Greensboro, Aug 9 (IANS) Sahith Theegala slipped out of the Top-10 after carding a 1-under 69 in the third round of the Wyndham Championship, with the Indian-American now tied-11th heading into the final round of the PGA TOUR’s last event before the FedExCup Playoffs.
Theegala had opened the tournament in spectacular fashion with an 8-under 62 that left him second on the leaderboard. However, successive rounds of 69 have seen him drop back, leaving him at 10-under after 54 holes.
The 27-year-old made a fast start on Saturday, picking up three birdies in his first five holes. His momentum was halted by bogeys on the sixth, 13th and 14th holes, which took him back to even par. Theegala recovered with consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th but dropped another shot on the 18th to finish with a 69.
Another Indian-origin player, Aaron Rai, carded a 3-under 69 to move to 5-under and is tied-56th. Akshay Bhatia and Sudarshan Yellamaraju opted to rest ahead of the FedExCup Playoffs. At the top of the leaderboard, Beau Hossler and Michael Brennan share the lead at 16-under 194 going into the final round.
Hossler battled through difficult par putts and two rain delays to card a 4-under 66, while Brennan produced a 63, sealing his round with a birdie putt from 15 feet on the final hole. The pair hold a one-shot advantage over Scottish Open winner Tom Kim, who fired a 63, while Alex Noren and Alex Smalley are another stroke back after rounds of 65.
Hossler, ranked No. 122 in the FedExCup standings, knows he needs to win the tournament to have a mathematical chance of breaking into the top 70 and qualifying for the Playoffs. His run of 31 consecutive holes without a bogey ended on the par-3 16th after a 30-minute weather delay, when he three-putted from 30 feet.
England’s Jordan Smith, currently No. 68 in the FedExCup standings, strengthened his position with a hole-in-one on the 16th, finding the cup with a 9-iron. The ace also earned him one million reward points from tournament sponsor Wyndham. Keegan Bradley, who made the cut on the number, carded a 1-under 69 but remains outside the projected Playoffs field at No. 72 and will need a low final round to improve his position.
Brooks Koepka, meanwhile, will not advance to the Playoffs after a 74 left him 11 shots behind the position he needed to have a chance of qualifying. With the Wyndham Championship serving as the final opportunity to secure a place in the FedExCup Playoffs, Theegala will now look to produce a strong final round and finish the regular season on a high.
–IANS
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