• Verizon Heritage, Round Three

Donald and Davis chasing Furyk

Pretty in pink: Luke Donald was in excellent form on day three at the Verizon Heritage © Getty Images

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Brian Davis and Luke Donald are firmly in contention behind leader Jim Furyk after three rounds of the Verizon Heritage.

Davis is one shot adrift of Furyk at ten-under, while Donald is a shot further behind after some excellent scoring at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Davis has based himself in America to good effect and he went around his round with quiet efficiency and five birdies earned him a 66 and a place in the final pairing.

The Englishman will play alongside Furyk who produced some solid play to move up to 11-under. It could have been better for Furyk who left makeable putts on the topside at 15, 16 and 17, but made up for it by draining a swinging downhiller on 18 to take the lead outright.

Donald produced a flawless round of 67. Three birdies in the first five holes moved Donald firmly into contention and he kept the ball well in play for the rest of the round to leave him well placed behind the leaders on nine-under.

Heath Slocum stood on the 18th tee with a one-shot lead and found the fairway, but his second into the bunker proved costly as he failed to get out at the first time of asking and it cost him a double-bogey. It summed up his round as he mixed birdies and bogeys all day but is still in the hunt at nine-under.

"I played well today, hit a lot of good shots and made some putts," Slocum said. "But I got in trouble a couple of times and made bogeys, but overall it was a good day and I am in a position to go for the win tomorrow."

Three birdies, including one on the tough 18th, saw two-time Heritage winner Boo Weekley move up the leaderboard to nine-under. "I like the atmosphere here," Weekley said. "Everybody is so friendly and want to support you, it is a great venue and I hope the PGA Tour comes to its senses and keeps it here as this is one of the best places to play."

On a day when scoring was relatively easy, Canada's Stephen Ames made six birdies in a round of 65 to sit at nine-under. A pair of 66s from Briny Baird and Ricky Barnes lifted them to nine-under and well placed to strike on Sunday. Woody Austin drained an excellent birdie putt on 18 to move himself into the batch of players well placed at nine-under after 54 holes.

Nick O'Hern's game is well suited to the Hilton Head venue and he proved the point with a superb round of 64 to move into contention. The Australian produced some deft touch round the greens, twice chipping in, and is well placed on eight-under. "This golf course has always been one of my favourites and this week my short game has been good," he said. "I was struggling to make the cut yesterday, but knew a low score would bring me back into it."

Camilo Villegas has been in excellent form this year and he is firmly in contention after a 67 moved him up the standings to eight-under.

Zach Johnson holed a bunker shot on 18 for par, having left his first effort in the sand, to sit at seven-under.

Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson showed some excellent form with a 65 to move to six-under, but Paul Casey's charge stalled as bogeys on 16 and 17 saw him card a 70 - leaving him on three under.

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