Sami Valimaki of Finland fired a 5-under 65 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga.
Playing on the Seaside course, Valimaki bogeyed the par-4 No. 2 hole, recovered with four birdies in a row on Nos. 6-9, and notched two other birdies to move ahead of Patrick Rodgers (68 on Saturday) and Michael Thorbjornsen (68) by two shots with a 193 total.
Andrew Novak, who led after the second round, dropped into a tie for fourth at 196 after shooting a par 70 that included a double bogey on the par-4 10th hole and a bogey on the 3-par 17th.
Tying for the round of the day, Zac Blair moved up 18 spots into a tie with Novak and Johnny Keefer (67) with a 6-under 64, including seven birdies and one bogey in the final event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall series.
Valimaki, seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour, struggled early with a bogey on the par-4 second hole. However, he bounced back with a birdie on No. 3 following a strong tee shot to within a few yards of the pin.
“It wasn’t the start that I was looking for, but then of course kind of the turnaround on No. 3, hit a great shot over there and a few good ones from 6 to 9, so just (a) nice little comeback,” said Valimaki, who finished the front nine at 31.
He added one birdie on the back nine and will aim for another solid effort on Sunday.
“I must say I’m hoping for a good start,” he said. ” … Just try to make the birdies and know the guys behind is coming fast.”
Also in search of his PGA Tour win, Thorbjornsen overcame a bogey on the par-4 No. 13 hole Saturday with back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 to maintain his spot in second place.
Rodgers, who shared that position with Thorbjornsen after the second round, is confident entering the final round as he competes for his initial PGA Tour victory.
“I’m in great position for tomorrow,” said Rodgers, who posted a pair of bogeys and four birdies on Saturday. “I know that starting the weekend near the lead, it’s a really long 36 holes, so I just tried to stay as patient as I could today. Going to take a good one to go win it tomorrow.”
Blair also has yet to win a PGA Tour event but said he believes he can emerge victorious on Sunday after a seven-birdie, one-bogey third round.
“I feel like I’ll go out tomorrow and win,” he said. “I feel like I’ve won kind of at every level, and if I can do the right things tomorrow, I at least am in a spot where if I do the right things, I’ll be right there. That’s always fun.”
In the running for his second PGA Tour title, Novak ran into trouble on the par-4 10th hole and posted a double-bogey and sank a bogey on the back nine to fall out of the top spot.
John Pak fired a 6-under 64 Saturday and sits at 15-under 197, tied with five others for seventh place.
–Field Level Media
