Greensboro, NC …

World No. 9 Henrik Stenson birdied four of his closing six holes and take ‘Route 66’ for a second day running in seizing a one-shot lead at 16-under par into the final round of the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.

Stenson, and looking to win for a first time in four years Stateside, also posted the second-lowest 54-hole tally in the tournament’s history and three behind fellow Swede Carl Pettersson.

Three players and all American – Kevin Na (65), Webb Simpson (68) and Ollie Schniederjans (66) – share second place at 15-under par in continuing oppressive heatwave conditions in Greensboro.

A further 10 players are within five shots of Stenson’s lead including victorious 2016 USA Ryder Cup captain, Davis Love 111 and winner of the event in 2015.

If Love 111, at age 53 years, four months and seven days, were to win he would become the oldest winner in the history of the PGA Tour and surpassing the great Sam Snead who was aged 52 years, 10 months and eight days when he captured the Wyndham Championship for an eighth occasion in 1965.

Stenson last won on the PGA Tour in capturing the 2013 Tour Championship and in the process ending the year as PGA Tour No.1 while some two months later he became the European Tour No. 1 in also winning the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Boosting Stenson’s Wyndham quest is his PGA Tour record of having won twice in the four times he has held a 54-hole lead.

And what would be more surprising, and no-one on the Tour was able to confirm, but if Stenson were to win he would have done so without packing a driver into his bag for all for rounds, as he has promised to again leave the driver in his locker over the last day of the $US 5.8m event.

“You can’t win a tournament on Saturday but you can certainly put your name out of the mix,” he said.

“I started off nice and made four birdies in the first six holes, then I had a bit of a rough patch.

“I hit a bad 7-iron on 7 that cost me two and bad tee shot on 11, cost me another bogey but then standing on the 12th, things weren’t going great but I was hanging in there and kept my patience and kept on hitting good shots and got the reward for a couple of good shots and couple of putts coming in and birdied four of the last six.

“So, happy with that kind of momentum change and we find ourselves right where we want to be Sunday.”