Sony Open 2020: Brendan Steele Leads Cameron Smith by 3 Strokes After Round 3

Brendan Steele moved into sole possession of the lead through three rounds of the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

Steele had a share of first place with Cameron Davis after 18 holes. He shot six under Saturday to move to 12 under, three strokes ahead of Cameron Smith in second place.

Sony Open Leaderboard

1. Brendan Steele (-12)

2. Cameron Smith (-9)

3. Kevin Kisner (-8)

T4. Webb Simpson (-7)

T4. Collin Morikawa (-7)

T4. Ryan Palmer (-7)

T7. Mark Anderson (-6)

T7. Sungjae Im (-6)

T7. Bo Hoag (-6)

T7. Keegan Bradley (-6)

Steele already held a one-shot advantage on Kevin Kisner as he approached the 16th tee. He closed the round with a flourish, birdieing his last three holes to give himself an even bigger cushion with one round to play.

His tee shot on No. 17 showed how he was firing on all cylinders. Fighting the rainy, windy conditions in Honolulu, he got to within four feet of the cup to set up an easy putt on the par three:

All told, Steele reached 13 greens in regulation, which allowed him to lean on his biggest strength so far in the tournament: putting. According to PGATour.com, his 1.579 putts per GIR are best in the Sony Open, a number improved by his 1.538 putts per GIR on Saturday.

Steele is looking for his first victory since the Safeway Open in October 2017, a drought that doesn't properly illustrate how much a win would contrast with his recent results.

Smith did his best to make things interesting. He surged up the leaderboard late thanks to four birdies over the last five holes. He rebounded nicely after a bogey on No. 2 quickly put him at one over for the round.

The Australia native announced before the tournament he was going to donate $500 for every birdie and $1,000 for every eagle to relief efforts combatting the ongoing wildfire in his homeland. Having raised $6,000 through the first two rounds, he added another $2,500 on Saturday.

Kisner began the day at two under; otherwise, he'd be mounting a tougher challenge on the leader. His six-under 64 was tied for the round's lowest score, yet he remains four shots back of Steele.

Kisner was briefly tied for the lead following a birdie on No. 15.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu tweeted Saturday night that "wet and windy weather will continue for another couple of days," so conditions are unlikely to improve much at Waialae Country Club. That could open the door for Smith, Kisner or another golfer Sunday.

Webb Simpson, the No. 12 golfer in the world, could be a threat to overtake Steele after putting together his second straight four-under round of the tournament.