Australian PGA Championship 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Andrew Dodt preserved his two-shot lead on Saturday at the Australian PGA Championship and will head into the final day well set on 14-under par for the tournament.

The Australian shot a solid two-under par round of 70 on Day 3 to remain clear of compatriot Ashley Hall, who matched that mark; Harold Varner III joined Hall on 12-under after posting an impressive five-under par round of 67.

The event, at RACV Royal Pines Resort on Queensland's Gold Coast, is brilliantly poised heading into what should be a fascinating final day. Here is a look how things stand and a recap of Saturday's play.

Position	Player	Overall	Day 3 Score
1	Andrew Dodt	-14	70
T2	Ashley Hall	-12	70
T2	Howard Varner III	-12	67
T4	Adam Scott	-10	70
T4	John Senden	-10	68
6	Ryan Fox	-7	73
T7	Scott Hend	-6	66
T7	Julian Suri	-6	72
T7	Steve Webster	-6	65

For the leaderboard in full visit the European Tour website.

Dodt in Control

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

So often in these tournaments, only a solid round is needed on Day 3 from the leader to ensure they remain well placed heading into Sunday and that's exactly what Dodt produced.

The 30-year-old has certainly played better this week, shining with rounds of 65 and 67 on Thursday and Friday, respectively. But he battled his way to another under-par score here, despite a few errors out of character with his solid play for much of the week.

Indeed, Dodt found it difficult to built the momentum that's pushed him to the top of the leaderboard. He made five birdies on Saturday, although bogeys at seven, 11 and the last sapped his impetus.

Nevertheless, per the European Tour Twitter feed, he's remained in control of the competition from wire-to-wire so far:

"It would be huge," said the Australian of a potential victory on Sunday, per the European Tour website. "All the top guys have won the Australian PGA, so it would be nice to put my name alongside them. My wins have been from behind so this position is new to me, which is nice, I'm enjoying it."

Having fashioned this position for himself with some strong scoring, Dodt will know there's every chance of a player going very low on Sunday.

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Hall is one of those, and he remained in contention by matching his playing partner on Saturday with a 70. Varner III, meanwhile, was just one shot back on Dodt heading down the last, although a bogey relegated him back down to 12-under for the tournament.

Prior to that errant effort, the American had produced some scintillating golf to put himself in the mix, making eagles at the 15th and 17th, as we can see here:

Another man the leaders will be keeping a close eye on over the weekend is Adam Scott. The world No. 7 is comfortably the highest ranked player in the field, and he's played solid enough to muster an overall score of 10-under par for the tournament, shooting 70 on Saturday.

Chris Hyde/Getty Images

The 2013 Masters champion will be in the mix provided he can cut out the errors that crept into his game on Day 3. Scott hit shots into the water at the 10th and 13th, ending any serious hopes of a charge on the back nine.

Dodt has looked in tremendous fettle throughout the week and has done well to keep his lead intact over the past couple of days. However, as the man himself said, being chased on the last day will be a new experience for him, and it'll be intriguing to see how he stands up under the pressure.