Madison, MS (Best E Casino) - Marc Turnesa fired a six-under 66 and remained in the lead Saturday after three rounds of the Viking Classic.
He had some help from Will MacKenzie.
Leading the tournament by a shot, MacKenzie took a disastrous triple-bogey eight at the 18th hole. He received a two-shot penalty for moving loose impediments -- blades of grass -- near his ball.
Turnesa parred the 18th hole and stood at 17-under 199 for a two-stroke lead over MacKenzie and Brian Gay. Seeking his first PGA Tour win, Turnesa has held the overnight lead after each of the first three rounds.
Saturday's lead came at the expense of MacKenzie.
"That is a shame, really. To get a two-shot penalty [when you're] leading the tournament. You hate to see that happen to anybody," said Turnesa, who picked up a win on the Nationwide Tour last year.
MacKenzie ended up with a five-under 67 and shared second place with Gay, who also shot 67, at 15-under 201.
Dicky Pride (68) was fourth at 14-under 202 and Casey Wittenberg (68) sat another shot further back at 203.
Rich Beem, Woody Austin, Rory Sabbatini, Bo Van Pelt, John Huston and David Duval were among the other 13 players within seven shots of Turnesa's lead entering the final round.
With the Ryder Cup being played this weekend -- and the FedEx Cup set to wrap up next week at the Tour Championship -- the Viking Classic has flown under the radar as the official start of the PGA Tour's Fall Finish.
Players are jockeying for position on the money list, hoping to get (or stay) inside the top 125 for a PGA Tour card for next season.
Turnesa, currently 169th on the money list, is among those players on the outside looking in at the moment.
He made back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes -- including a 40- foot putt at No. 2 -- followed by his only bogey of the day at No. 4.
Following that misstep, Turnesa played bogey-free the rest of the way.
He caught fire on his last 11 holes at Annandale Golf Club, collecting five birdies during that stretch.
"I played solid again," said Turnesa, who held his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. "Just kind of plodded along and hit it better today and made some putts. Six-under is a great score out here."
MacKenzie, whose only PGA Tour win came at the 2006 Reno-Tahoe Open, made just one par over his first seven holes, collecting five birdies and a bogey during that stretch.
Also tied for second place behind Turnesa after the second round, he made a run at the 54-hole lead by making four birdies in a five-hole stretch from the 11th.
And he was 18-under par heading to the last hole -- one shot in front of Turnesa -- before his two-shot penalty.
