(Reuters) – American Matthew Wolff hit three back-nine eagles en route to a blistering 61 that vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard midway through the third round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, who also had four birdies in his bogey-free round, needed a birdie-birdie finish to card a 59 but could only manage par on the 17th and 18th holes. Only 12 players have shot sub-60 rounds in PGA Tour history.
Wolff headed to the clubhouse 18-under par for the tournament and two strokes clear of Canadian Adam Hadwin (62) and South Korean Kim Si-woo (63).
Three players were tied for fourth at 15-under par amid ideal scoring conditions at TPC Summerlin.
Wolff, who is gunning for his second win on the PGA Tour since turning professional last year, announced himself as a force in the golf world when he finished in a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship in August, his first major appearance.
He followed that with a second-place finish at the U.S. Open last month.
Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis