Harold Varner III makes the charge at RBC Heritage with 63

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Harold Varner III - TheGolfingHub
Harold Varner III's third-round 63 falls one stroke shy of his career-low round on PGA TOUR and one shy of the best third round score in RBC Heritage history. Photo: si.com

Harold Varner III (1st, -11) posted a bogey-free 8-under 63 for a one-stroke lead over Shane Lowry, Erik van Rooyen and Patrick Cantlay at the RBC Heritage.

Holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the second time on the PGA TOUR (2018 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier/T5).

Related: Prolific final stretch has Patrick Cantlay top at RBC Heritage

Will become the eighth Black player to win on Tour: Tiger Woods (82), Calvin Peete (12), Lee Elder (4), Jim Thorpe (3), Cameron Champ (3), Pete Brown (2), Charlie Sifford (2).

 

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His best finish in 178 prior starts on TOUR came at the 2021 RBC Heritage (T2); runner-up finish represents his only top-10 finish in six prior starts at the event.

The last player to win a PGA TOUR event after finishing runner-up the year prior was Scottie Scheffler at the 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

 

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The third-round 63 falls one stroke shy of his career-low round on TOUR and one shy of the best third round score in RBC Heritage history (Gil Morgan/1995).

His lone top-10 finish this season came at THE PLAYERS Championship (T6).

One week following a T3 at The Masters Tournament, Shane Lowry (T2/-10) is in search of his third PGA TOUR victory (2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, 2019 Open Championship).

He has two top-10 finishes in four starts at the RBC Heritage (T3/2019, T9/2021); leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (2.633 per round).

 

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2021 Barracuda Championship winner Erik van Rooyen (T2/-10) owns four top-25s in 11 starts this season, with T13 at THE PLAYERS his best; finished T21 in his debut appearance at the 2020 RBC Heritage; leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (1.406 per round), Driving Accuracy (T1; 34 of 42).

Reigning FedExCup Champion and second-round leader Patrick Cantlay (T2/-10) fell one stroke behind Harold Varner III following a 1-under 70. He opened the season with four consecutive top-10s and has not recorded one in four starts since losing to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at the WM Phoenix Open.

 

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The six-time TOUR winner holds three top-10s in four appearances at RBC Heritage (T3/2017, T7/2018, T3/2019, MC/2021).

With a 4-under 67, RBC ambassador and 2014 RBC Heritage winner Matt Kuchar (T5/-9) extends his streak of most active rounds of par-or-better at RBC Heritage to 15.

Jordan Spieth (T9/-8) has made five bogeys in 54 holes, with three coming at the par-3 seventh hole. Only two players of the 71 who made the cut rank worse than Spieth in par-3 scoring average (Sahith Theegala, Joseph Bramlett).

 

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