Putnam (64) ties Johnson with birdie

Andrew Putnam matched the best round of his short PGA Tour career with a six-under-par 64 and tied Dustin Johnson atop the St. Jude Classic on Saturday at Memphis, Tenn.

In position to reclaim the No. 1 ranking with a victory, Johnson had a 65 to match Putnam at 15-under 195.

A two-time winner on the Web.com Tour, Putnam birdied No. 18 to tie up Johnson once again after a bogeyfree round. Now he will play in the last group on the final day for the first time on the PGA Tour with Johnson.

“It’s going to feel a little different than the typical Sunday round of golf, but I’m excited for it,” Putnam said. “I’ve earned my way here and I feel like it’s going to be a fun day. See what happens.”

Stewart Cink, who had a hole in one on No. 8, matched his low round of the year with a 64 to get to 10 under.

Ricky Werenski got to 10 under but bogeyed No. 18 to finish with a 68. He was tied with Bryan Wesley (69) at nine under.

Johnson and Putnam, a 29-year-old from Washington with a pair of top-10s this year on tour, quickly turned the third round at TPC Southwind into a two-man race.

Looking for a victory before going to Shinnecock Hills for the U.S. Open, Johnson birdied No. 13. On No. 15, he hit his approach 130 yards to within four feet for birdie and birdied the par-five 16th after hitting out of the bunker to five feet to become the first to reach 15 under.

Putnam rolled one in from 17 feet to end his round with a share of the lead and Johnson settled for a par.

LPGA

Sei Young Kim birdied seven of her last 10 holes for a share of the lead with Celine Herbin in the suspended second round of the ShopRite LPGA at Galloway, N.J. Kim was 10 under for the tournament with three holes left when play was suspended because of darkness.

Herbin, who had her second straight 66, birdied No. 18 after play resumed following a delay of nearly three hours because of lightning strikes in the area. The

Champions

Tom Lehman shot a seven-under 65 to take a twoshot lead into the final round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Principal Charity Classic at Des Moines.

Lehman eagled the parfive eighth and played a 10hole stretch in seven under before dropping a stroke on the par-four 18th. He had a 13-under 131 total, the best two-round score at Wakonda Club.

From neighboring Minnesota, Lehman has finished in the top 10 in each of his first six appearances in Iowa, but the 1996 British Open champion has never won the event.