Francesco Molinari was delighted with his third round showing after a three under par 67 brought him back to level par for the week at Atlanta Athletic Club.
The Italian Ryder Cup star, who like Rory McIlroy has been struggling with a wrist injury all week, threatened to get even closer to the leaders when he reached five under for the day.
But despite two bogeys over the difficult closing stretch Molinari was still pleased with his day’s work.
“I started really well, putting well and playing well,” he said.
“So it was a really good round up until the end. Obviously a couple of bogeys coming in, but it's a really tough, tough finish.
“So I'm still satisfied with the round and you know, level par for the tournament is a good score.
“I was looking forward to the morning tee time and trying to gain some spots on the leaderboard, so it's really important on the Saturday to put yourself in conditions to do well on Sunday.”
Among the highlights of Molinari’s round were a tee shot to eight feet on the par three seventh and an approach to six feet at the tenth.
“You don't have many birdie holes on this golf course, so I managed to birdie like the second and the fourth, they are really tough holes, so it was bonus,” he added. “When you find yourself three under after four, it's obviously much easier to play a golf course like this.
“It was a positive day. I would have taken anything under par this morning, so I'm happy with the score. Obviously I was struggling a bit in the last few holes, but I didn't make any major damage, so I'm still happy, level par going into tomorrow, it's a pretty good score.
“You never know. If I can have a good round tomorrow and play 18 holes as I played the first 12 or 13 today, I might do well.”
