John Deere Classic 2017: Patrick Rodgers Holds Lead After Round 3

Patrick Rodgers is 18 holes away from his first victory on the PGA Tour after firing a 68 on Saturday for a three-round score of 16 under par at the 2017 John Deere Classic. 

The day started with Rodgers holding a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau. He was able to keep himself in position for a monumental win on Sunday, though he will also face stiff competition from Daniel Berger. 

Berger jumped 19 spots in the third round with a 63, tied with Rick Lamb and Brian Harman for the low score of the day, and tied with Scott Stallings for second place at 14 under par. 

Here's the full leaderboard for the John Deere Classic from Illinois:

Berger continues his terrific run of golf that started with a win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic five weeks ago. After missing the cut at the U.S. Open, he took Jordan Spieth to a playoff at the Travelers Championship before losing on Spieth's "walk-off" winner from a bunker. 

The front nine was particularly fruitful for Berger, who made the turn with a bogey-free 30 that included five birdies and this approach on No. 9:

The lone blemish in Berger's otherwise stellar round was a bogey on No. 13. His biggest strengths were off the tee with a driving distance of 315.5 yards and greens in regulation percentage of 83.3, per PGATour.com. 

At 24 years old, Berger has quickly established himself as one of the best young players on the tour. His confidence continues to grow heading into the British Open next week. 

Stallings ended the third round in a strong position to earn his third career PGA Tour victory. The 32-year-old nearly matched Berger shot-for-shot, finishing with his second consecutive score of 64. He finished his day on a high note, dropping this eagle on No. 17 to tie Berger:

Harman was the day's biggest mover. He started the third round tied for 70th place and climbed 52 spots with a 54-hole score of 10 under par. It will take a lot of work—and help from the top of the leaderboard—if he wants to challenge for a victory. 

Rodgers will go into Sunday with the advantage of playing in the final group, knowing what he will have to do in order to earn a victory. There will be stiff competition from a crowded leaderboard that features six players within four shots of the top spot. 

Eight players posted scores between 63 and 65 on Saturday. Another day with numbers like that could lead to a lot of turnover and a thrilling finish to what's been an eventful tournament thus far.