• The Colonial, Round Three

Toms' lead evaporates after woeful third round

David Toms' game deserted him on day three © PA Photos

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David Toms capitulated on day three at the Crowne Plaza Invitational, the American carding a four-over 74 to see his seven-shot lead overhauled by Charlie Wi.

Toms, who began the day in control at the top of the leaderboard after successive rounds of 62, opened with a birdie but consecutive bogeys on the second and third proved to be the catalyst of his downfall.

Two more bogeys hurt him but a double bogey on 14 demonstrated he had completely lost his way, allowing Wi - who is aiming for his first PGA Tour title - to take his place at the top of the leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Toms on 13-under-par, after a stylish four-under 66.

Toms said: "I felt after the first six holes, I was just hanging on, trying not to make a mistake. Maybe I'll go out there with a little pressure off of me and see if we can do better on Sunday."

Defending champion Zach Johnson signed for a second successive 69 to finish day three on four-under for the tournament. The American got off to a great start, birdying the par-five first to give his round immediate impetus. Eight straight pars showed that his game was in good order but a lack of birdies hindered his progress. A bogey at the 10th proved to be a brief wobble as he replied with an instant birdie, but he failed to pick up another shot coming in as his title hopes all but evaporated.

Sergio Garica banished the demons of his second-round 73 with a far more productive 67. The Spaniard settled quickly with a birdie on his opening hole but a bogey at eight saw him hit the turn in 35. His round really came to life on the back nine, a rare mistake at the 12th failing to overshadow his good work which brought him four birdies. Sitting on four-under, Garcia is effectively out of the running but he'll be pressing for a final flourish on Sunday.

Two late birdies could not disguise Jim Furyk's third-round struggles. Like many of the players, Furyk picked up a shot at the first but a double-bogey six at the third appeared to play on his mind as he suffered an uncharacteristic crisis of confidence. He made three bogeys before holing back-to-back birdies from the 17th to finish on a much-needed high, although a 72 leaves him well adrift of Wi on two-under-par.

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