Final round begins with three-way tie

ILL.» ONE big HIGHLAND PARK, push down the stretch vaulted Scott Mccarron to the top of a crowded leaderboard and put him in position to capture his second straight Constellation Senior Players Championship.

If he does, he’ll join Arnold Palmer and Bernhard Langer as the only back-to-back winners of this PGA Tour Champions major.

Mccarron and Bart Bryant shot matching 65s on Saturday to move into a share of the lead with Jeff Maggert.

Mccarron birdied two of the final four holes at Exmoor Country Club for a three-round total of 16-under 200. Last year, he rallied to win the event at Caves Valley near Baltimore.

Maggert, who led most of the day, shot 66.

Vijay Singh (66) was one shot back. Three-time champion Langer (67) and Illinois golf coach Mike Small (66) were another stroke behind, and Scott Parel (70) was in a group at 13 under.

Mccarron came into the week with seven top-10 finishes this year and a win at the American Family Insurance Championship last month.

“The only way to repeat is you’ve got to put yourself in position going into the final round, which I’ve done,” he said. “(Sunday) will be very exciting. We’ve got a stacked leaderboard, and someone is going to have to go pretty low tomorrow to win this tournament.”

It’s the first time three players have been tied for the lead entering the final round of a major since the 2011 U.S. Senior Open.

Joe Lewnard, Daily Herald Scott Mccarron watches his putt stop just short of the up on the 18th hole Saturday during the third round of the Senior Players Championship.