Jordan Spieth at Dean & DeLuca Invitational 2016: Saturday Score and Reaction

Jordan Spieth had surged to the top of the leaderboard at 12 under par by the time his third round concluded at the 2016 Dean & DeLuca Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday.

Spieth finished two shots off the lead Friday, but he continues to improve in each round. Here are his numbers through three outings:

Overall Score	Saturday Score to Par	Saturday Strokes	Round 2	Round 1
-12	-5	65	66	67

The leaderboard can be seen below:

An afternoon storm forced play to be suspended because of darkness Friday, which gave Spieth an advantage. He finished his round, but many, including then-leader Bryce Molder, needed to finish Round 2 and then complete their third rounds Saturday.

As a result, Spieth looked fresh throughout the round. After three birdies on his first nine holes, he potted two consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, one of which came on this chip shot, courtesy of the PGA Tour:

His birdie on No. 12, which he set up with a gorgeous approach, put him in sole possession of the lead, via the PGA Tour:

ESPN's Michael Collins noted Spieth may have finally recovered from his recent struggles:

Spieth added one more birdie; however, he recorded his only bogey on his final hole of the day, dropping his Round 3 score to five under.

A win at this competition would be a special homecoming for Spieth, per NBC Dallas-Fort Worth's Pat Doney:

"

Jordan Spieth has never won in the state of Texas as a pro. He has the lead at the @DeanDeLucaInv.

— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) May 28, 2016"

Spieth was born in Dallas and attended the University of Texas.

Ryan Palmer, another Texas native, is nipping at Spieth's heels with an 11-under overall, which is good for the hometown crowd, according to Golf Channel's Will Gray:

Martin Pillar and Webb Simpson, Spieth's playing partners, were also solid Saturday. Simpson, who won the 2012 U.S. Open, sits one shot off the lead, while Pillar is at 10 under for the tournament.

Jason Dufner, the 2013 PGA Championship winner, is also in contention at nine under. 

Spieth entered the Dean & DeLuca Invitational in a rut. Following his late collapse at the Masters in April, the 22-year-old missed the cut at The Players Championship and then tied for 18th at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

He looks to be rounding back into form, though, with impeccable timing. The U.S. Open is coming up in June, and Spieth will want to rebuild his confidence as much as possible to rebound at the next major.

He appears to be more comfortable each day on this course, so Spieth will look to avoid a repeat of the Masters and close out the tournament Sunday. 

Post Round Reaction:

The vibes surrounding Spieth seem positive as he is currently playing his best golf in over a month. 

ESPN's Jason Sobel mentioned that Spieth was confident heading into this tournament:

The young star is also hard to beat when leading after three rounds, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, expressed admiration for the nuances of Spieth's intermediate game:

As Gray had hoped, Palmer and Spieth will be the final pairing Sunday, which the 39-year-old seemed excited about, according to Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News:

Per, Nichols Spieth also noted that winning Sunday would be very important to him, considering how he played leading up to the Dean & DeLuca Invitational:

A lot of people now seem to be back on Spieth's side after watching him recently struggle. He will be the heavy favorite to win, but he looks to have the right mindset moving forward. He also has a huge opportunity to learn from his mistakes at the Masters, which he seems poised to accomplish.

All statistics are courtesy of PGATour.com.