David Toms, Hideki Matsuyama, Chad Campbell and Chris Stroud shared the third-round lead of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at seven-under-par 203 on Saturday at Colonial, where plenty of others also are in contention.
There were 13 players within two strokes of the leading quartet. The closest chasers included Adam Scott, the No. 1 player in the world, and Jimmy Walker, a three-time winner this season and No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Kevin Chappell, whose early seven-under 63 was the low round of the day, moved from a tie for 60th to within one stroke of the lead.
Matsuyama, the 22-year-old from Japan with five wins at home, shot a bogey-free 64 on Saturday. Toms, who got the last of his 13 PGA Tour victories at Colonial in 2011, had a 65, local resident Campbell shot 68, and Stroud had a 69.
Walker was six under after a 69, and Scott was another stroke back after a 66. Walker and Campbell were playing together, and were tied for the lead at eight under before both bogeyed the 161-yard 13th hole.
Play was suspended 1 hour and 8 minutes because of an approaching thunderstorm that brought only a brief downpour.
Second-round leader Brice Garnett fell back with a bogey at the 216-yard fourth hole, followed by a double bogey when he drove out of bounds at the tight fifth hole that runs parallel to the Trinity River. The PGA Tour rookie shot 74 and dropped into a tie for 25th at three under.
Matsuyama had three early birdies, including at Nos. 4 and 5 — the last two of a trio of holes known as the “Horrible Horseshoe” because of the layout of difficulty of the holes. There are two difficult par 4s with the course's longest par 3 between them.
“Kind of set the tone for the rest of the round,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter.
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Colin Montgomerie took the third-round lead in the Senior PGA Championship in Benton Harbor, Mich., making a winding, 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a three-under 68.
Trying to win his first major championship, the 51-year-old Scot took a seven-under 206 total into the final round at Harbor Shores.
Bernhard Langer, the 56-year-old German star who has won twice this season on the Champions Tour, was a stroke back after a 70. He will play alongside Montgomerie for the fourth consecutive round Sunday.
Marco Dawson, Bart Bryant and Kiyoshi Murota were tied for third at 5 under. Dawson had a 64, the best round of the tournament. Bryant and Murota shot 70.
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Anna Nordqvist moved into position for her third victory of the year, shooting her second straight six-under 66 to take the third-round lead in the Airbus LPGA Classic in Mobile, Ala.
The 26-year-old Swede, the winner in Thailand and Carlsbad, had a 16-under 200 total on The Crossings course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail's Magnolia Grove complex.
Catriona Matthew, the 44-year-old Scot who led after each of the first two days, was a stroke back. She birdied three of the last four holes for a 70.
Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, the 2012 champion who needs to finish solo third or higher to take the top spot in the world from Inbee Park, was third after a 66. Park missed the cut Friday.
Michelle Wie, Jessica Korda and 18-year-old Charley Hull were tied for fourth at 13 under. Wie shot 66, Korda 69, and Hull 71.
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Thomas Bjorn birdied seven of his last eight holes Saturday to grab a five-shot lead after the third round of the BMW PGA Championship in Virginia Water, England.
The 43-year old Dane fought back from a double bogey on the first hole by making six straight birdies from the 11th and then adding another one at the last for a five-under 67. His 15-under total of 201 put him five shots clear of Luke Donald at the European Tour's flagship event at Wentworth.
Donald, a two-time former BMW PGA winner, birdied his closing two holes for a 68. Ireland's Shane Lowry shared the overnight lead with Bjorn but shot a 73 to sit another shot back in third.
Rory McIlroy was in a tie for fourth after a 69, seven shots behind Bjorn.