SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Adam Schenk played bogey-free in strong wind Saturday for a 4-under 67, giving him a share of the lead with Braden Thornberry in what has become a tense chase for a PGA Tour card at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Thornberry, a PGA Tour rookie who won the NCAA title at Mississippi eight years ago, shot a 69 to join Schenk at 12-under 201 with hardly any margin for error going into the final round.
Schenk and Thornberry are among 10 players from the top 11 on the leaderboard who arrived in Bermuda outside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup with time running out. The RSM Classic at Sea Island next week ends the season, the first one that offers cards to the top 100 instead of the top 125.
Schenk is at No. 134 and is running out of options. But he began making minor adjustments in his game the last few months and watched it pay off in a timely way at Port Royal.
Winless in 242 starts on the PGA Tour, he suddenly has a chance he didn’t see coming.
“A great opportunity to have for tomorrow,” said Schenk, who has a share of the 54-hole lead for the first time since Colonial two years ago. “I know if I don’t, I have to go to Q-school if I don’t get inside the top 100, so that’s a pretty big motivator.”
Thornberry is at No. 178 and only a win would secure a card, coming with a two-year exemption.
But they have plenty of company.
The group one behind included Adam Hadwin of Canada, who had the 36-hole lead, who had to settle for a 71 and was in a tie for third; Max McGreevy (69), Chandler Phillips (70) and Takumi Kanaya of Japan (66).
Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., made four birdies and four bogeys, turning in 1-over 37 on the front nine before recovering with a 2-under 34 on the back at Port Royal Golf Course to sit in a tie for third at 11 under. Hadwin will tee off in the third-to-last group on Sunday at 9:05 a.m. local time (8:05 a.m. ET) with Americans Max McGreevy and Chandler Phillips.
The only player within three shots of the lead who didn’t face as much stress was Vince Whaley, who had a 68. He is at No. 86 in the FedEx Cup, virtually a lock to stay in the top 100.
Adding to the pressure of trying to keep a PGA Tour card is the wind that didn’t let up.
