Eric Cole shot 7-under-par 63 for the best score in the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge, taking the lead Saturday at Fort Worth, Texas.
Cole, aiming for his first victory on the PGA Tour, goes to Sunday’s final round at 12-under 198, holding a one-stroke edge on Ryan Gerard.
Gerard birdied the last two holes of the third round to post 68. Mac Meissner (67 on Saturday) and J.J. Spaun (68) are two shots off the lead on the Colonial Country Club layout.
Cole has never had a top-five finish on the PGA Tour, but he had back-to-back outings this spring when he tied for sixth place (Zurich Classic of New Orleans and Myrtle Beach Classic). Meissner is also without a top-five result.
Cole played the first 11 holes Saturday in 6 under and later followed his lone bogey on No. 15 with a birdie on the next hole. Meissner finished his first 11 holes at 5 under for the round.
Alex Smalley (69), Russell Henley (69) and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (70) are tied for fifth place at 9 under.
There’s an eighth-place tie at 8 under with Michael Thorbjornsen (71), Michael Brennan (69), Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes (69) and Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (65).
Second-round leader Jordan Smith of England shot 74 to plummet to a tie for 19th place at 6 under. He didn’t have a birdie and he was dinged with three consecutive bogeys on the front side.
Defending champion Ben Griffin shot 68 to pull to 6 under for the tournament.
