Luke Donald shot a 2-under-par 69 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C., while top-ranked Jason Day had a season-worst 79 to fall nine shots back with one round left.
Day, who was tied for the lead entering the round, had won two of his past three PGA Tour events and figured to contend at Harbour Town. Instead, the Australian made eight bogeys and a double bogey.
Donald had a 7-under 206 total.
Jason Kokrak and Charley Hoffman were a stroke back. Kokrak shot a 68, and Hoffman bogeyed the closing lighthouse hole for a 71.
Now, Donald looks to end his hard-luck history at Harbour Town. The Englishman has five top-three finishes without a win.
Donald was a stroke behind when the round started and quickly moved up with three birdies on his first eight holes to reach 8 under.
He bogeyed the 13th and trailed Hoffman by a shot. But Donald steadied his game with five straight pars over the windy back nine to get himself on top once more.
Donald has won more than $2.5 million at the RBC Heritage, the third-highest total. But he’s known as much for his disheartening defeats on Pete Dye’s tricky layout. Brandt Snedeker rallied from six shots behind Donald to force a playoff and win in 2011.
Three years later, Matt Kuchar’s chip-in from a bunker in front of the 72d hole capped a four-shot comeback and left Donald in second once more.
‘‘I think it’s a bit dangerous to say a place owes you,’’ Donald said. ‘‘Certainly, I’ve knocked on the door many times. I’d love to put that tartan jacket on tomorrow.’’
One who figured to join the battle was Day, but his round went bad right from the start.
Playing in the final group, Day came up short of the first green and made bogey. Two holes later he drove into water way right of the third fairway for a double-bogey 6. The wheels came off for good during an awful stretch around the turn — Day made five bogeys in a six-hole span.
His 79 was his highest round of the year and his worst showing in 63 rounds since an 81 last year in the second round of The Players Championship.
Day attempted to take his poor play in stride, signing autographs for fans behind the 18th green. After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The WCG-Dell Match Play, finishing 10th at the Masters, Day said several times this week he was ready for a break — which the PGA Championship winner will get next week.
Hoffman also has a score to settle with Harbour Town. He was the 54-hole leader here in 2013, yet ballooned to a 77 in the final round. He looked like he would hold the lead after moving to 8 under, one up on Donald, with a birdie on the 16th hole. Yet, he missed a 6-footer for par on No. 17 and a 17-foot putt from the back fringe on No. 18.
LPGA — Minjee Lee shot an 8-under 64 to win the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina in Hawaii by one stroke, marking the second LPGA Tour title for the 19-year-old Australian who won the Kingsmill Championship last year in Virginia.
Lee played a seven-hole stretch in 6 under with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 13th and four birdies to rebound from a third-round 74. Third-round leader Katie Burnett and US Women’s Open champion In Gee Chun tied for second.
Champions — Wes Short Jr. shot a 5-under 67 in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., to take a one-shot lead over Colin Montgomerie, Todd Hamilton, and Mark O’Meara into the final round.
European — France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera shot an even-par 71 in high wind to take the third-round lead in the Spanish Open at Valderrama. Lorenzo-Vera took a one-shot lead over Martin Kaymer, Joost Luiten, and England’s Andrew Johnston.
