SPIETH BIRDIES 18 TO REGAIN COLONIAL LEAD

Jordan Spieth knows how to finish out of the rough, and still had the lead after three rounds at Colonial.

After hitting his final drive Saturday into the thick grass on an incline right of the No. 18 fairway, Spieth recovered with an approach to 8 feet before rolling in the birdie putt that gave him the solo lead again over playing partner Jason Kokrak in the final group at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Spieth had his second consecutive round of 4under 66 to get to 15 under at Colonial. That put up one stroke ahead of Kokrak, who had matched him for the lead with four birdies in a six-hole stretch before a closing par in his round of 66.

“It's never easy to win out here. It's a Saturday,“Speith said. “It's one of those where you would like to separate yourself and get a big lead, but then he's going to go make those putts on the back nine, and he's a player that plays with a lot of confidence. Colonial is a great setting for a good finish.”

The resurgent Spieth has the 54-hole lead for a PGA Tour best-matching fourth time this season, all in a span of 11 tournaments. That stretch includes his win at the Valero Texas Open, the first time he had won since the 2017 British Open.

Elsewhere

Steve Stricker took advantage of Mike Weir's backnine collapse to take the lead into the final round of the Senior PGA Championship.

Stricker shot a 3-under 67 in a stiff north breeze at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., for a 6-under total and a one-stroke lead over Alex Cejka.

Weir was 8 under through 11 holes, then made a double bogey on 12, starting a stretch of giving back five shots in five holes. The Canadian left-hander finished with a 74.

Ally Ewing made a 5foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole to beat local Las Vegas favorite Danielle Kang 1 up and join three major champions in the LPGA Match Play semifinals.

Ewing will face Ariya Jutanugarn, a 5-and-4 winner over Minjee Lee today in the final event before the U.S. Women's Open next week at Olympic in San Francisco.

In the other semifinal,

Sophia Popov will play

Shanshan Feng. Popov beat ANA Inspiration winner

Patty Tavatanakit 3 and 2, and Feng finished off Eunhee Ji with a birdie putt from more than 100 feet on the 19th hole.

Bernd Wiesberger will take a one-stroke lead over Sweden's Alexander Bjork into the final round of the European Made in Himmerland as he seeks to defend the title in Denmark.

TOM PENNINGTON GETTY Jordan Spieth sinks a birdie putt on the 18th during the third round.