Since missing the cut in his first two starts of the FedEx Cup Fall, Maverick McNealy has played high-level golf in recent weeks.
He tied for 16th at the Shriners and for sixth at the World Wide Technology and for 17th at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Now, McNealy is 18 holes away from claiming his first PGA Tour victory at the RSM Classic.
McNealy signed for a 4-under 66 on Saturday at the Sea Island Club’s Seaside Course, good enough to earn him a share of the 54-hole lead alongside Vince Whaley (63) at 14-under-par 198.
Daniel Berger (63), past RSM winner Mackenzie Hughes (65), 36-hole leader Patrick Fishburn (69) and rookie Michael Thorbjornsen (67), a fellow Stanford Cardinal with McNealy, are tied at 12-under. Amateur Luke Clanton (68), a Florida State junior and Lee Hodges (69) are tied at 11-under
McNealy made two bogeys on his front nine, but cancelled them out and then some with three birdies to make the turn at 1 under. Over his final nine holes, McNealy poured in three birdies, including a 25-foot beauty on the par-3 17th.
McNealy has long been one of the best putters in the world, so to see him at fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting through three rounds isn’t unexpected. But the putter isn’t the only thing clicking for McNealy this week. The 29-year-old is ranked 21st in SG: Off the Tee, fourth in SG: Approach and 22nd in SG: Around the Green.
The 67th-ranked player in the world has finished runner-up twice in his career.
Whaley matches the day’s low round
Whaley grabbed a share of fifth at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, and at last year’s RSM, he tied for 13th. So taking into account form and tournament history, it’s not a big surprise to see Whaley at the top of the leaderboard with 18 holes to play.
He shot 67-68 over the first two days, but turned it to another level on Saturday with a 7-under 63 that tied three other players for the low round of the day.
The 29-year-old from Kentucky made four birdies on the front nine and three more on the back, while keeping squares off the card. In fact, he’s only made three bogeys through 54 holes.
“Yeah, it feels awesome,” Whaley said when asked how it feels to be tied for the lead. “I’ve obviously played some good golf to this point, so just excited for the opportunity.”
Berger still fighting back from injury
Berger, once ranked 12th in the world, is still making his way back from an injury that kept him sidelined for 19 months. He’s seen some mixed results this year — 16 made cuts in 24 previous starts — but he’s in position to win for the first time since the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and for the fifth time overall.
Berger made four birdies in a six-hole stretch on his front nine to make the turn with a 4-under 31. On his way home, the 31-year-old sandwiched a bogey on 14 with birdies on Nos. 12, 13, and 15 before adding another on 18 to close out his day.
“I hit it in the fairway, I hit it on the green and I made a lot of putts today, so that’s a recipe for a good score,” Berger said.
He entered the week No. 127 in the FedEx Cup, so a solid final round should move him safely inside the top 125.
History says RSM Sundays can get wild
There will be 19 players within six shots of the lead shared by McNealy and Whaley, offering the potential of another close finish in the final round.
Between the inaugural RSM Classic in 2010 and 2000 nine of 11 tournaments were decided by one shot or in a playoff.
There were three playoffs in a row from 2018-2000 and five of six, beginning when Hughes survived a five-way sudden death in 2016 that resulted in the only Monday finish in tournament history.
Times-Union reporter Garry Smits contributed.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Maverick McNealy, Vincent Whaley, tied for third-round RSM Classic lead
Read the full article here