Jordan Spieth struggled off the tee, but still shot 5-under-par 65 and took a one-shot lead over Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer after three rounds of the Dean & Deluca Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Spieth, playing about 35 miles from his hometown of Dallas, had a 54-hole total of 12-under-par 198.
“I’m very pleased with the round,” said Spieth, who is ranked No. 2 in the world but has struggled since blowing a five-stroke lead on the back nine Sunday in his title defense at the Masters. “I struck the ball well, got off to a good start again and then my short game really kept me in it in the middle of the round. My scrambling was kind of the key to the day today.
“Hopefully I’ll hit some more fairways tomorrow and make those aggressive swings that I took advantage of when I did hit the fairways.”
Simpson, who won the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, carded a 67 left him tied for with Palmer, who posted a 66.
Spieth and Simpson both made bogeys on the 18th hole, the leader ending a streak of 28 holes without a hiccup.
“I made a couple mistakes throughout the round, but overall played pretty good,” said Simpson, who hasn’t won since the 2013 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. “I hated to finish with a bogey, but I felt like I hit a good putt and just misread it a little.
“I’ve still got a chance, so go work on it a little bit and see what I can do tomorrow.”
Harris English fashioned a 64 and was two strokes behind in a tie for fourth with Kyle Reifers, who totaled 67, and second-round co-leader Martin Piller, who had a 68.
Jason Dufner is three shots down in seventh after a 66, while Chris Stroud posted a 64 and was another stroke back in solo eighth.
First-round leader Bryce Molder carded a 70 and fell five shots back into a tie for ninth with Matt Kuchar — whose 63 was the best round of the tournament, Anirban Lahiri of India (68) and Patrick Reed (69).
