Kokrak up to 27th with a solid day of putting

Staff/wire report

avondale, la.

Saturday’s third round of the Zurich Classic was one of the most eventful this year for PGA rookie Jason Kokrak.

The 26-year-old from Warren also had one of his best putting performances of the year, needing just 20 to get around the TPC Louisiana course in suburban New Orleans.

Kokrak’s day didn’t start that well, with three bogeys in the first four holes.

Then he got hot.

Kokrak birdied No. 5 and No. 7 to make the turn at 37.

Then he scored consecutive birdies on holes 10-12, and added another on No. 14. He bogeyed No. 15, but finished with his seventh birdie of the day on No. 18 to come in with a 32.

“I putted very well and took advantage of the 15-and-in putts,” Kokrak said via text message on Saturday night.

“I didn’t hit it very well, except for the first three holes.”

Kokrak only hit 39 percent of his greens in regulation, which attests to his performance on the greens.

“I went to the range [following the round] and hopefully figured some things out and we can put it all together [today],” he said.

Kokrak finished the day 3-under 69, his first round under 70 since March 2, the second round of the Honda Classic. He is tied for 27th.

Jason Dufner shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Graham DeLaet.

Winless in 163 starts on the PGA Tour, Dufner lost playoffs last year to Mark Wilson in the Phoenix Open and Keegan Bradley in the PGA Championship for two of his three career runner-up finishes. The former Auburn star had a 17-under 199 total at TPC Louisiana.

Trying to overcome a recent string of weekend collapses, Dufner birdied three of the first four holes to get to 15 under, holing 50-foot putt on the par-4 fourth and a 25-footer on the par-4 fifth.

After dropping a stroke on the par-4 sixth, he birdied the par-5 seventh and got to 17 under with birdies on the par-4 15th and par-5 18th.