Swede, Aussie at 19 under

Blixt-Smith team up four at Zurich

Swede Jonas Blixt and Australian Cameron Smith prolonged their bogey-free run to three rounds in the new team format at the Zurich Classic in Avondale, La., deftly adjusting to gusting winds and posting a 4-under 68 to widen their lead to four strokes.

Alternating shots Saturday as teams did in the first round, the Blixt-Cameron partnership posted four birdies to improve to 19 under, building on a lead that stood at one shot through two rounds. They are the only team without a bogey.

The Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman teams were tied for second. Also still in contention are Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer, five shots behind.

The final round, which will start earlier than planned — at 6:40 a.m. — because of rain in the forecast, will return to the “best-ball” format used in the second round, in which each team takes the best score per hole.

Other tournaments

LPGA North Texas Shootout: Haru Nomura of Japan shot a 1-over 72 on another windy day in Irving, Texas, to extend her lead through three rounds despite a late double bogey. Nomura was at 8-under 205 — two strokes ahead of Cristie Kerr, twotime Texas winner Inbee Park and amateur Eun Jeong Seong, 17. Stacy Lewis won at Texas in 2014 and had the day’s best round with a bogey-free 66. Tied for 44th place after 36 holes, Lewis moved up to fifth place. There were winds of about 20 mph and a threatening storm that created difficult conditions for the second day in a row. Nomura led by only one stroke going into the third round. She stretched that to four before a double bogey at the par-3 17th hole.

China Open: Dylan Frittelli of South Africa moved three strokes clear of the field after carding an 8-under 64 in the third round in Beijing. Frittelli birdied eight holes in a bogeyfree round at Topwin Golf and Country Club to get to 19 under. Pablo Larrazabal of Spain was his nearest challenger at 16 under after a 2under 70.