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By Joel Schuchmann
PGA TOUR Staff
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, México - The 15-under-par 195 total for 54-hole leader Brian Gay matches K.J. Choi (Sony Open in Hawaii) for low first 54 on the PGA TOUR in 2008. Last year's 54-hole leader Fred Funk posted an identical 195 total.
The five-stroke lead through three rounds for Brian Gay is the second-largest on TOUR this season. Tiger Woods led by eight through 54 holes at the Buick Invitational and won by eight.
Brian Gay holds just the second 54-hole lead/co-lead of his PGA TOUR career. He was tied with Steve Flesch and Chad Campbell at the 2004 Bank of America Colonial through 54 holes but finished tied for 14th after shooting 5 over par in the final round.
Saturday brought quite a change in scoring conditions. One day after the scoring average was +2.901 (72.901), the third-round scoring average dipped below par at 68.813. On the week, the scoring average now stands at 71.272.
México's Esteban Toledo posted a 7-under-par 63 to jump from a tie for 13th to fifth.
John Merrick's string of bogey-free holes ended with a bogey on No. 9 on Saturday. He had gone 44 holes without a miscue this week.
Five players have the opportunity to post four rounds in the 60s: Brian Gay, Steve Marino, Matt Kuchar, John Merrick and Michael Sim.
Roland Thatcher, best known for hitting a ball onto the roof of the clubhouse on the final hole of the 2001 PGA TOUR Qualifying School and subsequently making a triple-bogey to miss his PGA TOUR card by three shots, set the El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba course record with a 9-under-par 61.
The previous course record was 62 set by Fred Funk (Round 1, 2007) and later matched by Brent Geiberger (Round 2, 2007). The 61 was also the low round of the year, besting rounds by Jim McGovern (Bob Hope Chrysler Classic), Boo Weekley (Bob Hope Chrysler Classic), and Tim Wilkinson (Sony Open in Hawaii).
Roland Thatcher made the cut on the number at 4 over par and jumped from a tie for 64th to a tie for ninth with his third-round 61. The 61 was the lowest score on TOUR since Zach Johnson posted a 60 in the third round of last year's TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
Roland Thatcher posted six birdies on Nos. 10-18 (his front nine) on Saturday, carding a 6-under-par 29, the record 9-hole total for the back nine.
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