Bettencourt and Points tied after 54 holes in Miami

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MIAMI, Fla. -- Miami is ranked as "America's Cleanest City" according to Forbes magazine. D.A. Points produced the cleanest scorecard at Saturday's third round of the Miccosukee Championship, shooting a tournament-record 9-under 62.

D.A. Points carded his second 62 of the year Saturday in Miami. (Cohen/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

Points vs. Bettencourt through 54 Holes in Miami

Category Points Betten- court Eagles 1 0 Birdies 17 16 Pars 27 31 Bogeys 7 6 Double Bogeys 2 1 Other 0 0 Driving Accuracy 71.4% 59.5% Driving Distance 275.3 yds. 289.0% Putts per Round 27.7 27.0 Putts per GIR 1.543 1.657 Greens in Regulation 64.8% 64.8% Sand Saves 60.0% 100%

Points is tied with Matt Bettencourt (66) at 8-under 205 and the two share a one-stroke lead over Gavin Coles (68), overnight co-leader Marc Leishman (70) and Josh Broadaway (69), all at 7-under 206.

Daniel Summerhays (67), Scott Gardiner (68) and Bryce Molder (69), who bogeyed his last two holes, are tied for sixth at 6-under 207.

Chris Smith (66) and Reid Edstrom (68) are 5-under 208, tied for ninth, while second round co-leader Ricky Barnes (74) finished with a double bogey and fell back into a tie for 15th at 3 under.

The round was Points' second 62 of the year and fifth of his career on the Nationwide Tour, but not his career low. He shot 61 at the Gila River Golf Classic in 2002.

After a 25-minute delay for lightning, with Points finished and the leaders on the 16th hole, officials managed to complete the third round before thunderstorms and heavy rain pounded the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club.

Points, a 31-year-old three-time winner, started with a birdie at hole No. 10 before stringing together five more at holes 12-16. A bogey at the 17th cooled his jets for a couple of holes until he produced a sixth birdie at No. 2. A closing birdie, after an eagle at the fifth, turned a good round into a great one.

"I just tried to stay laid back," said Points, who started the day tied for 43rd. "Sometimes I want it so bad I get so amped-up that it becomes counter-productive. Nine out of 10 times I didn't know how many under I was when I've shot low rounds. The scores are low today. You have to go low to make the jump."

The University of Illinois graduate is 40th on the money list and a first or second place finish will vault him into THE 25. Points was the only player to notch two top-10 finishes at the early season events Down Under. He added two more top-10s at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic and the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. The good performance here is also satisfying for another reason.

"My mom and dad are here this week and they don't get to see me play that often," said Points, a Pekin, Ill., native. "Nothing makes me feel better than playing well in front of them. They were probably wondering where that round was on Thursday."

Bettencourt displayed a quiet confidence after combining six bogeys with one birdie. The Oregon Classic winner is No. 22 on the money list and wants to secure his spot in THE 25 and make his way to the PGA TOUR.

"I've been putting really well and that makes up for a lot of mistakes," said the Greenville, S.C., resident. "I'll stay focused tomorrow, try to put together a good round and whatever happens, happens. Hopefully, it's good enough to get a victory, but if not I'd like to finish in the top-5. That would secure my spot for next year."

There will be some changes in THE 25 on the money list. All players ranked Nos. 14-23 made the cut at the Miccosukee Championship, while Nos. 24, 25 and 26 missed. Players around the 60th position will also see some movement with only four of 15 players ranked Nos. 52-66 making it to the weekend. The four players in that group are Fran Quinn (75, tied for 40th), Chris Smith (65, tied for ninth), Gary Christian (71, tied for 55th) and Chad Ginn (70, tied for 11th).

Third-Round News & Notes: Preferred lies were in effect during the third round. ... Bogey-free rounds belong to Chris Smith (65) and Chad Ginn (70), who started with 15 consecutive pars. ... Scoring average for the third round was 70.379. ... Only three eagles were scored Saturday, all at the par-5 fifth hole (Alan Morin, Roger Tambellini, D.A. Points). ... Tee times for Sunday will start at 9:25 a.m. off the first and 10th tees.