Quiet overshadowing the drama

Even as the temperature and action heat up, roar of the crowd missing from tournament

When David Lipsky converted a birdie on the 17th hole, he knew he was in range of the best competitive round of his life, even if the aura around TPC San Antonio’s Canyons Course was the same as playing with his friends back home.

With the field reduced by more than half after Friday’s cut and spectators barred from attendance in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Saturday’s third round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC San Antonio Challenge at the Canyons was still and quiet.

Lipsky said the murmur of fans sometimes can help him focus, but on Saturday his approach was more relaxed. After his tee shot on the final hole landed in a fairway bunker about 200 yards from the pin, he calmly hit an iron to within a few feet of the cup.

Lipsky converted a birdie for a 62 — tying Fred Couples’ course record set at the 2011 AT&T Championship and marking the first 10-under round of Lipsky’s career, he said. The strongest round of the tournament put Lip