 72, Scott Piercy 70 66 68, Bronson Burgoon 69 68 67

205 JT Poston 68 69 68, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 66 70 69, Vaughn Taylor 68 64 73, Martin Flores 70 67 68, Troy Merritt 67 68 70

206 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 72 63 71, Robert Garrigus 66 69 71, Cody Gribble 71 67 68, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 69 67 70, Denny McCarthy 71 66 69, Maverick McNealy 68 67 71, Billy Horschel 68 69 69, Zac Blair 67 71 68, Tyler Duncan 65 73 68, Nick Taylor (Can) 69 68 69, Johnson Wagner 67 68 71, Russell Knox (Sco) 69 69 68, Jordan Spieth 69 66 71

207 Abraham Ancer (Mex) 65 69 73, Matt Atkins 69 67 71, Anirban Lahiri (Ind) 68 67 72

208 Peter Malnati 69 66 73, Eric Axley 66 65 77, Roberto Diaz (Mex) 70 68 70, Parker McLachlin 71 67 70, Steve Wheatcroft 70 67 71, Ben Crane 68 68 72, Sang-moon Bae (Kor) 67 71 70, Cheng-Tsung Pan (Tai) 67 71 70, Ryan Armour 66 71 71, Jonathan Byrd 65 73 70

209 Adam Schenk 70 68 71, Brian Stuard 71 67 71, Sam Ryder 70 68 71, Dominic Bozzelli 67 71 71

210 Brian Davis (Eng) 69 68 73, J.B. Holmes 69 69 72, Michael Thompson 71 65 74, Tom Lovelady 66 70 74, Hudson Swafford 70 64 76, T.J Vogel 66 71 73, Patrick Rodgers 67 67 76

211 Cameron Percy (Aus) 67 69 75, Andrew Putnam 68 69 74, Beau Hossler 70 68 73, Rod Pampling (Aus) 70 68 73, Nate Lashley 67 71 73, Corey Conners (Can) 69 69 73, Fabian Gomez (Arg) 69 69 73

212 Robert Allenby (Aus) 70 67 75

213 Robert Streb 69 69 75

214 Mark Wilson 68 66 80