Henrik Stenson of Sweden hits a tee shot on the 13th hole during the second round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club on August 18, 2017 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

By Christopher Powers
It was never going to be easy to follow up the season Henrik Stenson had in 2016, one in which he captured his first major, won a silver medal at the Olympics and finished inside the top three twice. That’s shown during his 2016-2017 campaign, where he’s missed five of 12 cuts and registered just two top-10 finishes, both coming before April.

But the Swede has put himself in position to erase all that at the Wyndham Championship, where he holds the 54-hole lead at 16-under 194. He’s ahead by one after posting a second consecutive four-under 66 on Saturday at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

Stenson, 41, birdied four of his first seven holes, but mixed in a bogey at the par-4 fifth and a double bogey at the par-3 seventh, dropping him to one under on the day through eight holes. Another dropped shot at the 11th saw him fall back to even par, but he finished strong, making birdie on four of his final six holes. His 21 birdies rank first in the field, as does his proximity to the hole, putts per green in regulation and total strokes gained.

A victory on Sunday would be the sixth of Stenson’s PGA Tour career. It would also move him from 75th to 23rd in the FedEx Cup standings, giving him a much stronger chance at capturing his second FedEx Cup title, the first coming in 2013.

Webb Simpson, Kevin Na and Ollie Schniederjans are one stroke back at 15-under 195. Simpson, who carded a two-under 68, is looking for the fifth win of his career and second at the Wyndham Championship. If he does that, he’ll move inside the top 20 of the FedEx Cup standings, where he currently sits at 37th.

Na, 33, shot a five-under 65 that featured just one bogey. While he’s put himself in contention countless times during his PGA Tour career, he still has just one victory, which came at the 2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He sits at 93rd in the FedEx Cup standings and can vault into the top 40 with a victory on Sunday.

Once again a threat to win his first PGA Tour event is Schniederjans, who posted a four-under 66. He’s making just his 35th start on the PGA Tour, and second at the Wyndham Championship. The rookie has put together a fine season, with four top-10s, six top-25s and a T-3 at the RBC Heritage. No matter what he does in the final round, he’s securely in the field for next week’s Northern Trust, where he will be making his first start in a FedEx Cup Playoffs event.

Just two shots back at 14-under 196 is Johnson Wagner, who posted a five-under 65 that featured a hole-out for eagle from 95 yards out on the par-4 first hole. From there he added four birdies and made just one bogey. The three-time PGA Tour winner started the week 141st in the FedEx Cup standings, but after three sub-70 rounds he’s now projected at 115th. He’ll need another low round on Sunday to secure a spot at next week’s Northern Trust. If he’s able to win, it would be his first victory since the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Three players are tied for sixth at 13-under 197, including 53-year-old Davis Love III, who can make history on Sunday by becoming the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event. He currently holds the record for third-oldest thanks to his 2015 victory at the Wyndham Championship.

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