FORMER AZTEC SPAUN IN FOUR-WAY TIE ATOP TEXAS OPEN

Former San Diego State golfer J.J. Spaun is in a fourway tie for the lead at the Valero Texas Open heading into today’s final round.

Brandt Snedeker and Beau Hossler each shot rounds of 5-under 67 to join Spaun and Dylan Frittelli atop the leaderboard after the third round of the PGA event at San Antonio on Saturday.

Both Spaun, who shot 69, and Frittelli (70) finished with a share of the lead at 10under 206.

Spaun birdied four of his five holes heading to the 18th to take a one-shot lead. At the 17th he drove the green at the 303-yard par-4 and almost made the 19-foot eagle. However, he pushed his tee shot on 18 into the trees, punched out, then laid up short of the stream that guards the final green. He ended up with a 22-foot putt for par that he missed.

“If you told me this Tuesday like, ‘Hey, you’re going to be tied for the lead going into Sunday,’ I would totally take it,” Spaun said. “Yeah, bogey on the last hole, but I think it could have been worse. So I’m not too bummed out about that.”

A final-hole bogey kept Scott Stallings out of the lead. He also shot 65 and was a shot back at 9-under. Matt Kuchar’s bogey at 18 dropped him to 8-under after an even-par round.

Second-round leader Ryan Palmer didn’t have a bogey Friday. On Saturday he didn’t have a birdie and dropped to 21st place with a 5-over 77.

With a bogey-free round, Snedeker was 4-under on the backside.

Snedeker is looking for his first win since 2018. It would be his 10th tour victory.

“I’ve been working hard at it, probably as hard as I ever have in my career,” Snedeker said. “I just haven’t had any success.

And the only way you fix that is to go out there and do it, go out there and keep practicing and keep grinding, which I’ve been doing.

“And you’ve got to relish the challenge when you get them.”

Spaun and Hossler are each looking for his first tour win and Frittelli won in 2019 at the John Deere Classic.

Maverick Mcnealy matched the best round of the day with 65, and he was three shots back with Charles Howell III (72), Si Woo Kim (68), Denny Mccarthy (68), Troy Merritt (69), Aaron Rai (68), Brendon Todd (72) and Gary Woodland (72).

Alker shoots record round

Steven Alker shot a tournament-record 10-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Bob Estes after the second round of the Rapiscan Systems Classic in Biloxi, Miss.

Alker had an 11-under 133 total at Grand Bear Golf Club, the first-year venue after the previous 10 editions were played at Fallen Oak.

“I just kind of dialed in my irons early on and took advantage of the par 5s, and obviously putted better,” Alker said. “You always putt well when you shoot 62.”

The 50-year-old from New Zealand won the Timbertech Championship in November for his lone PGA Tour Champions victory.

He broke the tournament record of 63 set by Fred Couples in 2012 and matched by

Gene Sauers in 2017.

The 56-year-old Estes had a 64. Retief Goosen (67) and Paul Broadhurst (67) were 8 under. Goosen won the Hoag Classic a month ago in Newport Beach in the last Champions event.

Alex Cejka (66), Doug Barron (67) and Paul Goydos (68) were 7 under.

Padraig Harrington, set to play in the Masters next week, was 5 under after a 72.

Bernhard Langer, also headed to the Masters, was even par after a 71.