Brendon Todd saved par on his final hole with a putt from 12 feet to post a bogey-free 66 and lead the John Deere Classic by one stroke at 16-under.
“Yesterday I had virtually no wind, and today it was blowing pretty good. I thought there were pretty good scores considering the wind today, but you get on these greens, they’re rolling so good, I think guys are making putts.
“Anybody who is within three shots of the lead is looking to go as low as they can. So there’s certainly going to be no defense for me tomorrow. It’s going to be the same stuff.
“If I have a wedge in my hand, I’m going for it. Par-5s you have to make birdies, and a little bit longer club, you can hit it on the green and give yourself a chance.”
A top-10 finish would mark Todd’s fifth this season. His lone season with more top-10s was 2013-14 when he had seven.
Alex Smalley carded a 9-under 62, matching his career low on Tour, and is tied in second place at 15-under with Denny McCarthy (66) and Adam Schenk (67).
Peter Kuest, who finished T4 at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic to earn a spot in the field this week, posted a bogey-free 65 to cmplete the top-5. He will become eligible for PGA Tour Special Temporary Membership by completing the tournament.
J.T. Poston sits T6 at 13-under after carding a 65 in a bid to become the fourth player to successfully defend a John Deere Classic title.
Second-round leader Cameron Young posted double bogey on his final hole for a 71 and shares sixth place at 13-under with Poston and six others.
