Bryson DeChambeau leads Web.com Tour Finals opener
BEACHWOOD, Ohio (AP) - Bryson DeChambeau shot a 2-under 68 on Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Web.com Tour Finals-opening DAP Championship.
DeChambeau, the 22-year-old former SMU player who swept the 2015 NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles, had an 8-under 202 total at Canterbury Golf Club.
"I knew it was going to be a battle and I knew a couple under par would be good," DeChambeau said. "Hung in there, hit some great iron shots, and made a couple clutch putts. Unfortunately, missed a few, but that's the way golf goes."
Overnight leader Zack Sucher was a stroke back after a 68, and D.A. Points also had a 68 to reach 6 under. Andres Gonzales (68), Will MacKenzie (69), Trey Mullinax (69), Rory Sabbatini (70) and Stuart Appleby (71) were 5 under. Sabbatini had a hole-in-one on the 176-yard third. He used a 7-iron.
The four-event series features the top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list, Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings and non-members such as DeChambeau who earned enough money to have placed in the top 200 had they been eligible.
The top 25 players on the Web.com Tour regular-season money list earned PGA Tour cards. They are competing against each other for tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals. The other players are fighting for 25 cards based on series earnings.
"It's golf. It's just golf," DeChambeau said. "You have to go out there and hit as many greens and fairways as possible and make as many putts. It's cliche but it is what it is, and I'm just going to go do that."
He hit to 3 feet on the 233-yard par-3 17th to set up his final birdie.
"I was lucky enough to stick one in there tight on 17," DeChambeau said.
Sucher finished the second round Saturday morning, missing a 15-foot par putt on 17 to start and three-putting the 18th for another bogey.
"I was happy with all of the putts I hit. I was happy with every shot I hit this morning," Sucher said. "So I was just like, 'Well, we'll forget about those two and move on.'"
Andrew "Beef" Johnston was tied for 34th at even par after a 73. The Englishman was eighth in the British Open.