SAN ANTONIO -- Ricky Barnes shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Valero Texas Open in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory.
Winless in 221 starts with a career-best runner-up finish in the 2009 U.S. Open, Barnes, 35, had an 11-under 205 total at TPC San Antonio. He closed with a bogey after a wild drive near a cactus bush on the par-5 18th.
Brendan Steele, the leader after each of the first two rounds, was second after a 72.
Former world No. 1 Luke Donald and three-time tour winner Charley Hoffman were two strokes back. Donald, coming off a second-place tie last week in the RBC Heritage in South Carolina, shot a 68. Hoffman missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the last hole and settled for a 70.
Patrick Reed was fifth at 8 under after a 70. He was born in San Antonio.
Billy Horschel (67) and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington (68) were 7 under along with Chad Collins (67), Jon Curran (71), Martin Piller (71) and Nick Taylor (66).
Horschel hasn't won since the 2014 Tour Championship, and Harrington has one PGA Tour victory since he claimed his third major at the 2008 PGA Championship.
In addition to his seven birdies, Barnes did well to rescue himself from trouble. His bogey from the 18th could have been much worse when his drive went left and settled next to the cactus.
He birdied No. 11, 12 and 14 to take the lead. He managed that despite finding the fairway bunker at No. 12, and he blasted to 3 feet from a green-side bunker at the par-5 14th.
Steele got off to a sticky start. He wasn't as lucky as Barnes when he pulled his tee shot on No. 2 into a cactus bush and took an unplayable lie on the way to a bogey.
Hoffman had a share of the lead before a bogey at No. 12. He reached the par-5 14th in two and converted for a birdie, and made a 6-footer for another birdie at 16.
Bryce Molder (Conway) shot a 2-under 70 (211) and is 5 under through three rounds. Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 1-under 71 (214).
LPGA
Nomura keeps lead
DALY CITY, Calif. -- Haru Nomura shot a 1-under 71 in cool and breezy conditions Saturday at Lake Merced to maintain a three-stroke lead in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.
The 23-year-old Japanese player had three birdies and two bogeys to take a 10-under 206 total into the final round today. She won the Australian Women's Open in February, pulling away to beat top-ranked Lydia Ko by three strokes for her first LPGA Tour title.
South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace and South Korea's Na Yeon Choi were tied for second. Pace had a 69, and Choi shot 71.
So Yeon Ryu was 5 under along with Brooke Henderson, Catriona Matthew and Gerina Piller.
Ko was six strokes back at 4 under after a 73. The two-time defending champion will be 19 today.
Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 1-under 71. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) had an even-par 72. Both are tied at 3-over 219 through three rounds.
WEB.COM
Fritsch ahead by 2
Brad Fritsch shot a 3-under 69 on Saturday at the Web.com Mexico Championship at Guanajuato, Mexico. After three rounds, his 16-under 200 puts him two strokes ahead of Wesley Bryan (71).
Fritsch, 38, and Bryan will be paired today in the final group.
Jonathan Byrd, who had nine birdies in his third round, shot a 65 and is alone in third place.
Martin Flores is fourth, trailing by five strokes. Brian Campbell (72), Sebastian Vazquez (67) and Ollie Schniederjans (66) are six off the pace in fifth place.
Matt Atkins (Henderson State) had a 3-under 69 (208) and is tied for 11th place. Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 1-under 71 (211). Scott Gardiner (Farmington) had an even-par round of 72 (214). Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) had a 5-over 77 (218). Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) shot a 4-over 76 (219) and Zack Fischer (Little Rock) did not make the cut.
CHAMPIONS
Austin, Allen lead
RIDGEDALE, Mo. -- Woody Austin and Michael Allen shot a 12-under 59 in better-ball play Saturday to take the second-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions' Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.
Austin and Allen played Buffalo Ridge's Springs Course after opening with a 5-under 49 on the par-3 Top of the Rock course. Austin won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic last week in a playoff in Georgia for his second victory in the past three events on the 50-and-over tour.
Defending champions Billy Andrade and Joe Durant were a stroke back at 16 under along with the teams of David Frost-Roger Chapman and Kenny Perry-Scott Hoch. Frost and Chapman had a 61 at the Springs, while Andrade-Durant and Perry-Hoch each shot 46 at Top of the Rock. At the par-3 course, the teams played nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine of better ball.
Larry Nelson and Bruce Fleisher had a two-stroke lead in the Legends Division for players 65 and older, shooting a 6-under 48 at Top of the Rock to reach 15-under 93.
EUROPEAN
Lee still out front
SHENZHEN, China -- Callum Shinkwin of England shot a 62 to close within two strokes of Lee Soo-min, who still leads after another weather-curtailed day at the Shenzhen International.
After six hours were lost to bad weather over the first two days, bad light brought an early end to the third day with Lee leading at 14-under after 11 holes in the third round.
Lee has yet to bogey and was one-under for the day after rounds of 66 and 65.
Shinkwin was 12-under 204 after eight birdies and an eagle in the third round.
Sports on 04/24/2016