Choi gets first Champions win at Pebble Beach

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The rounds are starting to repeat for Byeong Hun An: No bogeys, a bunch of birdies and more time atop the Wyndham Championship leaderboard. An shot a 4-under 66 on Saturday for a one-stroke lead after three rounds at the PGA TOUR’s final event before the FedExCup Playoffs. An, who was at 17-under 193, has held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds and has yet to play a hole worse than par. The 27-year-old South Korean with three international victories has put himself in position to claim his first win on TOUR. “It feels similar to yesterday, to be fair,” An said. “I had some nice shots here and there, but scrambled well today. Another bogey-free (round). I’m quite happy with it — a 66 out here, and I have a lead.” Former Wyndham winner Webb Simpson and Brice Garnett were tied for second, with Simpson shooting a 65 and Garnett a 66. Ryan Armour was 15 under following a 65. “One shot is basically nothing,” An said. “It’s not that big of a lead. It’s just one shot.” Overall, it was yet another low-scoring day at Sedgefield Country Club. For a while midway through An’s round, six players were tied for the lead at 13 under. “I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody shot 8, 9, 10 under, a guy who’s within striking distance,” Simpson said. “I’ve got to keep the pedal down, and if I don’t shoot a low one, I’m not going to win.” An started to get some separation from the crowd with three birdies in the four-hole span from Nos. 5-8, moving to 16 under. Then came his best shot of the day, a 50-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th. He closed with four straight pars. Simpson — a native North Carolinian who named his daughter Wyndham after his first career victory came here in 2011 — strung together three birdies around a bogey midway through his back nine to move to 16 under. If nothing else, he’s in good position to claim his fifth top-10 finish in six years at this tournament. Garnett made the turn at 15 under following back-to-back birdies, then rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th to pull even with Simpson and saved par on the 18th after rolling his third shot from a greenside bunker to within 3 feet from the flagstick. “I was just trying to get the putt (on 17) somewhere around the hole,” Garnett said. “Fortunately, the putt had some eyes and drifted in. Huge momentum going into tomorrow.” Armour climbed into contention with six birdies in a 10-hole stretch midway through his round that put him two strokes back. And Viktor Hovland finished his season-best round with a birdie on the 18th after landing his 150-yard approach shot some 3 feet from the flagstick. He was tied for fifth with J.T. Poston and Paul Casey at 14 under. After winning the U.S. Amateur last year, Hovland turned pro two months ago after tying for 12th at the U.S. Open. “I just try to tell myself that I don’t have anything to lose,” Hovland said. “I’ll be on the Korn Ferry Tour no matter what happens kind of unless I play really well tomorrow, and to be in the spot where I am right now after college, that’s a pretty good spot to be in.” It wasn’t a low-scoring day for everyone, though: Jordan Spieth had three double-bogeys and a bogey during a birdie-free 77 that left him at 2 under for the tournament. It came two days after he flirted with a career-best round, putting just 23 times during his first-round 64. “I putted my (butt) off for two days to be able to be where I was at, and you can’t exactly fix your ball striking in a day,” Spieth said. “It’s just too much to try and force it. So this extra day could serve me really well through the playoffs.”

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NAPA, Calif. — PGA TOUR rookie Tyler Duncan parred the 18th hole for a scrambling 1-under 71 to maintain a one-stroke lead Saturday after three rounds of the Safeway Open. Duncan, whose only previous PGA TOUR event was the 2015 U.S. Open, had five birdies and four bogeys to reach 14-under 202 in the season opener at Silverado Resort and Spa. Chesson Hadley, a one-time PGA TOUR winner who had a course-record 61 in the second round, was a stroke back after a 70. Bud Cauley, winless in five PGA TOUR seasons, shot a 66 to join defending champion Brendan Steele (72) at 12 under. Emiliano Grillo, the 2015 tournament winner, shot 68 to match Graham DeLaet (69) at 11 under. Phil Mickelson, seven shots behind Duncan entering the round after consecutive 69s, had a 68 to join Bill Haas (69), Tony Finau (71) and Andrew Putnam (69) at 10 under. Mickelson has seven consecutive rounds in the 60s in the event. He finished eighth last year and is seeking his first title since the 2013 British Open. After a bogey on the second hole, the 47-year-old Mickelson birdied five of his last six holes on the front nine to move to 11 under and within two shots of the lead. But Mickelson, playing in his 91st PGA Tour event since his last victory, missed a short putt for birdie on the 16th and short putt for par on the 17th. He made a short birdie putt on the 18th.

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THE PLAYERS Championship continues into Monday from the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Weather impacted the first two days of play, with the first round finishing nearly 55 hours after Thursday’s opening tee shot. Round 3 is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. ET Monday with Anirban Lahiri holding a one-shot lead. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE and newly expanded and extended coverage on ESPN+. Click here for more details. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Monday, 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: See full coverage details below Radio: Monday, 1 – 7 p.m. ET (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR ENHANCED COVERAGE DETAILS THE PLAYERS and NBCU • 22 total hours of coverage from Thursday through Sunday ESPN+ coverage • More than 20 groups from the morning sessions will be available on ESPN+ Live From THE PLAYERS • 45.5 live hours on GOLF Channel, including the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony • PGA TOUR LIVE to produce an estimated 167 hours of coverage across our 4 streams for the 4 tournament channels. Practice round shows • Tuesday: Military Appreciation Ceremony followed by Kelsea Ballerini concert • Wednesday: World Golf Hall of Fame Ceremony PGA TOUR LIVE • 12 hosts, 3 walking announcers, 130 personnel onsite, 75 personnel in St. Augustine • Use of ARL graphic technology for tracing and hole flyover animations with statistical information PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes FEATURED GROUPS Marquee Group Harold Varner III, Tom Hoge, Sam Burns (in progress – 10 tee) Featured Groups Anirban Lahiri, Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann (in progress – 11 green) Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson, Doc Redman (in progress – 12 green) MUST READS High winds make No. 17 even tougher Bizarre rules gaffe mars one of Bradley’s best-ever rounds Nine Things to Know: TPC Sawgrass Tiger Woods among those to be inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame Insider: Justin Thomas’ win at THE PLAYERS was a lesson in ball-striking Top five players in world ranking under age 30

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