The New Zealand golfer, Danny Lee, has lost more ground in the first leg of the PGA playoffs in New Jersey.
Danny Lee at Plainfield Country Club, New Jersey, 2015. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
After sitting in fifth after a first round 66, Lee's second round 71 dropped him back to 15th, before he slipped into a tie for 33 with a third round 71.
The Rotorua player is at two-under for the tournament, nine strokes off the pace.
Day three in Edison lived up to its "moving day" moniker as the Korean, Bae Sang-moon, and the PGA champion, Jason Day, scorched to the top of the leaderboard.
Both players carded seven-under par third-rounds to sit at 11 under for the tournament, a stroke clear of the American, Bubba Watson, who led afters days one and two.
Bae will soon be making about $130 per month in the South Korean military.
"It's mandatory in South Korea," Bae, 29, told reporters about his upcoming two-year military service. "I have a little mixed emotion.
"Actually, I have a really tough situation right now," added the South Korean, who won his second PGA title in the 2014-15 season.
"I have to go back. So that is a few weeks later. So I just want to play good golf this week and really want to play Presidents Cup in my country."
Bae Sang-moon, New Jersey, 2015. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Presidents Cup match play competition will be held in Asia for the first time with the International team hosting the United States in Incheon, South Korea, starting on October the 8th.
Bae, 25th on the International standings, needs a strong finish on Sunday and next week to jump into the top 10 and qualify for the team.
Otherwise, he will have to be named as one of Captain Nick Price's wildcard picks to compete.
"I hope to play well tomorrow and Mr. Nick Price can pick me up," said Bae.
Day matched Bae with a 63 of his own to share a one-stroke lead on 11-under-par 199 at Plainfield Country Club after a warm, sunny day that proved ideal for scoring.
Double Masters winner Bubba Watson, the halfway leader, shot 67 to fall one shot behind.
Two shots from the lead were Sweden's Henrik Stenson (67) and Americans Ryan Palmer (65) and British Open champion Zach Johnson, who bogeyed the last for 67.
Day and Bae played together and seemed to inspire each other as they alternated birdies through the first five holes after Bae started the string at the first.
"Sang-moon (got) off to a good start, and he hit it great all day. We were kind of feeding off each other, drafting off each other today," said Day.
The top 100 players on the points list following the New Jersey event qualify for next week's playoff leg near Boston, with 70 players advancing to the third event outside Chicago.
The leading 30 move on to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.