Matt Kuchar carries narrow lead into final round of US PGA Invitational

American Matt Kuchar put the finishing touches on his impressive rain-hit second round on Saturday and then maintained a one-shot lead after the third round of the US PGA Invitational in Texas.

Kuchar, who clinched his fifth PGA Tour title at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February, made three pars in the early hours at Colonial Country Club to complete a 5-under 65 second round before a third-round 69 left him with an 11-under total of 199.

Fellow Americans Matt Every (66), Chris Stroud (67) and Boo Weekley (66) and Canadian Graham DeLaet (69) were a further shot back at 10-under.

Marc Leishman remained the best of the Australians but his 1-over third round saw him slip 23 places into a tie for 32nd at 4-under overall.

Greg Chalmers (1-under) and Stuart Appleby (2-over) were the only other Aussies to make the cut.

Sunday's final round will be wide open as 22 players are within five shots of Kuchar.

World number 13 Kuchar opened his third round with a birdie on the first but stumbled with bogeys at the par-four seventh and par-three eighth.

But the five-time winner steadied the ship and birdied the par-five 11th and par-three 16th to grab the outright lead.

DeLaet looked like he would grab the third-round lead after three birdies in his opening 11 holes but thoughts of his maiden PGA Tour win were tempered with three bogeys at 13, 14 and 17.

A closing birdie allowed the three-time Canadian Tour winner to keep the dream alive.

Every made his run with three birdies in his opening six holes and another at the 13th. He bogeyed the 14th but gained the stroke back with a birdie mat 18.

Two-time tour winner Weekley had four birdies in his opening 12 holes, added further birdies at 15 and 18 but dropped a shot on the 14th and 16th holes.

After a bogey on the fifth, Stroud claimed four birdies in the final 13 holes to move into contention.