Trace Crowe holds a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the 2026 Austin Championship at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, positioning himself for his first career PGA Tour victory. Due to forecasted inclement weather, tournament organizers have moved up tee times and adjusted the broadcast schedule for Sunday.
Third Round Action and Leaderboard
Crowe carded a one-under 71 on Saturday, marking his highest score of the week, but secured his lead by finishing with back-to-back birdies. His strong finish included holing out a bunker shot on the par-3 17th hole and sinking an 8-footer on the 18th.
Describing the shot on the 17th hole, Crowe said, “It was like 220 straight into the wind and I was just trying to hit a 4-iron as low as I could and push it just a touch. It was actually a pretty good shot to end up in that bunker, it was a good leave. It was a perfect lie, it was just sitting uphill and it just came out perfect and went in. Me and my caddie, we had a feeling I was going to make that before we got it, so it was pretty cool to see that go in.”
Crowe sits at 14 under par, leading Chad Ramey, Sami Valimaki, and Erik van Rooyen by a single stroke. While his nearest competitors already hold PGA Tour titles, Crowe is searching for his maiden win.
Schedule Changes and Broadcast Information
Because of expected severe weather on Sunday, players will start earlier and tee off from both the first and tenth tees in threesomes. Crowe will play in the final group alongside Ramey and Valimaki, with their tee time set for 10:01 a.m. ET.
Golf Channel will begin its live television coverage of the final round at 12:30 p.m. ET, with a simultaneous live stream available on Golfchannel.com and the Golf Channel App. Fans can also access PGA Tour Live streaming through an ESPN+ subscription.
The final round gets underway at 8:00 a.m. ET with players starting from both Tee No. 1 and Tee No. 10.
