Aldrich Potgieter holds 1-shot lead entering final round of Mexico Open
South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter fired a 4-under-par 67 to maintain his lead in the third round of the Mexico Open on Saturday at VidantaWorld in Vallarta, Mexico.
Potgieter remains at 20 under for the tournament, holding a one-stroke advantage over the fast-rising Brian Campbell (64 on Saturday).
Germany's Stephan Jaeger (66) is three shots behind at 17 under, while Alex Smalley (64) sits at 15 under and Ben Griffin (67) and England's Aaron Rai (68) share fifth place at 14 under.
The 20-year-old Potgieter is vying for his first PGA Tour victory in his 10th appearance on the circuit.
"Brian was having a fantastic round, so I tried to stay just a bit ahead of him," Potgieter said. "The wind picked up a bit and some of the pin placements were tough, so I didn't make as many putts today."
The day before, Potgieter's 61 made him the fourth-youngest player to shoot 61 or better on the tour. However, his lead was reduced from four shots at the start of the third round.
"We'll save it for tomorrow," Potgieter said, remaining optimistic.
Campbell finished the last 10 holes at 5 under, including a birdie on the final hole, to make a late surge. He birdied all three par-5s on the back nine.
This cut into Potgieter's lead, which was also diminished by his bogey on No. 17. His tee shot was well off the fairway, but he managed to limit the damage to a bogey.
Campbell, who had a bogey-free round in the third round, focused on playing a steady game.
"I just tried to limit my mistakes and stay within reach of Aldrich," he said.
Jaeger is in contention for his second tour victory. His birdie putt on the 18th gave him a boost heading into the final round.
The same group of Potgieter, Campbell, and Jaeger will be in the final threesome for Sunday's round.
Saturday's highlights included Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, who had two chip-in eagles from 62 and 39 yards in a three-hole stretch on his way to a 66. He is tied for ninth place at 12 under.
Also drawing attention is Cayman Islands amateur Justin Hastings, a golfer from San Diego State. He shot a 65 on Saturday to join the group tied for ninth place.
"I felt like I played more freely today," Hastings said, not worrying about making the cut. "I think it showed on the scorecard."
Defending champion Jake Knapp shot a 68, putting him at 6 under and tied for 45th place.
