Scorching temperatures and gusting winds Saturday proved to be little deterrent for a handful of players who hold a place at the top of the leaderboard after the third round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine.

And should the winner emerge from that group, an intriguing subplot will have played itself out.

Will it be Jhonattan Vegas, the owner of a one-shot lead, who will have had to overcome injuries to win for the first time since 2017? Or maybe Matt Kuchar, who at 46 years old would like to show the golf world that he still has what it takes to win on the PGA Tour.

Former amateur sensation Maverick McNealy is in the mix, too, looking for his first Tour win amid the high expectations. And then there’s Sahith Theegala, who is in position to win the tournament after missing the cut three times.

Vegas was one of four players to card an 8-under-par 63, with the three others coming from players immediately behind him on the leaderboard. Kuchar is alone in second place at 15 under, followed by McNealy at minus-14. Patrick Fishburn is at 12-under, as is Theegala following a 66.

Taylor Pendrith, who took a two-shot lead into the third round, faltered on the back nine and finished with a 73. He’s tied for ninth place at 10 under.

Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela plays a shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on July 27, 2024 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Vegas birdied six of the last eight holes to take sole possession of the lead late in the afternoon.

“I don’t know, I’ve just been getting lucky on the back nine and hitting some good shots and making some great putts,” Vegas said. “Obviously it’s a tough nine, you have to really hit really quality shots. You have to hit your irons really well on the back nine here, which I’ve been able to do for the past three days.

“You know, it’s not easy, for sure. Obviously we’re looking to kind of play the back nine really good this week, so hopefully we can do it for another day.”

Kuchar produced two of the more electric shots of the day, which led to him finishing with a birdie at 17 and an eagle at 18.

At the par-3 17th, he nearly holed out his tee shot.

“In the air, I knew it was going to be good,” Kuchar said, “but not quite as good as it turned out. It’s always a bonus on a tough hole when you get to walk off and tap a birdie in without having to think about it.”

The eagle on 18 came on a chip shot from 90 feet.

“It was a difficult up-and-down,” Kuchar said. “I was looking just to give myself a birdie look. It was a risky shot, trying to pull off a high spinner from where I was.

“But it came out perfectly. It’s awfully exciting to have that many people get so excited when the ball disappeared.”

Kuchar has not had a top-10 finish this season.

“I’ve put together a handful of good rounds but no good weeks, really,” he said. “Starting the year, I was so excited about my game, and things just didn’t go right early on. But I continued to work with my coach.

“Golf is a funny game. As pros, sometimes you feel a long way away, and certainly this year has felt like a long way away for me. But if you plug the right ingredient in, you’re never that far away from snapping back.

McNealy, who played at Stanford, was once No. 1 in the world amateur rankings. He has not matched the hype since turning pro.

“Those guys are really good,” McNealy said when asked his thoughts on why he hasn’t won yet. “I was No. 1 in college, and now many No. 1s in college are out on the PGA Tour right now? Dozens and dozens of guys who have gotten a lot better.

“I am a better player than I was in college, but the competition I am playing against is really, really good. I just shot 5 under and 8 under the last two rounds, and I’m probably going to have to shoot in the mid-60s tomorrow to win this thing.”

Theegala has more than $19 million in career earnings, but none of it has come from his play in Blaine.

“I didn’t have a lot of expectations,” he said about the tournament. “I just wanted to feel better about going here. I’ve said this numerous times, it’s a great tournament, the golf course is awesome, the logistics are great.

“I’ve really tried to make an emphasis this week on trying to get over that hurdle.”

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