Merritt maintains lead, up by three at RBC Heritage

Troy Merritt admitted to being afraid about taking a four-shot lead into Saturday’s third round of the 47th RBC Heritage.

It was similar to the feeling he got when he was in contention as an amateur.

He hasn’t had an opportunity to experience that much as a pro, but he fully expected that same eerie feeling to surface again Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Merritt shot a 2-under-par 69 Saturday at Harbour Town Golf Links to remain atop the leaderboard, and will take a three-shot lead over three players including defending champion Matt Kuchar into the final round.

“[Friday] night and this morning I was starting to feel the fear and being afraid, like I would when I was an amateur,” said Merritt, 29. “It's not a bad fear; it's the fear of being caught. And I think it's worked for me in the past.”

Merritt’s lead at 14-under 199, which was built with a 61 Friday that tied the tournament record, is three strokes over defending champion Matt Kuchar, Brendon Todd and Kevin Kisner of Aiken, and four over Jim Furyk, Branden Grace and second-year PGA Tour member Brice Garnett.

Masters champion Jordan Spieth and Bo Van Pelt are five shots back at 9-under 204.

Merritt, who is ranked 249th in the world, is seeking his first PGA Tour win in 86 starts over four seasons and is taking a lead into a final round for the first time on tour.

The Iowa native and Boise State alumnus has one runner-up on the PGA Tour in last June’s FedEx St. Jude Classic, and groups didn’t change between the third and fourth round because of earlier weather delays, so Merritt didn’t get to experience playing in a final group.

“It will be nice to see what everybody is doing, see what the guys in my group are doing, the guys closest to me, and just play solid golf, put as much pressure on them as I can, and make them try and take the risks, and just try and play solid, make pars, throw in an occasional birdie, and make them come and get me,” Merritt said.

He’s 133rd in FedExCup points this year, though he had a sixth-place finish last month at the Valspar Championship with a closing 66 for his only top-25 in 13 starts.

Merritt birdied the second and third holes Saturday to quickly reach 14 under and had a three-shot lead over an already-finished Todd before making a double bogey on the par-4 eighth hole with a pulled approach shot into water.

“I had a little bit of a tug with a 6-iron on 8, and unfortunately watched it splash into the water. But it was a spectacular splash so I enjoyed that,” said Merritt, who snuck his 6-foot putt for double into the high side of the hole. “I was really happy to make that putt. You don't want to walk off that hole making 7 when you're playing pretty solid.”

The eighth hole accounted for the only blemish on his scorecard as he bounced back with a birdie on the ninth and added a birdie and eight pars on the back nine.

“The tempo was good up to that point and I knew it was still there,” Merritt said. “I felt good about my swing and I knew I had holes coming up that I could make birdies on, and I took the stress out of the back nine. I really didn't have to struggle for a par.”

Playing with Merritt in the final twosome, Kuchar shot a 68 that could have been better by two or three strokes had it not been for a tough break on the par-3 seventh hole. His tee shot that was heading for the pin hit a tree branch and kicked off line, leading to a double bogey.

“It was flag hunting, and there’s a tree that hangs out over the green protecting that and it was like a Dikembe Mutombo swat away from the basket. That was tough,” Kuchar said. “But that’s one of the things that make this course unique, and I knew that going in.”

Kuchar, a seven-time tour winner, still feels good about his ball-striking entering the final round.

“I still feel good. The last couple of holes I was really shooting to try to make a birdie, try to get in that last group so I could be there tomorrow afternoon,” Kuchar said. “But I’m playing in the second-to-last group and I’ll see if I can make a push tomorrow.”

Todd, ranked 52nd in the world, made the biggest move up the leaderboard Saturday with an 8-under 63 that was capped by a chip-in from 70 feet on the 18th hole.

Todd’s lone win in 100 PGA Tour events over four-plus seasons came at last year’s HP Byron Nelson Classic, which began a stretch of six consecutive top 20s, including five top 10s.

He had strung together five consecutive top-30 finishes this season before a missed cut last week at the Masters.

“I think I’m better tee to green this year than I was last year, more consistent. The putter hasn’t been as hot,” the Georgia alum said. “… It started right after The Players last year when I got hot. Maybe it’s just coming a little bit early this year.”

Harbour Town has been susceptible to low rounds this week, so someone is likely to make a run at Merritt. Rain on both Wednesday and Friday evenings combined with minimal wind contributed to optimal scoring conditions Friday and Saturday.

“This place stays a lot more difficult when it's firm,” said Luke Donald, who shot his second consecutive 66 and is tied for 11th at 8-under 205. “But today with not much breeze and soft conditions, if you were playing well you could make some birdies.”

Though he hasn’t enjoyed much success yet, Merritt isn’t a run-of-the-mill player on tour. He’s a bit of a character among golfers. He wears colorful Sligo golf clothing, puts his socks and shoes on in a consistently bizarre order before a round that goes left-right, left-right, right-left, and named his two sons Scout and Dodge.

Due to threat of bad weather on Sunday, tee times off both the first and 10th tees have been moved ahead to between 7:30-9:30 a.m.

That will give Merritt less time to contemplate what awaits in the final round. “I will say that it will be nice playing morning golf,” Merritt said.

This story was originally published April 18, 2015 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Merritt maintains lead, up by three at RBC Heritage."