SILVIS, Ill. — Michael Kim spent his 25th birthday moving within 18 holes of his first PGA Tour victory.
Kim took a five-shot lead Saturday at the John Deere Classic in a third round delayed twice for a total of roughly four hours because of bad weather and concerns over lightning.
Kim, who has just one top-10 finish in 84 career PGA Tour starts, shot a 7-under 64 – closing with four straight birdies – for a three-day total of 22-under 191.
Bronson Burgoon (66) was 17 under and Australian Matt Jones (66) was 16 under. But if Kim plays as well Sunday as he did while celebrating his birthday, the former Cal star will likely cruise to victory.
“Coming into the day, I told myself, ‘It’s your birthday. Try and have as stress-free a day as possible.’ I’m very satisfied with the score I shot,” Kim said.
Kim was the NCAA player of the year in 2013 but has yet to stand out as a pro. His best finish was a tie for third at the 2016 Safeway Open.
Kim was four strokes ahead and in the middle of playing the 18th hole when the second round was suspended Friday. He missed an 8-footer for par when play resumed early Saturday, his only bogey of the second round.
He was both steady and at times spectacular in the third round. His final three birdies
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Defending champion Scott McCarron and Bart Bryant shot matching 65s to move into a share of the lead with Jeff Maggert at the Constellation Senior Players Championship in Highland Park, Illinois.
McCarron birdied two of the final four holes at Exmoor Country Club for a three-round total of 16-under 200 in the fourth of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule. Last year, he rallied to win the event at Caves Valley near Baltimore.
Maggert, who led most of the day, shot 66.
Vijay Singh (66) was one shot back. Three-time champion Bernhard Langer (67) and University of Illinois golf coach Mike Small (66) were another stroke behind.
LPGA: Brooke Henderson birdied the 17th hole after a so-so back nine, finishing with a 2-under 69 to take a one-stroke lead at the Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.
Henderson is at 11-under 202 after three rounds at Highland Meadows.
Angela Stanford and Brittany Lincicome are one stroke behind. Stanford vaulted into contention with a 6-under 65, which tied for the low round of the day. Lincicome had a 4-under 67, including birdies on two of the final three holes.
• Laura Davies has a five-shot lead after three rounds of the first U.S. Senior Women’s Open in Wheaton, Illinois.
The British golfer, who is in the World Golf Hall of Fame, birdied six holes as she shot a 7-under 66. Davies, who is at 11-under 208, took control with a 60-foot, twisting, downhill eagle putt on the par-5 12th hole.
American Juli Inkster moved into second with a 5-under 68. She finished her round with a 20-foot eagle putt on No. 18.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Russell Knox mastered the windiest conditions of the week in Gullane, Scotland, to shoot a 4-under 66 in the third round of the Scottish Open, leaving him two strokes behind surprise leader Jens Dantorb (68) and one behind a six-way tie for second place as he seeks back-to-back victories leading into the British Open.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.