NEW ORLEANS – South Africans Branden Grace and Justin Harding will start the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans just one shot off the lead after a superb Saturday effort.
A grind through their remaining foursomes round, delayed as the tournament struggled through bad weather, saw them post a 68 as they sat just outside the top-10.
Back on course for round three’s betterball format, it was a slow start with three pars leaving them below the pace. Not for long as senior partner Grace – despite being younger than Harding – took control with three birdies in four holes to set a much-improved tempo.
Harding then got into the act with his first birdie at the eighth before both players had 10 foot for birdie at the par three ninth. It was Grace’s effort which found the bottom of the cup as the pair surged forward, hardly remembering their pedestrian start.
The back nine belonged to Harding, who secured a staggering five birdies in six holes in a mixture of precision iron-play and long-range putting.
Grace added another at the 16th before their one and only slip at the 17th saw them drop back to 10-under for the round. Of course, Harding would birdie the last as the South Africans fired the low round of the day and put themselves in with a shout of a team title.
Trey Mullinax and Scott Stallings (62) are joint leaders with Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer (64) ahead of Sunday’s foursomes.