AT&T Classic round three: Can Zach spoil the Georgia fairytale?

Looks like being quite a party at the Sugarloaf Sunday. Half of Georgia seems to want to turn up to cheer on their rival college co-leaders, playing like demons in the Augusta sunshine. Then there’s local boy Matt Kuchar to raise a few more cheers if he fires another round like his bracing 64 on Saturday that moved him 40 places up the board.

This is set fair to end up a fairytale day whoever wins: you’ve got Camilo Villegas as a popular choice for his first PGA win, or the faintly surprising presence of Lee Janzen. He barely squeaked into this event after losing his tour card last year, yet now stands on the threshold of his first tour win for more than nine years.

In this kind of atmosphere anything can happen. Despite being good buddies with Ryuji Imada, Troy Matteson must have been frustrated Saturday that he couldn’t gain a clear advantage. He is undoubtedly the best all-round player on the park (although Bob Estes of all people would run him close were his iron work sharper).

Imada has stuck to him like a limpet, punching in some wondrous close range shots - bit of a bunker maestro is our Ryuji - and finishing them off with a sizzling flat stick. He’s still the tournament’s putting king.

Cue the infamous final round wobble. In one respect Sunday should favour Matteson, who has at least tasted victory and almost repeated it the week after. But a look back at that fortnight last year shows how he won almost despite himself - it took all the confidence-boosting coercion of his caddie brother to keep him going at Las Vegas after he let a three-shot lead drain away, and the week after he ran out of steam down the closing stretch after leading into the Sunday.

The most frustrated player out there must be Zach Johnson. He put in a huge effort to strike for the front Saturday, raising his game to the point where he hits more than 90% of fairways and greens, only for his putter to let him down big time. His back nine was as barren as the Sahara.

But he has not gone away and, if he can get his putter going, could still divide and conquer to spoil Georgia’s party.