GOLF: Lucas Herbert retains LIV Golf lead despite Josele Ballester's 60

Australia's Lucas Herbert gave up half of his lead on Saturday during the third round of LIV Golf Virginia, yet his 4-under-par 68 was good enough to move to 21 under and carry a three-shot edge into the final round.

Herbert, 30, enjoys some daylight between him and Sergio Garcia (18 under after a 65) as he chases his first LIV title.

"I think, if you'd given me a three-shot lead going into Sunday at the start of the week, I'd have taken it in a heartbeat," Herbert said. "You've got to put that in context, I think."

The context is that Herbert was the only player in the top seven (through 54 holes) who didn't shoot a 65 or better on Saturday.

Spain's Josele Ballester was particularly brilliant as he fired a 12 under 60 to set the course record at Trump National in Potomac Falls, Va. Had he birdied each of the last two holes -- he missed a 25-foot birdie try on No. 10, his final hole -- he would have tied LIV's 18-hole record.

"It's been the first time in a while or first time this year that I kind of entered the flow zone," Ballester said. "It seemed like everything was going easy or somewhat easy. I executed really well in all areas of the game. Towards the end when I felt the adrenaline and the pressure a little more, I still executed and made some good shots and some good putts."

Bryson DeChambeau shot a 12-under par 58 to set the record at the 2023 LIV Golf Greenbrier event.

Despite the best round of his life, the 22-year-old Ballester finds himself eight shots back of Herbert. He shares third place with DeChambeau (64), Zimbabwe's Scott Vincent (62), and South Africa's Dean Burmester (65).

Spain's Jon Rahm (12 under after a 65), Belgium's Thomas Detry (-11, 66) and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell (-11, 66) are the only other golfers within 10 shots of Herbert.

Garcia, who scrambled for a par at No. 13 after removing his socks and shoes and sinking his feet into the mud to hit a shot out of the pond, understands it won't be a two-man race for the title on Sunday.

"You can't just think, oh, it's just Lucas and I," Garcia said. "Obviously if we play well, it will be him and I, but we still have to go out there and play well. There's still 18 holes to go, and anything can happen out there."

-Field Level Media/Reuters