Donald back on top at Harbour Town

Former No. 1 has five close calls in event without a win.

Luke Donald shot a 2-under 69 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the RBC Heritage, while topranked Jason Day had a season-worst 79 to fall nine shots back with one round left.

Day, tied for the lead entering the round, has won two of his past three PGA Tour events and figured to contend at Harbour Town in Hilton Head, S.C. Instead, the Australian made eight bogeys and a double bogey.

Donald had a 7-under 206 total. Jason Kokrak and Charley Hoffman were a stroke back. Kokrak shot a 68, and Hoffman bogeyed the closing lighthouse hole for a 71.

Now, Donald looks to end his hard-luck history at Harbour Town. The Englishman has five top-three finishes without a win.

Donald has won more than $2.5 million at the RBC Heritage, the third-highest total. But he’s known as much for his disheartening defeats on Pete Dye’s tricky layout. Brandt Snedeker rallied from six shots behind Donald to force a playoff and win in 2011. Three years later, Matt Kuchar’s chip-in from a bunker in front of the 72nd hole capped a four-shot comeback and left Donald in second once more.

“I think it’s a bit dangerous to say a place owes you,” Donald said. “Certainly, I’ve knocked on the door many times. I’d love to put that tartan jacket on tomorrow.”

Champions Tour: Wes Short Jr. shot a 5-under 67 in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic to take a lead into the final round for the first time in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

Short had a 7-under 137 total at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., for a one-shot advantage over Colin Montgomerie, Todd Hamilton and Mark O’Meara. Montgomerie shot 66, Hamilton 69, and O’Meara 70. Miguel Angel Jimenez, the 2014 winner, was 5 under after a 67.

Tom Watson, tied for the first-round lead at 68, fell back with two early double bogeys and finished with a 76. The 66-year-old Watson was seven shots behind Short.

LPGA Tour: Katie Burnett chipped in for birdie on the par-4 18th Friday for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke lead in the Lotte Championship in Kapolei, Hawaii.

Winless in 59 career starts on the LPGA Tour, the 26-year-old Georgia native had a bogey-free round to take a 13-under 203 total into the final round at Ko Olina.

European Tour: Mike Lorenzo-Vera of France shot a par-71 and took a one-shot lead in the Spanish Open going into the final round at Valderrama.

STREETER LECKA / GETTY IMAGES Top-ranked Jason Day has his worst round of the season Saturday at the RBC Heritage, shooting an 8-over 79 to fall nine shots off the pace of Luke Donald.