Mitchell closes with eagle to take 2-shot lead

Palm Harbor [US], March 24 : Keith Mitchell holed an eagle from the fairway on the 18th to take a two-shot lead at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course on Saturday in the Valspar Championship.

He shot 5-under 66 to get to 10-under at the start of the weekend where all 77 players who made the cut were within six shots of each other.

Mitchell went birdie-birdie-eagle on the last four holes to take a clear lead. He is two shots ahead of Mackenzie Hughes (69), Seamus Power (68) and Peter Malnati (68).

The 50-year-old Stewart Cink, who began the third round in a five-way tie for the lead, had two early birdies and was leading through seven holes when he three-putted from 30 feet on the par-3 eighth. It only got worse from there. Cink shot 41 on the back nine for a 76, taking him from the lead to nine shots behind.

Indian American Akshay Bhatia (70) is T-46 at 1-under and the top Asian is KH Lee (70) in T-13 at 5-under.

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