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PGA Wyndham: Henrik Stenson holds one-stroke edge

By The Sports Xchange
Henrik Stenson tees off at the PGA Open Championship last month. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
Henrik Stenson tees off at the PGA Open Championship last month. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Keeping calm was best for Henrik Stenson during the third round of the Wyndham Championship.

That will be the goal for Sunday's final round as well

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Stenson posted birdies on four of five holes late in Saturday's round to regain the lead at Sedgefield Country Club.

"Very calm and collected there," Stenson said after his mid-round troubles. "Seemed to be that way. I hope it's the same (mindset Sunday)."

Stenson, who was even for the round through 12 holes, shot a 4-under-par 66, moving to 16-under 194 for the tournament and holding a one-shot lead over three players.

Stenson, a Swede who is ninth in the world rankings, is the tournament's highest-rated entrant. He began the round one shot off the top spot. His backside birdies came on Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 17.

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"Got to keep producing chances," he said. "What I've done so far is working pretty well and I'm playing the course the way I think it's best for me."

Stenson encountered trouble earlier, duffing a shot on the seventh hole and ending up with a double bogey. An errant tee shot on No. 11 led to a bogey.

"Things weren't going great in the middle of the round, but I was hanging in there," he said. "Made a couple of putts coming home and we find ourselves where we want to be."

Webb Simpson, who won the 2011 tournament here, dropped out of a share of the lead with a bogey on No. 17. Simpson (68), Kevin Na (65) and Ollie Schniederjans (66) share second place at 15 under, with Johnson Wagner (65) next at 14 under.

"I'm in position to have a good day (Sunday)," Simpson said. "I'm thinking birdies, trying to play aggressive and play smart at the same time."

Simpson hasn't won on the tour since 2013. He said that bothers him.

"Very hungry to win again, very hungry to compete week-in, week-out regularly," he said. "It's on my mind a little bit."

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Na is aiming for a second tour victory, though he hasn't won since 2011.

"I think there's low scores to be had out there," Na said. "I like the position I'm in."

Davis Love III, the 2015 tournament champion, and Schniederjans also took turns atop the leaderboard.

Schniederjans, 24, has rookie status on tour and he is a former No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. His lone professional victory came last year in the web.com Tour.

Love, a three-time champion in Greensboro, played the last 10 holes in 1 over, stalling his charge with a round of 67. Harold Varner III (66) and Richy Werenski (64) joined Love at 13 under for the tournament.

With the tournament being played less than two miles from the Atlantic Coast Conference headquarters, there was a true ACC feel for most of the day. Simpson (Wake Forest), Schniederjans (Georgia Tech), Love (North Carolina) and Werenski (Georgia Tech) all have ACC backgrounds, while Wagner played for Virginia Tech before it joined the conference.

Ryan Armour, who shared the second-round lead after shooting a 61 on Friday, slumped to a 72 despite an eagle on the fifth hole. He is at 11 under.

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This is the final event of the regular season, with golfers aiming for top-125 spots in points to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.

NOTES: Johnson Wagner eagled the par-4 first hole with a shot from the fairway. This came after Friday's round when he had an albatross (double eagle) and an eagle on the course's two par-5 holes. ... Eighty-five golfers made the cut, equaling the second-most on the PGA Tour this season. The field was to be cut to the top 70 (with ties) for Sunday's round. ... Dru Love, the son of Davis Love III, made the cut for the first time in six starts on the tour. Dru Love shot 75 on Saturday but won't play in the last round (he tied for 75th). ... A father and son hadn't made the cut in the same tournament since Jay Haas and Bill Haas did it in the 2006 Wells Fargo Championship. ... A storm came through following play Friday, impacting the condition of the course.

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