Johnson Wagner acknowledges the crowd after his birdie putt on the 18th hole. (AP-Yonhap News)
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia (AP) ― Amid a disappointing season, Johnson Wagner has found a comfort zone not far from his college stomping grounds.
Wagner shot a 6-under 64 Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after the third round of the Greenbrier Classic.
Wagner was at 14 under on the Old White TPC course. Jimmy Walker also shot 64 and was second at 12 under.
Wagner has yet to post a top 10 finish this year. At the Greenbrier, he broke a string of seven consecutive early exits.
In his two previous tournaments, he had three birdies combined. He had seven of them on Saturday.
“I felt really comfortable all day,” Wagner said. “I hit a lot of good golf shots. I’ve got a really clear picture of what I’m trying to do on every swing.
“Sometimes when you’re playing bad, you forget who you are and you get down on yourself. The last couple of weeks, I’ve just trying to be positive and remember that I’ve won three times out here. I’m a little more comfortable with myself right now.”
Wagner played golf at Virginia Tech less than two hours from The Greenbrier resort. Several members of his wife’s family have joined them for the weekend, and hoots from Hokies fans could be heard around the golf course.
“It’s great seeing a bunch of maroon-and-orange in the crowd,” Wagner said.
He hopes they can see him wrap up his first win since the 2012 Sony Open.
McDowell, Sterne share French lead
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) ― Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and Richard Sterne of South Africa share a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the French Open.
McDowell shot a 1-under 70 while Sterne had a 71 on the tough Albatross course of Le Golf National, leaving both at 5-under 208.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better position to be going into the last round,” McDowell said. “The putter just has not quite got revved up to top gear yet, but hopefully that’s waiting for tomorrow.”
McDowell is rediscovering his form after missing the cut in his last three tournaments.
“I bogeyed 17 probably off the best tee shot I hit all day, maybe just wrong club selection off the back there,” McDowell said. “I tried to nudge the putter out of the fringe and it was a bit sticky and came out hot on me.”
Bernd Wiesberger of Austria (68), David Howell of England (69) and Richard Green of Australia (70) were at 209.