Sepp Straka moved into a four-stroke lead in the final round of The American Express Tournament in California.
Straka shot an eight-under 64 on Saturday for his third straight bogey-free round to take a four-shot lead over Charley Hoffman, Jason Day and Justin Lower in the Coachella Valley desert.
Straka made six birdies on his back nine at La Quinta Country Club, perhaps the easiest of the three courses, and added two more birdies down the stretch, putting him at 23-under 193 and making him just the third player to go bogeyless through 54 holes since when this tournament switched to a three-course rotation in 2016.
Straka is the first Austrian-born player to earn a PGA Tour card and win on the course, and he knows his work is far from done as he prepares for the final round of his return to the PGA West on the Stadium Course.
“I think the stadium is the type of ground where no lead is safe,” Straka said.
“I got my first win at the (Honda (Classic)), it's a very similar golf course, and I was five shots back there at the start of the day. So no lead is safe. You just have to keep hitting your spots, and you really have to do well hit the ball there so that's what I'm looking for tomorrow is just a good round to hit the ball hard.
“It's a very fun table to watch. I played with Charley last week (at the Sony Open).
“He said he feels good, so whenever his body feels good, he's kind of dangerous. Yeah, that's a great leaderboard.”
Hoffman started the day with a share of the lead, shooting a bogey-free 69 on the Stadium Course and looking for his first win since 2016.
“I didn't think about it until the bottom of the ninth, and then I was able to make some shots,” Hoffman said. “Obviously, a clean sheet on the stadium pitch is something to be proud of.”
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Former PGA Championship winner Day recorded seven birdies and two bogeys as he played in front of a lively gallery watching his pairing with two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas.
Thomas shot a blistering 68. He was 17-under 199, a shot behind the American duo of Patrick Cantlay and Mark Hubbard.
Lower, who started the previous two days one shot off the lead, shot a 68 on the Stadium Course to stay in contention for his first victory.
Defending champion Nick Dunlap made the cut with a nine-under 207, while 17-year-old Blades Brown shot a third-round 74 to miss the cut in his first tournament as a professional.
Watch the American Express Final Round, live on Sky Sports Golf from 4.45pm on Sunday or stream from NOW.