Belgium's Thomas Detry will carry a commanding five-shot lead into the final round of the Phoenix Open as he chases his first PGA Tour victory.
Detry followed his second round seven-under 64 with a 65 on Saturday, birdieing four of the last five holes to more than double his overnight two-shot lead.
The 32-year-old two-time Olympian made the most of ideal conditions at TPC Scottsdale, making a 19-foot par putt on the par-4 18th amid huge cheers to reach 18-under 195.
Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth (67) - hunting his first tour win since 2022 - is in the chasing pack, tied second with Rasmus Hojgaard (65) Daniel Berger (66) and Michael Kim (68).
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Lone Australian Min Woo Lee made three birdies for a three-under 68 to be tied 12th but nine shots off the pace.
Maverick McNealy _ who won his first tour title at the The RSM Classic late last year - shot up the leaderboard with a 63 and was sixth at 12 under.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler - the 2022 and 2023 winner - closed with a birdie for a 68. He was eight shots behind Detry.
Detry has played well this season, making the cut in all four events. He finished fifth at The Sentry and tied for 15th at the Farmers Insurance Open.
The fast start isn't totally unexpected - he had four top 10s and was second at the Houston Open last year.
The perfect weather brought out huge crowds to the famously raucous event. The most-attended day of the tournament is traditionally Saturday.
But TPC Scottsdale avoided a scene like last year, when officials had to close the gates and limit alcohol sales, partly because of the boozy atmosphere but also because of wet weather that meant fans couldn't walk on the grass. The tension boiled over at times, with Billy Horschel and Zach Johnson yelling at unruly fans.
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In response to that debacle, organisers stepped up the law enforcement presence and added a new entrance to help alleviate some of the clogged sidewalks near the main gate.
There are no longer any-day tickets so tournament officials can track sales and prevent overcrowding. Several walkways were widened at high-traffic areas.
The changes seemed to have their desired effect. There was still plenty of revelry — particularly at the party-friendly 16th hole — but it was nowhere close to last year's mayhem.
"Previous years, it started to get a little out of hand, but right now it's in a sweet spot," McNealy said. "This is something that would be fun every week on the PGA Tour."
