Zurich Classic 2017: Jonas Blixt, Cameron Smith Lead Saturday Pack at 19 Under
Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith continued to set the pace at the Zurich Classic in Avondale, Louisiana, on Saturday thanks to a four-under 68 that vaulted them to 19 under for the championship.
A look at the top of the leaderboard through 54 holes can be found below, while complete standings are available at PGATour.com:
| 1 | Jonas Blixt/Cameron Smith | -19 | -4 |
| T2 | Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown | -15 | -5 |
| T2 | Charley Hoffman/Nick Watney | -15 | -3 |
| 4 | Jordan Spieth/Ryan Palmer | -14 | -2 |
| 5 | Brian Stuard/Chris Stroud | -13 | -1 |
| T6 | Kelly Kraft/Kevin Tway | -12 | -2 |
| T6 | Angel Cabrera/Julian Etulain | -12 | -1 |
| T8 | Michael Thompson/Tim Wilkinson | -11 | -4 |
| T8 | Bubba Watson/J.B. Holmes | -11 | -4 |
| T8 | Morgan Hoffman/Camilo Villegas | -11 | -1 |
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Blixt and Smith rocketed up the leaderboard Friday at TPC Louisiana with a second-round 62, and they used that score as a springboard to stay on top Saturday.
Although it wasn't a particularly action-packed round for Blixt and Smith, they weathered the storm in what can be a tricky alternate-shot format with a flurry of early pars to complement birdies on Nos. 2 and 3, as the PGA Tour showed on Twitter:
Furthermore, Blixt and Smith maintained a blemish-free scorecard for the third straight round. As a result, they're in position to make history Sunday, according to PGA Tour Media:
However, those two won't have much room to breathe entering the final round with the pairing of Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown lurking four shots back following an exceptional back nine.
Despite carding nine consecutive pars to open their round, Kisner and Brown responded with six birdies and a bogey on the back nine to shoot five-under 67 and stay within striking distance, according to Golf Channel:
Blixt and Smith also have to beware of Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer, who kept the pressure on with a third-round 70 to move to 14 under for the tournament. And as the PGA Tour documented on Twitter, those two teamed up for a particularly impressive birdie on No. 16 before they closed out their round with a pair of pars:
Sunday's final round will feature a return to four-ball play, and things will get underway a bit earlier than originally anticipated.
According to PGA Tour Media, players will begin teeing off at 6:40 a.m. local time Sunday due to expected inclement weather.
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