Myrtle Beach Classic Round 3: Carson Young Shoots 64 in the Rain to Take the Lead

Rain turned Saturday at The Dunes into a slog for most of the field. Carson Young treated it like a home game, because it basically was one.

The 30-year-old from Anderson, South Carolina, and former Clemson player shot a bogey-free, 7-under 64, the best round of the day, to climb from 6 under into the 54-hole lead at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. Young sits at 13-under 200, one clear of Harry Higgs (68) and two ahead of Mackenzie Hughes (70), who led or co-led after each of the first two rounds. Five players are tied at 10 under, three back: Ryan Fox, Victor Perez, Norman Xiong, Davis Shore and Danny Walker.

The Four-Hole Burst

Young's round was built on a stretch that flipped the tournament. Starting at the par-5 13th, Young went 4 under over four holes: a birdie at 13, then the shot of the day at the par-5 15th, where Young holed a 30-yard flop shot from the rough for eagle, then another birdie at the par-4 16th.

That flop is the kind of shot you need on a wet Saturday. Soft conditions make the ball check fast, but a delicate pitch from a sloppy lie can go anywhere. Young's went in.

"Honestly, it was a lot of fun out there, even with the rain, just because I was making putts and making some chip shots," Young said, per the AP.

It was also Young's second straight bogey-free round, following Friday's 66, which says a lot about how well the ball-striking has held up in two very different sets of conditions.

A Local Story With Real Stakes

Young has not won on the PGA TOUR, and this week carries extra weight because of where it is. Anderson is a few hours up the road, and Young had family on site all week.

"It's been cool to have family out here and a bunch of support with friends," Young said, per the AP.

The journey matters here, too. Young spent years grinding on mini-tours before breaking through, and has talked openly about how close that road came to ending. "I did mini-tours for five years, and that's grueling for sure," Young told MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com. Entering the week, Young's best finish of the season was a T10 at the Puerto Rico Open, per Field Level Media. Now there is a 54-hole lead in the home state.

Higgs Hangs Tough in the Wet

Higgs is never short of a one-liner, and Saturday was no different. "Thrilled to shoot under par," Higgs said, per the AP. "I'm not great in the rain."

For a self-described bad-weather player, the 68 was impressive. Higgs survived two early bogeys, made five birdies, and capped the round by rolling in a 35-foot birdie putt at the 17th to get within one. Higgs, still looking for a first PGA TOUR win, is right on Young's heels.

Hughes Loses a Little Ground

Hughes did not play poorly. A 70 with three birdies and two bogeys in the rain is a perfectly respectable number. But it was not enough to keep pace with Young, and Hughes slipped from a share of the lead to solo third, two back.

The two-time PGA TOUR winner still owns the most experience among the top three, and his putting kept him in it all week. Two shots with 18 holes to play is nothing at a course where Thursday produced a 63.

The Big Fall and the Crowd at 10 Under

The day's hardest fall belonged to Cristobal Del Solar. The Friday co-leader opened with a birdie at the 1st, then piled up bogeys, plus a double, on the way to a 76. That knocks Del Solar back into a tie for 31st, eight shots off the pace. Nick Watney, one back after 36 holes, also slid with a 75.

Meanwhile, the group at 10 under is loaded. Perez shot the day's second-best round, a 66, to jump into the picture. Fox, the New Zealander with multiple DP World Tour wins, posted a 68. Xiong (69), Shore (70) and Walker (70) all held steady. Alex Smalley (67) and Will Chandler (71) are another shot back at 9 under.

Sunday Setup

Young has the lead, the momentum and the crowd. Higgs has a hot putter and a complicated relationship with the weather. Hughes has the résumé. Five more players sit three back, all capable of a low round if the forecast cooperates. Higgs expects more rain Sunday.

A win here is worth a two-year exemption and a spot in next week's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow for anyone not already in. The leader has never closed on the PGA TOUR. Sunday will tell us whether that changes.

Catch up on the week in our Round 1 and Round 2 recaps. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR has the Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab).

Sources: PGA TOUR (leaderboard and Round 3 recap), AP, Field Level Media, MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com, ESPN. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.