Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 2018: Dustin Johnson, Ted Potter Jr. Take Lead

With one day remaining at the 2018 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Ted Potter Jr. and Dustin Johnson are tied atop the leaderboard with a 54-hole score of 14 under par. 

Potter Jr., who started the third round in 23rd place, jumped 22 spots with a dazzling nine-under. His score of 62 also marks his best single round on the PGA Tour. 

Here's how the leaderboard stacks up with 18 holes left to play in California:

Potter's only previous PGA Tour win was at the Greenbrier Classic in July 2012. His previous three tournaments this year ended with two missed cuts and a 73rd-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. 

The 34-year-old was flirting with a 59 heading into the last two holes. Starting on the back nine of Monterey Peninsula, he began his round with four straight birdies and was seven under through seven holes. 

It wasn't until the last two holes that Potter started to show cracks in the foundation. He closed the round with back-to-back bogeys to finish with a 62. 

ESPN's Jason Sobel shared some insight about Potter's career following his Greenbrier win six years ago:

Potter doesn't have the luxury of coasting on Sunday because his main competition is the No. 1 player in the official world golf rankings. 

Johnson's third-round 70 was his worst of the tournament. He was destroyed by the back nine with a 38 that included three bogeys. 

Things weren't all bad for Johnson, who briefly held a two-stroke lead thanks to this eagle on the second hole:

Johnson's fourth-round scoring average of 71 ranks 90th among all PGA Tour players, though that is largely skewed because of a 77 at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in October. He shot a 65 in the fourth round at the Tournament of Champions last month to earn a victory. 

Troy Merritt and Jason Day are also chasing a win, trailing Potter and Johnson by two shots. Day, who is seeking his second straight tournament victory after winning the Farmers Insurance Open two weeks ago, has shot under 70 in each of the first three rounds. 

Further down the leaderboard, Phil Mickelson has a slim chance to make a move on Sunday. He's five shots off the lead at nine under par after a 72 in the third round. 

Even if things don't work out for Mickelson, his last two events have been very encouraging for the rest of this season. He finished 14 under par at the Phoenix Open last week, his best tournament score since the Safeway Open in October 2016. 

There are six players within four shots of Potter and Johnson heading into the final round. Potter had the luxury of avoiding the course at Pebble Beach on Saturday, but that won't be the case tomorrow as he tries to cap off a big weekend with a title. 

Stats via PGATour.com