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By Christopher Powers
Sooner or later, the day will come when Brendon Todd’s incredible hot streak ends. That day was not Saturday at the RSM Classic.

Todd, who has won in his last two starts on the PGA Tour, kept it rolling in the third round on the Seaside Course, shooting an eight-under 62 to take the solo lead at 18-under 194. What’s scary is that Todd’s score was about the worst he could have shot, as numerous putts lipped out that could have put him in sub-60 territory, including his second-to-last putt of the day, a 32-footer for birdie at the 18th. He settled for par and his 62, which matches his career-low round on tour and marks his 10th straight round in the 60s.

“Like my caddie said, it was a video game out there today,” said Todd, who is averaging 65.27 over his last 11 rounds on tour. “Just thrilled with the way I’m hitting it and feeling out there, and, yeah, I putted unbelievably well and thought they were all going in.”

Prior to the Bermuda Championship earlier this month, Todd had just one victory on tour, coming back in 2014 at the Byron Nelson. On Sunday, he’ll play in the final group with a chance to win for a third time in three starts. It’s becoming routine at this point, which would explain why he sounded completed unfazed by it all when discussing his plans for the rest of the day.

“Lots of rest, go watch the [Georgia] Bulldogs win today and just come out and play my game tomorrow,” said the UGa alum. “Generally, cool, breezy conditions favor me well, so I’m excited about it.”

Todd is two clear of Webb Simpson, the pre-tournament favourite. Simpson, a friend of Todd’s from their days as high school rivals in North Carolina, shot a seven-under 63 to get back into contention on Saturday, a strong bounce back from a quiet two-under 68 on Friday.

“I didn’t hit it the way I wanted to yesterday,” Simpson said. “So we did some work on the range and knew that we to shoot a better score and hit it a little better, and that’s what I did. It was a little trickier today, a little windier. I saw early on Brendon Todd and the boys were off to quick start, so it was nice to stay on pace. Shot a good number.”

Speaking of Todd, what does Simpson think of his buddy’s impressive run?

“I think it’s remarkable,” Simpson said. “He’s a good friend of mine. To show the resilience, not playing well to come back and stay in it and get one win and two in a row and now he’s playing great again. I’m really happy for him.”

Simpson’s happy for him now, but he’d love to be the guy that puts an end to Todd’s winning streak on Sunday. The former U.S. Open winner is trying to win for the first time since the 2018 Players Championship.

Tied with Simpson at 16 under is Sebastian Munoz, who is attempting to win for the second time this fall, his first victory coming at the Sanderson Farms. D.J. Trahan is alone in fourth at 15 under.