RBC Canadian Open 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Brandt Snedeker is 18 holes away from his second win in 2016. Through three rounds at the RBC Canadian Open, Snedeker leads at nine under par in Oakville, Ontario.

Canadian amateur Jared du Toit and Dustin Johnson are tied for second place at eight under after Saturday:

Much of Snedeker's third-round success came from a streak of five straight birdies on the front nine. After carding a par on No. 1, he proceeded to gain five shots and surge up the leaderboard. By the day's end, the 35-year-old finished 15 spots higher than where he began the day.

Snedeker lost some ground with bogeys on Nos. 11 and 15 but birdied No. 16 and wrapped up with an eagle on No. 18. He drove the ball 378 yards off the tee and dropped his second shot a little over seven feet from the pin.

The PGA Tour shared a replay of his approach and subsequent eagle putt:

Although only seven of Snedeker's 14 drives landed on the fairway, he averaged an impressive 320.6 yards. He also reached 13 of the 18 greens in regulation.

Golf Channel's Justin Ray noted Snedeker's performance has mirrored his last start at Glen Abbey Golf Club:

As well as he played, though, Snedeker wasn't Saturday's biggest winner. Steve Wheatcroft posted the lowest score of the round, an eight-under 64, to climb into a tie for third place at seven under for the tournament.

Wheatcroft made the turn at three under for the round after collecting one bogey and four birdies. After then birdieing the 12th and 13th holes, he bogeyed the 15th but followed with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes, and like Snedeker, Wheatcroft capped his Saturday off with an eagle on the last hole.

The 38-year-old has some work to do if he's to come out on top Sunday, but Wheatcroft played his way into contention in the third round.

Owning a share of the lead after 36 holes, Johnson finished with a one-under 71 for the second day in a row.

Following a birdie on No. 13, Johnson's drive on the 14th hole landed in a water hazard. He bogeyed the hole to fall back to eight under for the tournament and slipped further back with a bogey on No. 15, three-putting after placing his tee shot a little under 10 feet from the hole.

As much as Johnson struggled, he provided one of the shots of the day, nearly holing out his approach on the 13th hole, as the PGA Tour shared:

Johnson also fared better than his co-leader from Friday, Luke List, who's tied for 28th after going five over for the round.

Many eyes will be on du Toit to see if he can defy the odds and win the tournament. According to Ray, Doug Sanders (1956) was the last amateur to come out on top at the RBC Canadian Open, and Pat Fletcher (1954) was the last Canadian to do so.

History isn't working in the 21-year-old's favor. But that's not stopping Sean Martin of the PGA Tour's official website from looking ahead to du Toit's possible victory celebration:

A du Toit win would be all the more surprising since he finished no higher than fifth place in any of his 13 tournaments as a junior for the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2015-16.

The Oakville crowd will be behind the talented amateur, but he'll need more than fan support to beat out Johnson and Snedeker on Sunday.

Post-Round Reaction

Johnson is moving on quickly from his somewhat underwhelming third round:

Snedeker, meanwhile, is preparing for what will be a partisan crowd rooting for one of his opponents.

"I think I'm going to be the most hated man in Canada tomorrow, but it's going to be a lot of fun trying to figure it out," he said, per the Associated Press (via Golf.com).

"Unbelievable," du Toit said of the fans, per the AP (via the CBC). "The atmosphere out here has been unbelievable. Walking to each green, each tee box, everybody hooting and hollering 'Go Canada!' It's been unbelievable."

He's confident he can finish atop the leaderboard if he performs his best.

"I have no idea. I've been surprising myself all week," du Toit said. "If I play good, solid golf, get a good night's sleep, do all the little things right, yeah, I like my chances."

Note: All stats from the RBC Canadian Open are courtesy of the PGA Tour's official website.