Local favorite Billy Hurley III moved one step closer to a first PGA Tour victory as he seized a two-shot lead after Saturday's third round of the Quicken Loans National in Bethesda, Maryland. The 34-year-old American, a US Naval Academy graduate who calls nearby Annapolis his home, fired a flawless four-under-par 67 on a rain-softened layout at Congressional to post a 15-under total of 198. PGA Tour veteran Ernie Els, seeking a 20th win on the US circuit but his first in four years, was alone in second after shooting a bogey-free 65 with joint second-round leader Jon Rahm of Spain (70) a further stroke back at 12-under. Hurley, who had been tied for the lead overnight with Rahm, stormed ahead with three birdies on the front nine before picking up another shot after the turn, sinking a 15-footer at the par-four 14th. Though he failed to reach the green in two at the par-four last after his tee shot found the left rough, he very nearly holed out with a near-perfect chip from 55 feet and tapped in for par to remain two ahead. South African Els, whose most recent PGA Tour victory came at the 2012 British Open, holed out from 157 yards to eagle the par-four 12th, then sank a 24-foot birdie putt at the par-four 14th to surge up the leaderboard. Els has recorded just one top-25 in 15 starts on the 2015-16 PGA Tour, a tie for 14th at the RBC Heritage in April, but has come a long way since his mind-boggling six-putt on the first green at the Masters in April. "Obviously when we've played this game long enough, there's a lot of things that's going to happen to you," he said. "Playing the game for 25 years as a professional, everything just about has happened." Ko, Pressel share lead World No. 1 Lydia Ko finished birdie-eagle for a tournament-record tying nine-under-par 62 to charge into a share of the second-round lead with Morgan Pressel at the Arkansas Championship Saturday. Former major winner Pressel held the clubhouse lead after a bogey-free 63 for a 14-under total of 128 in the 54-hole event at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers before being caught late in the day by the fast-finishing Ko. Even though Ko reeled off four consecutive birdies from the par-three 11th, the New Zealand teenager was still three shots off the pace with two holes to play. But Ko then birdied 17 and sank a 15-foot eagle putt at the par-five last to cap a sizzling back nine of 28 and draw level with Pressel. "I've played well here the past few years and had the opportunity to play here as an amateur," Ko told Golf Channel. The 19-year-old has finished no worse than sixth in her three prior starts at this event, including a tie for second in 2014. "At the end of the day, the winner here is going to be the one holing some putts," said Ko, a double champion on the LPGA Tour this season who is seeking her 13th career title. Ko lost in a playoff to Canadian Brooke Henderson at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship two weeks ago, while the 28-year-old Pressel is seeking her first LPGA victory since October 2008. The co-leaders have a two-shot advantage over Canadian Alena Sharp (65), China's Jing Yan (65) and Candie Kung (66) of Taiwan heading into Sunday's final round. — Agencies
