by 
Sepp Straka took a good start with a note of 64 under normal Saturday to take a lead of four strokes on a trio of players before the final round of the American Express tournament of the US PGA Tour at the Quinta, in California.
Austrian Straka, in search of a third title on the American circuit, recorded a total of 193, 23 under normal, while the former Australian world number Jason Day, the American veteran Charley Hoffman and Justin Lower , his closest rivals, obtained 197.
Straka took the start of 10 on the Quinta course, one of the three used during the first three laps, and accumulated six birdies during its first nine holes.
He succeeded in a long Birdie putt in the 18th to make the turn with an advance of three strokes and after having missed Birdie attempts inside six feet in the third and fourth, he succeeded in a fifth and sixth – Both short by five – to bring his advance to four.
Straka has not yet committed Bogey this week in the Californian desert near Palm Springs, saving normal at his last hole on Saturday after shooting his start to the left.
“This is one of these big holes here in Laquina where he gets stuck, and the more you try to push him, the more he tightens,” said Straka. “I tried to hit a wood three there and I just pulled it from a hair, and, yes, I really got nothing from there.
“I had a very good blow just to place it 10 meters from the green, I achieved a very nice corner stroke in there, so it was pleasant to see the day.”
Day and night, the Hoffman and Lower co-leaders have all played on the more difficult course of the stadium, which will welcome the final round on Sunday.
Day climbed in the classification with one by 67 of five sous, Hoffman displayed a 69 and Lower-who had won second place solo before a Bogey at his penultimate hole-obtained a 68.
“This is a very fun classification to watch,” said Straka when he was considering the final round.
Day, 37, has 13 PGA Tour titles, including the title of the 2015 PGA Championship. Hoffman, 48, won the first of his four titles during this event in 2007 and Lower aims for his first crown on the circuit.
– No lead is safe –
Day said that recent work has seen a “spectacular improvement” of his swing which, he hopes, will bear fruit this season while he is targeting a first title since the Byron Nelson 2023 championship.
The world’s number 12 Patrick Cantlay obtained an impressive 66 under normal on the Stadium race to share fifth place on 198 with Mark Hubbard, who posted a 69 at the Quinta.
Despite its advantage, Straka said that Sunday could still turn into a shooting.
“I think that stadium is the type of course where no advance is safe,” he said, recalling that he was five strokes from the start of the final round when he won his first title on ” A very similar golf course “.
“You just have to keep hitting your points, and you really have to hit the ball, so that’s what I’m looking for tomorrow, it’s just a good solid ball strike,” said Straka.
BB/RCW
