LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Oct 6, 2012 (AFP) - Blixt birdied six of the last seven holes, including a 28-foot birdie putt at the 18th, to fire a five-under par 66 while de Jonge birdied four of the last five holes to shoot a 66 and Moore matched them with a bogey-free 65.
All three stood on 19-under par 194 for 54 holes in the $4.5-million event, the first of four season-ending events aimed at players struggling to keep tour rights for 2013 by finishing in the top 125 on this year's US PGA money list.
Americans Jimmy Walker and Tim Herron were five strokes off the pace sharing fourth as the final trio that played together surged away from the pack.
Blixt birdied the par-4 second, stumbled back with birdies at the sixth and par-3 eighth, answered with a birdie at the par-5 ninth only to begin the back nine with a bogey.
The Swede, in his first PGA season, caught fire with a birdie at the par-4 12th and ran off five birdies in a row before settling for a par at the par-3 17th and grabbing a share of the lead with his impressive closing putt.
De Jonge, like Blixt seeking his first US PGA title, birdied the second and fourth and closed the front nine with another birdie to stay atop the leaderboard but fell back with bogeys at the 10th and par-5 13th.
The African then birdied four holes in a row starting at the par-3 14th and ending with the par-3 17th, the streak broken when he missed by inches on a 12-foot birdie effort at 18.
Las Vegas resident Moore, whose only US PGA crown came in 2009 at Charlotte, opened with a birdie, added others at the par-4 seventh and 11th holes, birdied the par-5 13th and added back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th holes.
US fan favorite John Daly followed a 63, his best round of the year, with an 86 to stumble back to 72nd on 218. He stands nine spots outside the top 125.
"I was just hoping to stop the bleeding," Daly said. "I can't remember when I had such a stretch of bad holes."
Leading scores on Saturday after the third round of the $4.5 million US PGA Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (par-71, USA unless noted):
194 - Jonas Blixt (SWE) 64-64-66, Ryan Moore 61-68-65, Brendon de Jonge (ZIM) 62-66-66
199 - Jimmy Walker 67-66-66, Tim Herron 63-68-68
201 - Colt Knost 68-67-66, Jason Day (AUS) 69-68-64, Jason Bohn 71-66-64, Russell Knox (GBR) 66-67-68
202 - Josh Teater 70-65-67, Ken Duke 66-68-68
203 - Bill Lunde 67-69-67, Kevin Streelman 68-67-68, Bobby Gates 70-67-66, Blake Adams 65-70-68, Ryan Palmer 67-70-66, Nick Watney 66-66-71, Chris Kirk 64-68-71, Daniel Summerhays 68-63-72, Vijay Singh (FIJ) 66-66-71
204 - Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 65-71-68, Jeff Overton 70-66-68, Camilo Villegas (COL) 70-66-68, Michael Thompson 70-66-68, Patrick Reed 65-69-70, Kevin Na 68-66-70, John Huh 63-69-72, Justin Leonard 64-69-71