Muñoz keeps Byron Nelson lead
McKINNEY, Texas – Sebastián Muñoz will be the “other” local guy in the final pairing of the final round of the Byron Nelson.
It’s cool by the Colombian who now calls the Dallas area home and has at least shared the lead after all three rounds.
Muñoz shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday and was 21 under, a stroke ahead of hometown favorite Jordan Spieth, who is still seeking a breakthrough at the event in which he contended in the final round as a 16-year-old high schooler in 2010. Spieth shot a 64.
Joaquin Niemann will be the third player in the final group Sunday, alone in third another shot back after a 65. James Hahn almost matched Muñoz’s opening-round 60 at TPC Craig Ranch, shooting 61 to jump 34 spots to a tie for fourth with Justin Thomas (64).
Spieth is a year younger than Muñoz at 28 but has three majors among 13 career victories after starring at the University of Texas. Muñoz, who played in college nearby at North Texas, is 21/2 years removed from his lone PGA Tour win.
“Besides winning in Bogota, Colombia, I’ve never been the favorite of any other place,” Muñoz said. “So it’s a familiar spot. Jordan is, of course, the golden boy here, so everyone’s favorite. I’m good friends with him, so it’s going to be a lot of fun tomorrow.”
Spieth never went more than two holes without a birdie before a bogey at 15. He’s had lower rounds and been close to victory before in a tournament he wants to win badly after such a remarkable PGA Tour debut as an amateur 12 years ago.
Besides, he and others among the top 30 in the world playing this week are getting ready for the PGA Championship next week at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“So having a chance to win this event, this will be kind of the best chance I’ve maybe ever had going into Sunday,” Spieth said. “Done a good job not putting too much pressure on myself, I just wanted to get into contention and obviously see what needs to be sharpened for next week. But there’s no better prep for a major than winning the week before.”
Speith was ninth last season in the first year at TPC Craig Ranch, his best Nelson finish.
Muñoz made a 39-foot birdie putt on the par-4 second hole and sank a long bunker shot on the short par-4 sixth.
LPGA Tour
CLIFTON, N.J. – Minjee Lee had an eagle-birdie run on the back nine and took a one-shot lead over Madelene Sagstrom heading into the final round of the Cognizant Founders Cup.
Lee, the LPGA Tour’s leading scoring this year, shot a 3-under 69 on a day Upper Montclair Country Club showed some teeth with the wind picking up early and rain falling on the leaders for the final 11 holes.
The 25-year-old Australian who had a three-shot lead at the halfway point, was at 17-under 199 after 54 holes. She’s looking for her first win of the year and seventh on tour.
Sagstrom, the Swede who had the first-round lead after a 63, had the best third-round with a 67. The 29-year-old is seeking her second win.
Lexi Thomson started the round tied with Sagstrom at 11 under, and was alone in third, three shots back after a 69. She might have been closer to her first win since 2019 but she just missed at least five or six putts.
PGA Tour Champions
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Steve Stricker took a three-stroke lead over Steven Alker into the final round of the Regions Tradition, birdieing the final hole for a 6-under 66.
Playing his third straight tournament after a six-month hiatus for health reasons, Stricker was at 17-under 199 as he seeks his second win in the past three tries in the PGA Tour Champions major at Greystone Golf & Country Club. He had three straight birdies from holes 1315 after his lone bogey and polished off the round with a fourth.
Stricker is seeking his fourth major championship on the 50-and-over circuit.
Alker birdied the final two holes for a 65. A two-time winner this year already, the Charles Schwab Cup points leader is chasing his first major championship.
“It would mean a lot,” Alker said. “I’ve won three times and the majors are a big deal out here. We’ve got five of them so we’ve got a good shot at a few.
“You always say try and treat it as another day. But that’s what I’m going to try to do. I’m just having fun out here and hitting my shots.”
Miguel Angel Jimenez, the 2018 winner, had a 67 to get to 12 under. He finished the round with a birdie and is also seeking his third win of the year.
Stuart Appleby and Padraig Harrington were 11 under.
Appleby had a bogey-free 68, and has hovered at 68 or 69 each day. Harrington had a more adventurous round and closed his 70 with an eagle on the par-5 18th. He had bogeys on two of the first six holes.
Glen Day (67) and Ernie Els (70) were seven shots back. Els eagled the par-5 13th to help rebound from an opening seven holes that included four bogeys.
Harrington and Scott McCarron were two shots behind Stricker entering Saturday, and both fell back. McCarron followed up his round of 65 with a 77.
European Tour
ANTWERP, Belgium – Ryan Fox birdied the 18th hole to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Soudal Open.
The New Zealander bogeyed early in his third round at Rinkven International to slip further off the pace, but birdied his next hole, and reeled off five more coming home in a 5-under-par 66.