The China Mail - Cantlay leads by two heading into final round at Riviera

World number seven Cantlay, seeking a ninth US PGA Tour title and his first since 2022, started the day with a five-shot lead.

He was four up with five to play, but after a bogey at the par-five 17th he finished with a 54-hole total of 199 -- just two clear of his good friend Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris.

Schauffele and Zalatoris both carded six-under-par 65s and were a stroke in front of American Luke List, who signed for a 68.

With tournament host Tiger Woods sidelined by flu -- which saw him withdraw from his first official tour event in more than 10 months midway through Friday's second round -- the final pairing of friends and frequent match play partners Cantlay and Schauffele will be in the spotlight on Sunday.

"I played solid golf today," Cantlay said. "I didn't make any long putts or anything, didn't really give myself too many chances, but all in all a solid day and in good position for tomorrow."

Cantlay's day got off to a promising start with an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-five first. He bogeyed the third, but birdies at the 11th and 13th had his lead at four strokes before he found a fairway bunker off the tee at 17.

His third shot was short of the green, a poor chip left him 14 feet and he two-putted for a bogey on the second-easiest hole on the course.

Meanwhile Schauffele, the world number five who is chasing an eighth tour win, launched his second straight bogey-free round with a 13-foot eagle at the par-five first.

He added back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th and another pair of birdies at 16 and 17, then got up and down for par from off the green at 18.

"To play good golf around Riviera you've got to sort of fire on all cylinders and I've been able to do that the last couple days," Schauffele, the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist, said. "Just wanted to give myself a shot tomorrow."

Schauffele was looking forward to playing alongside Cantlay. The two practice together often and have proved a formidable partnership in Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup play.

- Self-belief -

"There's nothing more that we like to do than compete in big events," Schauffele said. "We've done it a few times in the past and taken shots at each other, it's something we talk about and something we want to keep doing."

He said the key on Sunday would be "a certain amount of self-belief".

"I'm not going to look at the board too much," Schauffele said. "I feel like if I can just keep doing what I'm doing, get some pressure on Pat or whoever's going to be in that group is the most important thing."

Zalatoris is in the hunt in just his fourth tournament since returning from back surgery that sidelined him for most of last year.

He followed a second-round 70 that featured a hole-in-one at the 16th with a six-under effort that included seven birdies and one bogey, also piling pressure on Cantlay with back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17.

Australian Jason Day and American Harris English were also in the mix heading into Sunday, sharing fifth place on 10-under 203.

English had six birdies in his six-under 65 while Day thrust himself into contention with an eagle at the 17th that lifted him to two-under 69.

J.Liv--ThChM