Russell Henley soars to a 3-shot lead at Shadow
NORTH LAS VEGAS » Four shots behind at the start of the day, Russell Henley ran off three straight birdies to start the back nine Saturday and posted a 5-under 67 to build a three-shot lead going into the final round of the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek.
Henley had plenty of help fromthe otherplayers inhis group.
Xander Schauffele, who had a three-shot lead going into the weekend, had a pair of late bogeys and failed to capitalize on the par 5s in his round of 74. Tyrrell Hatton didn’t make a birdie until the final hole in a 73.
Of the top 25 players, theywere the only two who shot over par.
Henley’s putting has been a great fit for the firm, glass-like greens of Shadow Creek. He leads the field in themost important putting category, and it has carried him to only the second 54hole lead of his PGA Tour career.
Henley was at 15-under 201.
Lanto Griffin, who won his first PGA Tour event a year ago at the Houston Open, found the water off the tee on the par-5 18th and made bogey and still
managed a 66. He was at 12-under 204 along with Talor Gooch (69), Jason Kokrak (68) and Schauffele, still in the mix despite a sloppy Saturday.
Hatton was in the group five shots behind with Justin Thomas (68) and Jason Day, who had a 66 as the former world No. 1 tries to end more than two years without a victory.
Henley started to close the gap when he got upanddown from a bunker in front of the green on the par-5 seventh, and Schauffelemissed the green on the par-3 eighth and
took bogey.
Andwhen theymade the turn, Henley took off.
He holed a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 10, hit driver just through the green on the reachable par- 4 11th hole to set up a simple up-and-down for another birdie, and then hit his approach to just inside 5 feet on No. 12 for a third straight birdie.
Henley closed with six straight pars, missing chances on the two par 5s, but no one could catch him.
But he knows what can happen, having flipped his fortunes on Saturday.