Since missing the cut in his first two starts of the FedEx Cup Fall, Maverick McNealy has played high-level golf. He finished T-16 at the Shriners, T-6 at the World Wide Technology and T-17 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Now, he’s 18 holes away from claiming his first PGA Tour win at The RSM Classic.
McNealy signed for a 4-under 66 on Saturday, good enough to earn him a share of the 54-hole lead alongside Vince Whaley — we’ll get to him in a minute.
The former Stanford star made two bogeys on his front nine, but cancelled them out and then some with three birdies to make the turn at 1 under. Over his final nine holes, McNealy poured in three birdies, including this beauty on the par-3 17th.
Maverick McNealy ties the lead with an excellent birdie putt on 17. 💪
📺 Golf Channel | @TheRSMClassic pic.twitter.com/GWawNL9nsi
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) November 23, 2024
McNealy has long been one of the best putters in the world, so to see him at fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting through three rounds isn’t unexpected. But the putter isn’t the only thing clicking for McNealy this week. The 29-year-old is ranked 21st in SG: Off the Tee, fourth in SG: Approach and 22nd in SG: Around the Green.
RSM Classic: Leaderboard | Photos
The 67th-ranked player in the world has finished runner-up twice in his career. We’ll see if he can finally get it over the finish line on Sunday.
If you missed any of Saturday’s action, no worries, we have you covered. Here are some notes from Day 3 at Sea Island Golf Club.
Notes from third round of RSM Classic
Vince Whaley tied for the lead
Whaley grabbed a share of fifth at last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship, and at last year’s RSM, he tied for 13th. So taking into account form and tournament history, it’s not a big surprise to see Whaley at the top of the leaderboard with 18 holes to play.
He shot 67-68 over the first two days, but turned it to another level on Saturday with a 7-under 63.
The 29-year-old from Kentucky made four birdies on the front nine and three more on the back, while keeping squares off the card. In fact, he’s only made three bogeys through 54 holes.
“Yeah, it feels awesome,” Whaley said when asked how it feels to be tied for the lead. “I’ve obviously played some good golf to this point, so just excited for the opportunity.”
A birdie at the last and a bogey-free round gives Vince Whaley a share of the lead @TheRSMClassic 🐦
📺: GOLF Channel pic.twitter.com/jAVkca0Mvh
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 23, 2024
Daniel Berger is vibin’
Berger, once ranked 12th in the world, is still making his way back from an injury that kept him sidelined for 19 months. He’s seen some mixed results this year — 16 made cuts in 24 previous starts — but thanks to a third-round 7-under 63, he’s in position to win for the first time since 2021 — AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am — and fifth time overall.
Berger made four birdies in a six-hole stretch on his front nine to make the turn with a 4-under 31. On his way home, the 31-year-old sandwiched a bogey on 14 with birdies on Nos. 12, 13, and 15 before adding another on 18 to close out his day.
“I hit it in the fairway, I hit it on the green and I made a lot of putts today, so that’s a recipe for a good score,” Berger said.
He entered the week No. 127 in the FedEx Cup, so a solid final round should move him safely inside the top 125.
But a win would take care of that and whole lot more.
Top 10 and odds to win
| Position | Player | Score | Odds to win |
| T-1 | Vince Whaley | 14 under | (+360) |
| T-1 | Maverick McNealy | 14 under | (+240) |
| T-3 | Daniel Berger | 12 under | (+850) |
| T-3 | Mackenzie Hughes | 12 under | (+650) |
| T-3 | Michael Thorbjornsen | 12 under | (+750) |
| T-3 | Patrick Fishburn | 12 under | (+900) |
| T-7 | Luke Clanton | 11 under | (+900) |
| T-7 | Lee Hodges | 11 under | (+2500) |
| T-9 | Nico Echavarria | 10 under | (+4500) |
| T-9 | Michael Kim | 10 under | (+4500) |
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