Sepp Straka holds a four-stroke lead heading into the final round of the American Express Championship in California.

Straka posted his third consecutive bogey-free round with an 8-under 64 on Saturday to lead Charlie Hoffman, Jason Day and Justin Timberlake in the Coachella Valley desert. ·Lore four strokes.

Straka birdied six holes on the front nine at La Quinta Country Club, perhaps the easiest of the three courses, and added two more birdies in the tournament to bring his score to At 23-under 193, he became just the third player to remain bogey-free through 54 holes since the event moved to a three-hole rotation in 2016.

Straka, the first Austrian-born player to earn a PGA Tour card and win on tour, knows his work is far from done as he prepares for the final round at PGA West Stadium.

“I think the stadium is the kind of ballpark that’s safe without a lead,” Straka said.

“My first win was at the Honda (Classic), which is a very similar golf course, and I started the day five shots behind. So no lead is safe. You’ve got to keep hitting your shots. Position, you really have to hit the ball well, so that’s what I really want tomorrow, is a good solid hitting round.

“It’s a very interesting ranking. I played with Charlie last week (at the Sony Open).

“He said he feels good, so as long as his body feels good, he’s a little bit dangerous. Yeah, it’s a great ranking.”

Hoffman, who started the day tied for the lead, shot a bogey-free 69 on the Stadium Course and was looking for his first win since 2016.

“I didn’t start thinking until the back nine and then I was able to make a couple putts,” Hoffman said. “Obviously, a clean card on the stadium pitch is something to be proud of.”

Get the best deals and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland

Former PGA Championship winner Day played in front of an energetic crowd of spectators as he matched up with two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas, recording seven birdies and two bogeys.

Thomas shot a stunning 68. He finished at 17-under 199, one shot behind the American pair of Patrick Cantlay and Mark Hubbard.

Lore, who started the past two days with a one-shot deficit, shot 68 on the Stadium Course to stay in contention for his first win.

Defending champion Nick Dunlap advanced at 9-under 207, while 17-year-old Blades Brown shot 74 in the third round to win for the first time in his career. Failed to advance in matches.

Watch the American Express final round live on Sky Sports Golf at 4.45pm on Sunday, or Live with NOW.