Memphis, TN (Best E Casino) - Tim Clark fired a six-under 64 Saturday to fly into the lead after three rounds of the St. Jude Championship at the TPC at Southwind.
Clark completed 54 holes at five-under-par 205 and is two clear of the field. This is only the second time Clark has owned the 54-hole lead. The other time came at the 2005 FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World Resort, where he went on to share 10th place.
The 32-year-old Clark will try to break through for his first PGA Tour win on Sunday. He is the PGA Tour's career money leader without a win as he has earned nearly $10.7 million in his career.
Gavin Coles and Marc Turnesa, who were two of six second-round leaders, both shot 70 and dropped into a share of third place at three-under-par 207. They were joined there by Masters champ Trevor Immelman (67), Bill Haas (67) and Alex Cejka (69).
Clark opened his round with a birdie on the par-four second. However, that only got him to minus-one for the championship.
It didn't look like he was going to make much of a move as he ran off 11 consecutive pars from the third.
Clark caught fire down the stretch though. After making birdie at the par- three 14th, Clark ran home a 12-foot birdie putt at 15.
The South African knocked his second inside four feet at the par-five 16th and he rolled the eagle putt in to jump into a share of the lead.
"I hit a lot of good shots at the start of the round, had a lot of birdie opportunities, but didn't make anything," stated Clark. "All of a sudden I make a big putt on the 14th, which is certainly a hole you try make three on. I hit a great shot into 15 and made about a 12-footer.
"But I think the big swing came on 16. I had 248 yards to the hole, took a chance and tried to hook one up the green. I pulled the shot off. So that was the a big swing there."
Clark capped his round with a birdie at the last to take the outright lead.
"Certainly don't expect to finish like that on this course," Clark admitted. "Tough finishing holes but, you know, I thought like maybe I was going to do something."
Turnesa, a Nationwide Tour regular, cost himself a share of the 54-hole lead with a pair of late bogeys. He was even-par for his round with three birdies and three bogeys through nine holes.
Around the turn, Turnesa moved to five-under with birdies at 10 and 15, but he bogeyed 16 and 18 to drop into a share of second.
Coles posted four bogeys and four birdies in his even-par round of 70.
Cejka stood at minus-four overall after four birdies and two bogeys through 14 holes. He dropped into a share of second with a bogey on the 17th.
Immelman made a strong early move with three birdies in a four-hole span from the third. After dropping shots on eight and 10, he rallied with birdies at 11, 14 and 16 to get to minus-four. However, the Masters winner tripped to a bogey at the last.
Haas also made an early run with back-to-back birdies from the first. He got to minus-three with a birdie on the fifth. He dropped a shot on six, but erased that mistake with birdies on 11 and 12. Haas faltered to a bogey on 14, then parred the final four holes to tie for second.
Dean Wilson shared the lead after two rounds with Coles, Turnesa, Jason Dufner, Tommy Armour III and Michael Bradley. Wilson tripped to a one-over 71 and fell into a share of seventh at two-under-par 208. He was joined there by Stephen Ames (68), Justin Leonard (67) and Vijay Singh (70).
Dufner is one shot further back at minus-one, while Armour fell to even-par 210 after a three-over 73.
Bradley fell the farthest as he struggled to a six-over 76 that dropped him into a tie for 37th at plus-three.
