Brendan Steele fired a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 to tie for the lead with Justin Thomas going to the final round of the CIMB Classic at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Steele, who held the lead heading into the final round of the Frys.com Open two weeks ago before fading to a tie for 17th, and Thomas set a tournament record at 20-under 196 through 54 holes.
“I was pretty comfortable at Frys,” said Steele (pictured), who is from Idyllwild and UC Riverside, and won the 2011 Valero Texas Open for his only PGA Tour victory. “Then it all started kind of spinning out of control for me and I didn’t have a very good final round (76).
“I learned a lot from it. I feel like I’m in a better place now, mentally. I’ll be trying to be a little bit more patient and a little bit more positive, not kind of (putting) so much pressure on myself.”
Thomas, who held the 36-hole lead after posting a course-record 61, carded four birdies in a row through No. 7 and then after struggling a bit with three bogeys, birdied the last two holes to complete a 67 that pulled him even with Steele.
Kevin Na of Diamond Bar birdied five of the first seven holes en route to a 64 and was one stroke back in solo third.
James Hahn of Alameda and Cal had six birdies on the front nine in a bogey-free 64 and was three shots behind in a tie for fourth with Spencer Levin of Elk Grove, who shot 68, Brian Harman, who totaled 66, and Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who came in at 68.
Scott Piercy of San Diego State and Las Vegas, who led after an opening 62, posted a second straight 69 and was four strokes down in a tie for eighth with Adam Scott of Australia, who recorded a second consecutive 66.
Two-time defending champion Ryan Moore of Las Vegas and UNLV also had a 66 and was six shots back in a tie for 10th with David Lingmerth of Sweden, who posted a 64, Patrick Reed, who carded a 66, and Stewart Cink, who wound up at 70.
