Bradley remains in charge despite late bogey

Former champion Keegan Bradley stayed on track for a wire-to-wire victory at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, despite bogeying the par-four 18th for a third day in a row on Sunday morning.

Three ahead of the chasing pack overnight, the 26-year-old American ground out a 2-under-par 68 in tricky scoring conditions to end the third round with a slender one-shot lead at 13-under 197.

Bradley came desperately close to finding water off the tee at the last, pulling his drive well left into rocks from where he had to chip out sideways on to the fairway before signing off with a five.

In pursuit of a fourth triumph on the PGA Tour, he mixed five birdies with three bogeys in hot, breezy conditions to retain his place atop the leaderboard at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas.

South Korean Bae Sang-moon was alone in second after firing a 66, with American journeyman Tom Gillis (67) a further stroke back at 11-under, having holed out from a greenside bunker to birdie the last.

Australia's Nathan Green carded a 2-under third round to stand alone in ninth place with 7-under overall.

Compatriots Marc Leishman and Cameron Percy are tied for 16th at 5-under overall after both shooting 1-under for the round.

Bradley, winner of the Byron Nelson Championship in 2011, initially found the going tough in the third round, following a birdie at the third with bogeys at the fifth and sixth for his lead to be cut to one.

However, he rebounded with a two-putt birdie at the par-5 seventh, then rolled in a 14-footer to birdie the ninth and reach the turn two strokes in front at 12-under.

Despite strengthening winds on a layout becoming increasingly fast and firm, the long-hitting American drained a 35-foot birdie putt at the par-4 11th to stretch his lead to three shots.

Bae cut the deficit to two when he sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the 13th and was poised to get even closer after hitting a superb wedge approach to just three feet at the par-5 16th.

Though the Korean went on to birdie that hole, Bradley matched him by splashing out of a greenside bunker and coolly rolling in a 12-foot putt.

Bradley did well to save par at the 198-yard 17th, hitting a stunning second shot out of a greenside bunker to three feet, but once again he struggled at his nemesis hole, the challenging 18th, which he had bogeyed in each of the two previous rounds.

Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, playing in the Byron Nelson Championship for the first time, was among a group of four players knotted at 8-under after shooting a 69.