Byrd holds narrow advantage

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May 8, 2011

Jonathan Byrd leads by one heading into the final day of the Wells Fargo Championship.

American Jonathan Byrd leads by one heading into the final day of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Starting the day in joint-second, Byrd made seven birdies and two bogeys en route to a third-round 67 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina. to lead by one shot over overnight leader Pat Perez, who shot a 70.

Byrd, who just one year ago seemed in danger of losing his card, looked like a different player on Saturday.

“Twelve months ago, I would never have thought that could happen,” he said. “But now, the way my game is, why couldn’t it happen? I’m playing well. I feel like I have all the tools to play well. I’m just going to play, and then when it’s all over, I’ll enjoy whatever I’ve done.”

Stewart Cink and Lucas Glover lie a further two strokes behind Perez, while Andres Romero, Kevin Na and Bill Haas are four shots off the pace.

“Somebody is going to have to get off to a good start,” Glover said. “Jonathan is a great front-runner. He’s playing so well. I played with him Tuesday and saw him at home the last couple weeks. He’s playing great. It’s going to take a good start and a low round because he’s playing well enough to where he could shoot in the 60s again tomorrow and blow everybody away. But we’ll see.”

Overnight leader Perez, who sunk an incredible 18 birdies on the first two days of competition, found the going a little bit tougher on Saturday, making only four birdies and two bogeys.

“It was kind of scrappy all the way around,” Perez said. “I played pretty good to shoot 70, I guess.”

Cink started with a bogey on the first, but recovered nicely with five birdies to shoot a four-under 68, while Glover made three birdies ina bogey-free 69.

Local favourtie Haas didn’t have much happen for him out on course, with three birdies and two bogeys to his name.

Brian Davis is the leading European on 10 under – the Englishman shot a third-round 69 to lie five shots adrift.

The expected charge from Phil Mickelson never arrived on Saturday, with the American instead carding a two-over 74 that saw him drop 8 shots back. A double-bogey on the 17th effectively put an end to his challenge.

The PGA Tour also announced that a one-minute silence will be held on the final day in memory of former world number one Seve Ballesteros, who died on Saturday following a long battle with cancer.

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