WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - Sebastian Munoz has history on his side and history working against him at the Greenbrier Classic.
The 24-year-old Colombian rookie has a two-shot lead after three rounds, firing a 2-under-par 68 Saturday on the Old White TPC course. He is leading with a 14-under 196 on the par-70 layout.
He would fit right in with the history of the event - of the six champions, two have been rookies (Scott Stallings, Ted Potter Jr.) and four were under 30 years old (Stallings, Potter, Jonas Blixt, Danny Lee).
Then there are the odds against a wire-to-wire winner, as Munoz has led after each round following a first-round 61. He was tied briefly Saturday by Robert Streb and Kelly Kraft, but rallied with two birdies on the back nine.
No third-round leader has won the Classic. Or second- and first-round leaders, for that matter. In fact, the six winners have come from behind the last day by an average of 3.2 strokes.
That history would favor Xander Schauffele and Jamie Lovemark, who are at 11 under, three shots behind Munoz and one behind second-place Streb.
Munoz dominated with the putter once again, with his four birdie putts coming from 26, 10, 25 and 35 feet. The total distance of his made putts was 126 feet, bringing his tournament total to 396 feet, tops for the week by a fair margin.
He did three-putt the par-3 fifth as he scratched out an even 34 on the front nine. He regrouped for a back-nine 34 with the two birdies, including a round-turning gem on the 13th.
Munoz missed eight of 14 fairways, including that hole. He missed left, not far from Howard's Creek. He then hit the green and sank his 25-foot putt.
"I feel like the key shot was the approach on 13," Munoz said. "I believe I had kind of a bad lie. It was, like, 186 to the front and I just swung as hard as I could with a 6[-iron] and we just got a great bounce.
"It kicked up and the putt went in [and] it kind of switched the gears in my head and it's like, 'OK, let's go save this round.' "
Streb shot a 65, tied for the lowest round of the day. He had the best shot of the day, landing his second stroke on the par-5 12th within 1 1/2 feet. He tapped that in for an eagle and the 12-under score, which stayed put after six closing pars.
He had the second-best shot of the day, too - a 91-foot putt from off the green on the first hole.
"The lie [on the 13th] ended up being pretty good, so I thought I could just get a hybrid on it, hopefully get it up there somewhere, chip in [to the green] and give myself a chance at a 4," Streb said. "Obviously, panned out better than that."
Schauffele, a PGA Tour rookie like Munoz, and Lovemark both shot 66s. Schauffele also eagled the 12th, hitting a 59-foot putt to do it. Lovemark finished the round with a birdie on the par-5 17th, led off by a 334-yard drive and finishing with a 5-foot putt.
Kraft, Russell Henley and Davis Love III are tied for fifth at 10 under. There are two strokes separating the rest of the pack, with Tony Finau, Nick Taylor and defending champion Lee tied for eighth at 8 under.
Munoz has avoided the collapse he suffered after sharing a second-round lead at the St. Jude Classic a month ago in Memphis. He was planning on watching another 1980s movie, following screenings of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Rain Man."
And he's keeping his phone off, which he has done since Thursday.
Munoz helped gain his PGA Tour card by winning a Web.com Tour event in his native Colombia in 2016. He entered that event on a sponsor exemption.
He's trying to emulate countryman Camilo Villegas, a four-time tour champion who is on his way to regaining full status this year.
"I've known him a long time, but I met him on the Web.com Tour playoffs last year," Munoz said. "Since then, I've been trying to play practice rounds with him, kind of be beside him a lot. He's definitely taught me a lot."
Contact Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or dougsmock@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @dougsmock and read his blog at http://blogs.wvgazettemail.com/dougsmock/.