Kevin Kisner, once again close to his first PGA Tour victory, shot 6-under-par 64 to take a three-stroke lead over Kevin Chappell to the final round of the RSM Classic on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Resort in Sea Island, Ga.
Kisner, who lost three times in playoffs during the 2014-15 season, finished with three consecutive birdies, nearly holing his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole before sinking a 30-foot putt on the last,
“Just another solid day,” said Kisner, who also finished second in his last start at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. “I’ve been striking it nicely all week and continue to give myself a lot of chances for birdie. Today I capitalized on a few of them. Hit it close on two out of the last three and made the nice long one on the last hole. Hopefully I can keep it going.
“What I’ve learned is you just can’t hold back on this tour. Any time you think you’re doing great, somebody else is, too. I’m just going to try to keep making birdies. I’ll put a number … in my head (for the final round) and see if they can catch that one.”
Chappell, the 2008 NCAA champion and College Player of the Year from UCLA and Fresno, posted a 68 by bouncing back from bogeys on the second and third holes,
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, who won the OHL Classic at Mayakoba last week, was four shots back in solo fourth after a bogey-free 65, while Alex Cjeka of Germany was another stroke down after a third straight 67.
Jeff Overton carded a bogey-free 66 and was six shots behind in a tie for fifth with Jeff Herman, who had a 67.
Ricky Barnes of Stockton totaled a 68 and was one more shot behind in a tie for seventh with Jason Dufner (66), David Hearn (67) of Canada, Jon Curran (66) and Freddie Jacobson (71) of Sweden.
