LAS VEGAS, October 2, 2011 (AFP) - Nick Watney, a two-time winner on the US PGA Tour this season, fired a seven-under 64 on Saturday to join Kevin Na atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the tour's $4.4 million Las Vegas event.
Watney birdied the final three holes and five of the last six on the par-71 TPC Summlerin layout en route to a 54-hole total of 17-under 196.
"I'm trying to keep it really simple," Watney said of his approach to the event, which is officially called the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and which opens the US tour's post-playoffs Fall Series.
"I've driven the ball pretty well and it's just been fairly easy to hit quite a bit of greens. I think that's what you need to do out here is give yourself as many chances as possible. I've been able to do that so far.
"This course is right out there in front of you," added Watney, who won the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in March and the AT&T National in July. "It's fairly short for Tour standards, so it's just about execution."
Na, who shared the overnight lead with Venezuelan rookie Jhonattan Vegas and South Korea's Charlie Wi, carded five-under a 66.
He had five birdies and a bogey in his outward run, and got to 17-under with his only birdie on the back nine, at the par-five 16th.
"I got off to a really good start on the front nine, made five birdies," Na said. "I felt like I could go real low with a bunch of birdie holes on the back.
"Unfortunately, I slowed down a bit and missed a few short ones. But to finish five-under for the day, I was pretty pleased."
Robert Garrigus carded a 63 and Kris Blanks a 66 to lie a stroke back on 197.
Garrigus, who had been hospitalized in Phoenix on Monday for dehydration, launched his round with four successive birdies and birdied three of the last four. He finished with a total of nine birdies and just one bogey.
"I started off on fire," Garrigus said. "It was just one of those days when everything was going in early, and I knew if I could sprinkle in some (birdies) late it would be a really good day, and it ended up being nice.
It was a further stroke back to Tommy Gainey (64), Paul Goydos (66) and Tim Herron (67).
Vegas, who had a share of the lead after each of the first two rounds, carded a 69 to join a group on 199 that also included Sweden's Carl Pettersson (66).
Leading third-round scores on Saturday in the US PGA Tour $4.4 million Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (USA unless noted, par-71)
196 - Nick Watney 65-67-64, Kevin Na 67-63-66
197 - Robert Garrigus 66-68-63, Kris Blanks 66-65-66
198 - Tommy Gainey 67-67-64, Paul Goydos 66-66-66, Tim Herron 65-66-67
199 - Roland Thatcher 68-68-63, Spencer Levin 68-67-64, Carl Pettersson (SWE) 66-67-66, Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 63-67-69
200 - William McGirt 63-69-68, Brendan Steele 66-65-69
201 - Rod Pampling (AUS) 65-70-66, David Duval 66-71-64, Harrison Frazar 65-69-67, Bryce Molder 68-66-67, Joe Ogilvie 68-66-67, Garrett Willis 65-68-68, Nick O'Hern (AUS) 71-67-63, Kevin Streelman 66-66-69
...
202 - David Hearn (CAN) 69-67-66, Steven Bowditch (AUS) 67-69-66, Martin Laird (GBR) 70-66-66, Charlie Wi (KOR) 64-66-72
203 - Nathan Green (AUS) 64-72-67, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 67-67-69, Stephen Ames (CAN) 71-67-65
205 - Greg Chalmers (AUS) 68-68-69, Arjun Atwal (IND) 66-70-69
207 - Aron Price (AUS) 68-70-69
208 - Steve Elkington (AUS) 67-69-72
209 - Cameron Percy (AUS) 68-69-72