Keegan Bradley carded a two-under-par 70 to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines, near Denver.
The 2025 United States Ryder Cup captain birdied four of his last five holes, after a run of three successive bogeys, to move clear of Australia’s Adam Scott on 12 under.
Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, had led at the halfway stage after a blemish-free second round but a two-over 74 on Saturday saw him slip a place in the standings.
Swedes Alex Noren and Ludvig Aberg are tied for third on 10 under, with two-time major champion Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark both a further three shots back.
Bradley, who led after the first round, had scraped into the 50-strong field for the penultimate tournament in the PGA Tour’s end-of-season play-offs in the last available spot but will target a seventh Tour win on Sunday.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy are tied for ninth, sitting seven shots off the pace on five under par.
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre withdrew mid-round citing lower back pain but remains on course to qualify as one of the top 30 for next week’s season-ending Tour Championship.