Stewart tied for 26th after three rounds of Assistant PGA Professional Championship

   The ACE Club’s Billy Stewart heads up the Philadelphia Section PGA foursome going into the final round of the 41^st National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   The 33-year-old Stewart, a Malvern Prep and Saint Joseph’s University product, carded a 1-over-par 73 over the 7,123-yard, par-72 Wanamaker Course layout Saturday to keep it under par through three rounds at 1-under 215. That leaves him tied for 26^th in the Assistant PGA Professional Championship, which is also supported by Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO, John Deere and Golf Advisor.

   Stewart was paired with fellow Philly Section pro Jordan Gibbs of Gulph Mills Golf Club as both entered round 3 at 2-under 142 after identical 69-74 splits in the first two rounds. The 30-year-old Gibbs, winner of the 2016 Philadelphia Section PGA Championship, struggled on the back nine of the Wanamaker Course and finished with a 4-over 76 that left him tied for 38^th at 2-over 218.

   He was joined at that figure by Brian Bergstol of the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, who keeps getting better each day. The 32-year-old Bergstol needed an even-par 72 in Friday’s second round to make the cut on the number and picked up a couple of late birdies Saturday for a 2-under 70 that drew him even with Gibbs at 218.

   Bergstol won the Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship, which was the qualifier for this event, at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale.

   Andrew Turner of Sunnybrook Golf Club struggled to a 5-over 77 in the third round and is alone in 63^rd place at 5-over 221.

   Derek Berg, a 33-year-old assistant at Sahalee Country Club in Washington, had four straight birdies on the back nine at the Wanamaker Course to hold onto the lead with a 1-under 71 that left him at 10-under 206.

   Berg had a one-shot lead at 9-under 135 after rounds of 67 and 65, but was limping along at 2-over for his round Saturday when he rattled off birdies at 13, 14, 15 and 16 to get to 2-under for the day. A bogey at the 17^th dropped him back to 1-under for the round.

   He’s being chased by a couple of 23-year-olds, Callum McNeill of The Clubs at Houston Oaks and Ryan Botts of Old Hickory Country Club in Tennessee, who are tied for second at 9-under 207.

   McNeill fired a 4-under 68 while Botts, who trailed Berg by a shot after two rounds, matched Berg’s 1-under 71 to get it to 9-under.

   Ryan Zylstra of The Federal Club in Virginia and Benjamin Cook of Beechmont Country Club in Michigan are another shot behind McNeill and Botts in a tie for fourth at 8-under 208. Zylstra posted a 4-under 68 while Cook checked in with a 2-under 70.

   Stewart, the 2015 Pennsylvania Open winner who has bounced back nicely after spending 2016 rehabbing from surgery, had four bogeys and three birdies in his 1-over round. The last bogey came at 18, which probably left him with a bad taste in his mouth.

   Gibbs got it to 4-under for the tournament with birdies at the first and seventh holes, but couldn’t sustain his momentum. He made six bogeys in his last 10 holes to fall back to 2-over..

   Bergstol, on the other hand, started on the 10^th and offset a bogey at 11 with birdies at 13 and 16 for a 1-under on Wanamaker’s back side. He  birdied the first, but then made a double bogey at the second to fall back to even-par for the round before making birdies at three and six to catch Gibbs at 2-over.