Endicott, NY – Bart Bryant fired a course record-tying 10- under-par 62 on Saturday to take a 4-stroke lead into the final round of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
Bryant, a Champions Tour rookie, went bogey-free with 10 birdies at En-Joie Golf Course. Sitting at 16-under-par 128 through two rounds, the 50-year-old is in prime position to secure his first win on the circuit.
"I played really solid today, hit a lot of solid golf shots, but probably the club of the day for me was the putter, that's kind of been the club that's been holding me back this year," said Bryant.
Corey Pavin shot 64 and moved into second place at 12-under 132, one shot ahead of Duffy Waldorf, who carded a 65.
Russ Cochran and Rick Fehr share fourth at 10-under after carding matching 67s, while Rod Spittle (66), Gene Sauers (66) and Esteban Toledo (68) are tied for sixth at minus-9.
Overnight-leader Kenny Perry shot 1-under 71 and dropped into a tie for ninth place at 8-under with David Frost (66) and Scott Hoch, who fired a 63. Perry, a 14-time Champions Tour winner, is looking to secure his third win in his last four starts, which included back-to-back major victories and a tie for seventh at the 3M Championship.
Perry played his outward nine at 2-under, with back-to-back birdies from the fourth, but he couldn't keep pace with the red-hot Bryant; nor could anyone else, for that matter.
Bryant, who was robbed of his last few competitive years on the PGA Tour due to a pair of wrist surgeries, birdied six of his first seven holes on Saturday, grabbing lead for good at the par-3 fourth, where he knocked his tee shot to eight feet.
Back-to-back 30-foot birdie putts at six and seven wrapped up the scorching opening stretch, and Bryant never looked back.
Around the turn he rolled home an 18-footer for birdie at the 11th, then added another birdie at the 10th to reach 14-under and grab a 3-stroke lead over Pavin.
Bryant knocked a 4-iron to five feet at the par-3 14th and kicked that in for birdie, then closed his round in style, draining a 10-footer for birdie and a 4-stroke lead at the last.
"No matter what arena you're playing, you feel a little bit of pressure when you have a chance to win," said Bryant. "It may not be the amount of pressure that you feel on the (PGA Tour), but you're always going to feel some pressure. I know I am going to have to go out and play really well tomorrow to win this. Someone's going to go low."
NOTES: At 16-under-par 128, Bryant broke the 36-hole course record of 129, which was set by Fred Funk in 2009 ... Bryant's 62 matched the Champion's Tour course record set by R.W. Eaks in 2007 ... Bryant's older brother Brad shot even-par 72 and dropped into a tie for 17th at 6-under ... Brad and Bart Bryant are one of only 12 winning brother combinations in PGA Tour history ... Perry won the Senior Players Championship in June and the U.S. Senior Open Championship in July ... Defending champion Willie Wood is tied for 72nd place at 3-over.