Waste Management Phoenix Open 2017: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

With one round left at the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open, Byeong Hun An took sole possession of the lead with a 54-hole score of 16-under par. 

An entered Saturday tied with Brendan Steele for the lead at 10 under par, but Steele fell off the pace with a one-under 70. Martin Laird took advantage of his opportunities to move into second place at 15 under in search of his first PGA Tour victory since 2013. 

Here's the full leaderboard with just 18 holes left to play from Scottsdale, Arizona:

An's level of consistency through each of the first three rounds is what has given him the top spot. He posted identical scores of 66 on Thursday and Friday before dipping even lower with a 65 on Saturday. 

Having never previously won on the PGA Tour, An is in uncharted territory. He's no stranger to pressure situations, though, as he claimed a victory on the European Tour in 2015 and won the U.S. amateur title in 2009 just weeks before his 18th birthday. 

Laird's day got off to an inauspicious start with a bogey on the second hole. He responded to that brief moment of adversity with four straight birdies and closed his day with three more birdies over the final six holes. 

Saturday was a good day for Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth. After entering the third round at four under par, both men responded with their best performances of the tournament. 

Mickelson posted his lowest round of the season with a score of 65. The ninth hole was the best indication Lefty was going to do something good Saturday, via PGA Tour:

Despite having to settle for a bogey on that hole, Mickelson was locked into a groove that carried over to the back nine. That was his only blemish of the round, and he had four birdies over the last nine holes that dropped his 54-hole score to 10-under par. 

Spieth didn't go quite as low as Mickelson, but his third-round score of 67 was his best of the tournament. His progression by posting a lower score each day has been huge for his momentum, especially after he closed the Sony Open three weeks ago with a 63 on Sunday. 

As good as Mickelson and Spieth were, both found themselves still trailing John Peterson for the low score Saturday. The Texas native moved into a tie for third place with a 63 in the third round, climbing 25 spots on the leaderboard. 

Peterson took advantage of seemingly every opportunity that came his way, including this eagle on No. 13, via PGA Tour:

It's hard to believe just one week ago Peterson send out this kind of sarcastic tweet after missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open:

After his 63 on Saturday, Peterson sounded much more honest and enthusiastic about his performance:

Peterson was able to fire a 63 despite hitting a double bogey on No. 6. That came after a run of four straight birdies to start his round, so this was not a spotless round by the 27-year-old, though it's hard to criticize him for one bad hole. 

Yet even with Peterson and marquee names like Spieth and Mickelson making a charge, An has shown no signs of slowing down. He will play alongside Laird in the final pairing Sunday, knowing one more strong round will give him a huge early-season win.