Dean & DeLuca Invitational 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Jordan Spieth holds the lead after the third round of the Dean & DeLuca Invitational from Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, after shooting a five-under on the day to put him at 12 under overall for the tournament. 

Here is the current leaderboard after Saturday's play:

Spieth fed off his solid four-under second round from Friday and upped the ante Saturday. He was clean through 17 holes, recording six birdies that put him at 13 under before a late trip-up on No. 18 dropped him back a stroke.

After three birdies on the front nine, Spieth sank two consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 to take the outright lead. 

No. 11 saw him chip in from distance, via the PGA Tour:

He set up his birdie on No. 12 with this fine shot, via the PGA Tour:

He recorded one more on No. 16 to settle for a one-stroke lead.

Webb Simpson was hot on Spieth's tail heading to the 18th hole. He was four under and one stroke back of Spieth before he bogeyed the final hole. Had Simpson played the final hole better, he would have been tied for the lead heading into the final round.

He had to battle to work his way up toward the lead, as the PGA Tour showed his birdie from the bunker at No. 14:

Simpson is in a tie with Ryan Palmer, who could have been in second all alone had his drive bounced more favorably on No. 16, via the PGA Tour:

Matt Kuchar made one of the biggest jumps of the day, gaining 35 spots on the leaderboard after birdieing six of the front nine holes. 

Entering Saturday at even, he went seven under and is in a tie for ninth. 

Troy Merritt didn't have as successful a day as Kuchar, as he approached No. 18 at even. But he provided one of the shots of the day to end things on a good note, via the PGA Tour:

With 18 more holes to play, this tournament is up for grabs, given how closely stacked the leaderboard is. But based on Spieth's consistent run in this tournament, he should be the favorite heading into Sunday.

One little misstep, though, will open the door for the multitude of golfers who are vying for the lead, as Colonial Country Club is putting up some solid scoring opportunities.

Post-Round Reaction

Palmer spoke with the PGA Tour after his round put him within touching distance of the lead, something that means a lot to him:

And it's all going to plan for the Texas native, as he told the media after his round, via Will Gray of GolfChannel.com:

"

That was what I wanted. I wanted to be with him in the final group on my home course in front of my family and friends and in front of the members of Colonial. That’s what I wanted, and it worked out, so I’m very excited.”

"

For a player who hasn't won a PGA Tour event in six years, Palmer is in prime position to end that drought if he pieces together another solid round on Sunday. 

But he'll have to get through Spieth to do so, as he is expecting a win on Sunday after falling short at the AT&T Byron Nelson last week, via Gray:

“I’ll be disappointed if I don’t win tomorrow,” Spieth said. “Being in this position two weeks in a row, last Sunday was a tough day for me given the importance of the Byron Nelson to me personally.”

A win for Spieth could get his season back on track after what's been a tough couple of months that began with his second-place finish at the Masters followed by being cut from The Players Championship.

Stats courtesy of PGATour.com.