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Stephan Jaeger recorded two eagles Saturday to take sole possession of the 54-hole lead at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.
Jaeger’s 19-under 195 three-day total leads Tyler Duncan, Xinjun Zhang, and Andrew Yun by one as the 27-year-old German searches for his second career Web.com Tour victory.
Sunday’s final round is scheduled at Tornblade Club.
Beginning on the back nine, Jaeger took advantage of the par-5s early with a birdie at No. 11 and his first eagle of the day at the par-5 15th after striping a 4-iron to 10 feet. He added a birdie at No. 1 and then poured in another eagle at the par-5 sixth after sticking a gap wedge from 138 yards to two feet to complete the three par-5s in 5-under.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done that. Honestly, I can’t remember. It’s been first in a long time,” Jaeger said of two eagles in a round. “That second one was pretty easy. That’s it. It sounds simpler than it is I guess.”
The last time Jaeger held the 54-hole lead was in his victory at the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae, where he became the first player in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event to shoot a 58 in a record-breaking week. In that wire-to-wire, seven-shot victory, the Chattanooga, Tenn., resident broke the 18-hole, 36-hole, 54-hole and 72-hole scoring record with a 30-under 250, which broke Steve Wheatcroft’s previous 72-hole mark by five shots.
Duncan made six birdies and an eagle on his way to a 5- under 67 at The Preserve at Verdae.
“I feel pretty good. I played awesome a couple weeks ago in the Dominican Republic, and I haven’t had my best golf this week but I’ve scraped it around and been putting well,” Duncan said. “If I can just hit it well tomorrow and keep putting well, then I think we’ll be fine. So just try to stay calm and patient and enjoy the evening.”
Zhang is looking to become the first Chinese player to win on the Web.com Tour after posting a runner-up finish at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in March – the highest finish ever by a PGA TOUR China alum on the Web.com Tour.
At No. 19 on the money list, Zhang could secure his PGA TOUR card with a victory. “
It would be great (to be the first Chinese player to win on the Web.com Tour),” Zhang said. “It is something I hope to achieve, but I want to just focus on every shot, make it count and hopefully it just comes.”
Yun, who finished T2 at the season-opening The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic, is in search of his first career victory. With two top-10s this season already, Yun could secure his PGA TOUR card with a victory as well.
“It’s going to be fun,” Yun said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a little different now that the leaders are all paired together instead of being on three different courses, but at the same time I think I’m going to be playing with Dan (amateur partner) so it’s going to be the same routine that it has been the past three days, which will be helpful.”