SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Looking to one-up last month’s runner-up finish in First Stage of Q-School at Soboba Springs, 49-year-old Australian Cameron Percy followed an opening-round 6-under 65 at TPC Scottsdale (Champions) with back-to-back 66s in Rounds 2 and 3. In Round 3, he offset a lone bogey at the par-4 16th with six birdies and will carry a two-stroke lead into Friday’s final round at 16-under 197.

“Even though I let a few slip away out there, which would’ve made tomorrow a little easier, I cannot complain," said Percy. "I’m really happy about the round today. I didn’t place well in Mexico last month on the PGA TOUR, but I feel like I did play well. The same can be said for me in Bermuda after Mexico.”

Percy came into Round 3 today one stroke off Wes Short Jr.’s 12-under lead. Even with the overnight lead before tomorrow, a cautious confidence is providing Percy the drive to continue forging ahead.

“The PGA TOUR is the toughest, most challenging golf in the world to compete with,” added Percy. “So, I like the confidence I’m hanging on to, knowing I’ve been playing well out there.”

Percy, who turns 50 on May 5, 2024, claims a P2 at the 2010 Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas as his best finish in 220 TOUR starts.

Percy’s best of four top-25 finishes in 23 PGA TOUR starts this past season was a T12 at The Classic in the Palm Beaches (formerly The Honda Classic). After opening the World Wide Technology Championship on TOUR last month in 10-under 62, he settled for T59.

Of 12 total top-10 finishes on TOUR, three came in the 2021-22 campaign, his career-most for a single-season.

Less than two months after turning 50, Melbourne, fellow Aussie to Percy, Steve Allan, followed rounds of 68-66 (-8) with his best showing of the week with a 6-under 65. The 65 places Allan alone in second place at 14-under 199, two strokes off Percy’s lead. He began Round 3 four strokes off Wes Short, Jr.’s lead.

Though he ended his round on a sour note with his lone bogey of the day, five birdies and an eagle provided Allan the bigger picture he was hoping to have.

“I did play well, rolled the ball well,” Steve Allan said. “But, I made the turn and just didn’t feel like I was able to keep it going on that same level. All in all, I’m happy. If someone had told me at the start of the day I would’ve shot 6-under 65, I can assure you I wouldn’t be complaining.”

Yet to make a start on PGA TOUR Champions, Allan brings with him a solid past that spans a variety of tours worldwide.

In addition to two international titles, including the 2002 Australian Open on home turf, Allan’s best of nine PGA TOUR top-10 finishes, both runner-up showings, came in 2003 and 2004. At the 2004 Barracuda Championship, he – along with Hunter Mahan and PGA TOUR Champions member Scott McCarron – lost to Vaughn Taylor in sudden death. In 164 Korn Ferry Tour starts from 2003-17, Allan’s best finish, a T2, came in 2015 in Colombia.

Allan made his way to Final Stage this week by virtue of a T13 finish in First Stage at Soboba Springs.

Highlighted by a holed greenside bunker shot at No. 15 for birdie, as well as additional birdies to end his round on Nos. 17 and 18, 55-year-old Omar Uresti posted a 4-under 67 for the second day in a row. Uresti rolled in a 35-foot putt for a birdie on the last hole to complete the round of 67.

“That putt at the last hole helped a lot," Uresti said. "I’m really pleased with how this round ended. It got us one stroke closer to getting the job done. I just need to come back out tomorrow and try to play the same way and minimize the mistakes."

At the conclusion of Round 4, the top-five finishers will be fully exempt into all open, full-field events for PGA TOUR Champions in the 2024 season. In addition, players finishing sixth through 30th will be eligible to apply for PGA TOUR Champions Associate Membership for the 2024 season, affording them the opportunity to enter 2024 PGA TOUR Champions weekly event qualifiers.

This year’s field stands as one of the strongest in event history, as 20 players have combined for 46 combined titles between the PGA TOUR (34) and PGA TOUR Champions (12).

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