Alex Fitzpatrick fired eight birdies and a single bogey for an 8-under 64 to reach 14-under and take the 54-hole lead at the Truist Championship by one shot.

He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (9.843) and Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (7.571).

“I probably played it three, four times [when Fitzpatrick was attending Wake Forest]. We didn’t play an event here, but one of the kids on the team was of member and he was really, really helpful to — well, I was lucky to be invited to come here and play with him. I’ve got some close friends who were members here. Yeah, it’s a great club. I love being here. Happy to be back.

“I felt like I read the greens well today, but for whatever reason, I felt like I woke up and was more comfortable than I was the first couple days.

“I’m hoping I can wake up tomorrow and be comfortable again. We’ll have to see. Nothing different out there I would say.”

The Englishman is making the third start of his rookie season on the PGA Tour and holds his first 54-hole lead/co-lead in his 13th career start. 64 marks his best 18-hole score (previous: 66 in the second round of last week’s Cadillac Championship).

Fitzpatrick earned his first victory two weeks ago at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with brother and World No. 3 Matt Fitzpatrick) and earned PGA Tour membership through the 2028 season, along with exemptions into the remaining 2026 Signature Events, 2026 PGA Championship and 2027 Players Championship.

“I think having my brother around has been super helpful. I feel like he’s been and done everything that I want to do in the game, whether that’s Ryder Cup and win majors, so having him being around and me being there for all of that, I felt like I got a really good sense of what it takes and what the atmosphere is like,” he added.

“And even meeting some of the players before I even came out here was I think super helpful in settling in. I think that definitely played a factor today.”

Prior to winning in New Orleans, he had had two professional victories at the 2026 Hero Indian Open (DP World Tour) and 2023 British Challenge (HotelPlanner Tour).

In 22 years of the Truist Championship, the winner led or co-led after 54 holes nine times: Sepp Straka (2025), Wyndham Clark (2023), Max Homa (2019), Jason Day (2018), Rory McIlroy (2015), J.B Holmes (2014), Anthony Kim (2008), Jim Furyk (2006), David Toms (2003).

Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan carded a flawless 64 to move up to second place at 13-under. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (5.989).

Another PGA Tour rookie, he seeks his first title in his 15th career start and 64 marks his lowest round on Tour (previous: 65, 2025 Genesis Scottish Open/R2).

Reitan earned a spot in the field through the Aon Swing 5 standings (No. 5). He won twice last year on the DP World Tour and earned PGA Tour membership for the first time by finishing inside the top 10 of the DP World Tour’s 2025 Race to Dubai.

Cameron Young recorded a 63 featuring an eagle at the par-5 7th and a single bogey at the 18th.

The American won last week’s Cadillac Championship with a six-stroke margin of victory, his second win of the season and third of his career (2025 Wyndham Championship, 2026 Players Championship) and seeks to become the second player this season to win back-to-back events (Matt Fitzpatrick, RBC Heritage and Zurich Classic of New Orleans).

In his last five starts on Tour he has had two wins and two T3 finishes: T3/Arnold Palmer Invitational, Won/Players Championship, T3/Masters Tournament, T25/RBC Heritage, Won/Cadillac Championship).

36-hole leader Sungjae Im carded an eagle at the par-5 10th, two birdies and two bogeys for a 70 as he seeks his third PGA Tour win and first since the 2021 Shriners Children’s Open. He is tied in fourth place at 10-under alongside Dane Nicolai Højgaard who made seven birdies and three bogeys in his 67.

Four-time Truist Championship winner Rory McIlroy ranks first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (3.805) and 69th of 72 players in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (-4.203). He made two birdies and six bogeys, four of them consecutively from the 10th, for a 4-over 75.

Green Monster (Nos. 16-18) statistics through three rounds: the field is -291 on Nos. 1-15 and +146 on Nos. 16-18.

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