Australian young gun Cameron Davis has produced one of the rounds of his life to set up a Sunday showdown with Sergio Garcia and American JT Poston on the PGA Tour.
In just his second event of the new season, the 25-year-old Seattle-based Davis shot a stunning 63 to vault to the top of the leaderboard in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Monash Country Club product made five consecutive birdies with beautiful wedge shots to begin his third round, turned in 30, then eagled the par-five 14th hole after a soaring, 250 metre long iron second shot to take a two-shot lead at that point.
Davis did not make a bogey all day and had only 26 putts. It was the lowest single round of his career on the PGA Tour.
At 14-under par, he was joined late in the day at the top by Spain’s Masters champion Garcia, who putted with his eyes closed and made 66. American JT Poston also is at 14-under but Davis and Garcia will play in the final group because they posted their scores earlier.
Davis is chasing his first win on the PGA Tour in his third full season, after putting away the disappointment of narrowly missing out on the second round of the 2019-20 playoffs.
His best finish in a full tour event is tied-ninth.
“I was just in the groove,” Davis said. “I’d kind of been mucking around with a few things the first couple of rounds, but I’ve kind of stuck to the things that I know work, and on the range just whatever my shapes were doing, I just took it out to the course and — I just felt like I had a little bit better idea of where the ball was going today.
“The first couple of rounds weren’t very good ball-striking, so today was a nice change, and I just hit a few really close, and it’s nice when you do it a few times in a row, and when the ball is rolling in with the putter, yeah, it’s nice to get on the train.
“The product of Monash Country Club in Sydney and the winner of the 2017 Australian Open, Davis had a similar chance in the Northern Trust in Boston just over a month ago, but fell away in the final round.
Playing alongside the legendary Garcia will be a gentle reminder of the stakes, not to mention that first prize is $US 1.18 million.
“I think I’m starting to figure out what works for me best, and it’s about kind of continuing that through good stretches of golf, getting up towards the top of the leaderboard,
“I want it to start leading towards chances to win tournaments and stuff.
I feel like I am starting to get closer to that, but yes, it’s still a lot of hard work to go tomorrow to give myself another chance,” Davis said.
