After completing his third round on Sunday morning, Sam Burns was 9-under par, and will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the The Genesis Invitational. Play was suspended twice, first due to heavy winds, and later because of darkness.

Burns, the 24-year-old Louisiana native, had reeled off 31 consecutive holes without a blemish on the card, but produced four bogeys in a seven-hole span (Nos. 8-14) during his third set at Riviera.

A wire report noted that the “winds were so strong at one point on Saturday, that Keegan Bradley’s putt was blown off the green at No. 10.”

And Burns said the winds on Sunday morning haven’t let up much.

“Even this morning the golf course was playing hard. The wind wasn’t down much, it’s still blowing every bit of 15,” said Burns, who is seeking his maiden PGA Tour title. “Yeah, I think just to grind it out there at the end and see what happens the rest of the day.”

At 9-under par, Burns was two shots clear of Matthew Fitzpatrick (69), Max Homa (70), and Dustin Johnson (71).

A logjam of six players were tied for fifth on 5-under par, including Matt Jones (69), Talor Gooch (69), Tony Finau (70), Cameron Smith (71), Patrick Cantlay (71), and Alex Noren (71).

Jordan Spieth opened with three birdies in his first six holes, and had moved up to second-place on the leaderboard. But when the wind arrived at Riviera, the 27 year old’s chances blew away like an empty bag of chips.

Spieth finished his final 12 holes with six bogeys, five pars, and just one additional birdie, en route to a 2-over 73. He was five shots off the pace at 4-under par and tied for 11th, alongside Jason Kokrak (74), and Wyndham Clark (73).

In all, only 11 players posted a round in the red, and only three broke 70 (on a par 71 course).

2021 Genesis Invitational

Leaderboard: Round-3

Pos-Player-To Par (Today)
1. Sam Burns -9 (+2)
2. Matthew Fitzpatrick -7 (-2)
2. Max Homa -7 (-1)
2. Dustin Johnson -7 (E)
5. Matt Jones -5 (-2)
5. Talor Gooch -5 (-2)
5. Tony Finau -5 (-1)
5. Cameron Smith -5 (E)
5. Patrick Cantlay -5 (E)
5. Alex Noren -5 (E)
11. Jordan Spieth -4 (+2)
11. Wyndham Clark -4 (+2)
11. Jason Kokrak -4 (+3)

Round-3 Pairings

1:02 pm – Spieth (-4), Clark (-4), Noren (-5)
1:13 pm – Finau (-5), Smith (-5), Cantlay (-5)
1:24 pm – Jones (-5), Gooch (-5), Homa (-7)
1:35 pm – Johnson (-7), Fitzpatrick (-7), Burns (-9)