Rio Grande, Puerto Rico--Unheralded Americans Scott Brown and Chris Smith, each seeking his second career US PGA title, shared the lead after Saturday's third round of the $3 million Puerto Rico Open.
Brown, whose only tour crown came at this event two years ago, fired a bogey-free five-under par 67 to join Smith, who shot 68, on six-under 210.
Argentina's Emiliano Grillo and American Jon Curran were one stroke off the pace while Canada's Adam Hadwin, Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge, Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti, American Scott Pinckney and 36-hole leader Alex Cejka of Germany were another shot adrift.
De Jonge, at 87th in the world, is the highest-ranked player in the event, being played opposite a World Golf Championships event at Doral that has lured the world's top players.
Brown birdied the par-5 second and fifth holes and closed the front nine with a birdie, then finished birdie-birdie to claim his share of the lead.
Smith, in his 319th PGA event at age 45, won his only crown at the 2002 Buick Classic, the last time he led entering the final round. He has not cracked the top 10 in a PGA event in nearly a decade, since 2005 in Milwaukee.
Argentina Open winner Grillo, 22, is playing on a sponsor's exemption and if he wins following a triumph last week at the Honda Classic by Irishman Padraig Harrington on a sponsor's exemption, it will mark the first time such entrants have won in back-to-back weeks in PGA history.
