Dustin Johnson retains share of the lead at Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Dustin Johnson was able to stave off a near-59 round from Ted Potter Jr. and a tough back nine of his own to remain tied for the lead heading into Sunday’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am finale.

Potter, off-camera for most of his third round, came oh so close on Saturday at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am to what used to be an almost unattainable score. The 34-year-old PGA Tour journeyman stole the thunder from 36-hole leader, world No. 1 Johnson, who led the tournament for much of Saturday until he dropped a shot at the par-4 10th hole at Pebble Beach while Potter was on a serious roll at the less challenging Monterey Peninsula track.

Needing just one birdie in his final three holes, Potter made a bogey at the par-4 eighth hole (his 17th of the day), which meant he had to ace the par-3 ninth to card a sub-60 round. No such luck, as he posted his second straight bogey to end the day with a 9-under 62.

Potter ended up three shots shy of joining Justin Thomas and a slew of other players in the formerly exclusive 59 club. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk owns the only official 58 in tour history, posting his mark at the 2016 Travelers Championship.

Potter, who had nine birdies and an eagle in an almost flawless third round, ended his day at 14-under for the week and tied with DJ, who made a birdie at his final hole, the par-5 18th, for a third-round 70.

Johnson, for his part, started out strong with an eagle at the par-5 second but struggled down the stretch with three bogeys. The birdie at the last, however, kept him in a share of the lead heading into Sunday’s finale.

“I got off to a really good start, even played pretty well on the back nine, had a lot of good looks at some nice birdies. Hit good putts, they just didn’t go in,” DJ told CBS about his round. “All in all I felt good about the game, got a lot of confidence going into tomorrow.”

Elsewhere in the star-studded field, Rory McIlroy played alongside Phil Mickelson for the first three rounds but won’t be around for the fourth. With the projected cut line at 4-under, even a terrific chip-in at the par-4 eighth could not extend McIlroy’s stay in his 2018 tour debut.

With a birdie-4 at the last, after finding the water off the 18th tee, McIlroy finished his inaugural Pro-Am contest with a 1-under.

“Today I hit some good shots … I just need a few putts to fall,” said McIlroy, who will join Tiger Woods next week at the Genesis Open. “A little bit of work over the next few days, then get myself ready for Riviera.

The formerly top-ranked Jason Day, who questioned McIlroy’s desire earlier in the week, came in with a 69 to get to 12-under for the tournament.

Mickelson and Steve Stricker headlined the senior division. Lefty, 47, treaded water with an uneventful third-round even-par but even after a disappointing bogey on No. 18, remained in contention at 9-under for the week and in a tie for eighth.

“I had a lot of opportunities that I let slide ... but I’m in contention,” said the four-time winner of the tournament. “I have a shot tomorrow with a good, hot round.”

Not to be outdone, Stricker, who’ll turn 51 in 13 days, finished at 11-under for the week and tied for fifth.

“Even though I’m, 50, I still feel like I’m capable of [winning golf tournaments],” Stricker said after his round of 70.

Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth was nearly taken out by an errant shot by actor Ray Romano, who was not even on the same hole as the defending champion.

Still, Spieth persevered, carding a 70. His inexplicable woes with the short stick continued, however, as he missed some shots around 10 feet and under — putts he used to be able to make in his sleep.

“When I’m playing alongside DJ and he’s playing so well, and I’m just not quite on my A game, it gets a little tougher out there,” said Spieth, who battled mononucleosis in the offseason. “But we had a great time these three days.”