Ireland's Seamus Power is set for his first experience of the cauldron of being in contention on the final day of a PGA tournament after staying right in the mix at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
The Waterford man shot a two-under par round of 70 in Mississippi to remain just two shots off the lead in a tie for sixth place.
Having successfully made his first cut on Tour by reaching the halfway mark in a tie for second, Power began his third round strongly with three birdies in his first four holes.
A dropped shot at the par-4 sixth stalled his momentum, but another birdie on the 11th brought Power within one shot of the leaders.
The 29-year-old made a number of gutsy par saves but missed an opportunity to tie the lead when he missed a seven-foot putt on the par-5 14th.
Another short putt slid by two holes later to drop Power back to 12 under, two shots behind Americans Luke List and Chris Kirk, who each 65s to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
Four-times PGA Tour winner Kirk said that good putting had been key to his scoring at the Country Club of Jackson.
"The greens are tricky to read and they're quick, but I feel like my speed has been pretty good so far this week," said the 2011 champion, before adding that he did not consider his record of victories gave him much of an edge.
"Once you get out there on Sunday it's anybody's game. Hopefully I'll be a little bit more comfortable out there but I'll be just as nervous as everybody I'm sure."
Despite the absence of many of the top players at the HSBC Champions event in China, the event still offers plenty of valuable FedEx Cup points, as well as a two-year Tour exemption to the winner, so Power can go a long way towards securing his future playing rights with a big performance in just his second event.
