Australians McKenzie and Day share lead after three rounds  PGA TOUR Staff HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Aussies rule at the Legend Financial Group Classic presented by Cynergies Solutions, as 39-year-old David McKenzie (66) and 19-year-old Jason Day (67) moved to 12-under-par 201, one stroke clear of their fellow countryman Scott Gardiner (70) and Nationwide Tour veteran Joe Daley (68).  Jason Day is leading the field in birdies made through three rounds. (Steve Grayson/WireImage)
McKenzie -- who was paired on Saturday with Brock Mackenzie for what the latter called "Team McKenzie" -- moved atop the standings with his third sub-70 round this week at the par-71 StoneWater Golf Club. "It wasn't fantastic ball-striking today," said McKenzie, despite hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation. "I didn't hit it out of play but it is not like I was knocking down pins." Despite not being dialed in with his irons, McKenzie more than made up for it with a red-hot putter. He made six birdies totaling 126 feet in length (21-foot average), including bookend birdies of 22 feet on the par-4 first hole and 15 feet on the par-5 18th hole. Sandwiched in between was a nine-foot birdie on the par No. 8, 20-footers on Nos. 12 and 14, and a 40-foot bomb on the par-4 15th hole. "I didn't hit a lot of close ones but I made a bunch of putts," said McKenzie, who posted his only Tour win at the 2005 Gila River Golf Classic. "I said to my wife (Mai) on Friday that the difference in me making the cut this week and missing the cut was my putting." Day, on the other hand, posted five birdies totaling just 22 feet and one inch. Highlighting his round was a 9-iron on the 173-yard sixth hole to just one inch. His only mistake was a bogey on the opening hole, which he now has bogeyed twice in three days. "The first hole has been giving me grief all week," said Day. "I felt pretty good today. I had a little hiccup on the first hole today but the rest of the round I hit it great." Day is looking forward to the familiarity of playing with a fellow Aussie in the final round. "It is good to see us (Australians) up at the top of the leaderboard," said Day. "But even though David is a good friend of mine, I still want to win this and take home the trophy." Day, the youngest player on Tour, will be attempting to wipe away the disappointment earlier this season with he entered the final round of the LaSalle Bank Open in a three-way tie, only to shoot a 1-over 73 to finish five shots behind champion John Riegger. "I don't want to force anything," said Day, who currently sits No. 33 on the official money list. "I tried to force a few things at the LaSalle Bank Open and ended up making some bogeys. The first three days have been great. Even if I start off slow, I've got to realize the putts will eventually fall." The leaders will have plenty of company on Sunday, as eight players are within three shots of the lead. Others within striking distance include Mackenzie (68), Kris Cox (69) and James Driscoll (70) just two shots behind, and Arjun Atwal (66), Willie Wood (68) and Keith Nolan (71) three shots behind. Third-Round News & Notes: The 54-hole leader has gone on to win nine of 16 tournaments this season, including Roland Thatcher's victory last week at the Peek'n Peak Classic ... Kenneth Staton (67) managed the only bogey-free round on Saturday, bringing the total for the week to 14. The key to his round was a perfect 14 of 14 in fairways hit in regulation ... The third-round scoring average was 70.921, with the par-4 ninth hole playing the most difficult at 4.349 ... Sunday's winner will take home $94,500 out of the overall $525,000 purse. |
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