SILVIS, July 12

Jordan Spieth of the US charged to a two-stroke lead with a stunning finish to the third round at the John Deere Classic on Saturday.

Only days before he will attempt to complete the third leg of the Grand Slam, Spieth used a mixture of precision and luck to finish birdie, eagle, birdie at TPC Deere Run. He holed out with a sand wedge from 107 yards at the par-five 17th, before running in a 15-foot birdie at the last for a 10-under 61, his best round on the PGA Tour. “I just seem to get some lucky breaks here at the John Deere,” Spieth said after posting a 17-under 196 total, two strokes better than Danny Lee, who shot 62.

It has been a stunning form turnaround by Spieth who was in danger of missing the cut until he put together a string of birdies in the middle of the second round. Spieth hit a poor drive at the 17th but threaded a nice recovery shot between the trees. He was clearly disgusted with his third shot but was then surprised when his ball landed about eight feet beyond the hole, put on the brakes and was sucked back into the hole.

Lost in the drama was Lee, whose 10-birdie 62 lifted him into second successive win, after his victory at the Greenbrier Classic last Sunday.