2022 Mexico Open leaderboard, scores: Jon Rahm clings to two-shot lead after Round 3 at Vidanta

The pre-tournament favorite will attempt to go wire-to-wire with a win in Mexico on Sunday

Jon Rahm will sleep on the lead -- just as he did the last two nights -- as the world No. 2 stands alone at the top of the 2022 Mexican Open leaderboard at 15 under through three rounds. Looking to become the second consecutive wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour -- Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay did so last week at the Zurich Classic -- the six-time winner holds a slight advantage over the field heading into the action on Sunday.

Saturday's performance was not as pretty as the last two outings, as Rahm's iron play was fractionally off. Ranking 39th out of 74 players in strokes-gained on approach in Round 3, the Spaniard was unable to consistently give himself scoring opportunities. Combine this with finding the water off the tee on the par-4 10th and missing a short birdie chance on the par-5 12th, and it felt as if Rahm had his off-day. This should strike fear into the hearts of his competitors, as he was still able to sign for a 3-under 68 and looks unlikely to perform in such a fashion again. 

The leader

Jon Rahm (-15): The 27-year-old is 0-for-6 converting 36-hole leads, and occasionally looked flustered on Saturday. Perhaps pressing too much as he longs to make his way back into the winner's circle, an emphatic birdie on his closing hole may give him enough wiggle room to finally get off the schneid.

Well aware of his winless spell, Rahm said, "It's been a little bit of a while. The crowd loves me so far, I can tell. You know, they want me to win, so hopefully I can do it for them. But so far I'm proud of the way I've played, and I can just keep enjoying each moment and each second of it and hopefully play as solid as I have tee to green, keep hitting fairways, keep hitting greens, and like I said, just roll a few and hopefully extend that lead."

Contenders

T2. Cameron Champ, Kurt Kitayama (-13)

T4. Nate Lashley, Patrick Rodgers, Davis Riley (-12)

The way in which Champ is rolling the rock is extremely impressive, and if able to continue this tomorrow, he should have a realistic opportunity to dethrone Rahm. First in strokes gained off the tee and second in strokes gained putting, the long-hitting California native will need to sharpen his iron play in order to play spoiler. 

He is currently losing strokes on approach, which is hard to fathom, but it finally caught up to him at the end of his third round. Playing his final four holes in 2 over, Champ made a pair of sloppy bogeys and was unable to take advantage of the par-5 18th. He has the firepower to stick with Rahm off the tee, but whoever brings the cooperative iron play on Sunday will bring the Mexico Open trophy home. 

"My game has felt good. I'm in great spirits in the head, in life. So tomorrow, like I said, I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing," Champ said. "I feel like I haven't had everything there. My iron game, you know, I've hit a few shaky shots, but I've just been able to get around and score, putt and chip well. Tomorrow, like I said, this place, I love it here, it suits me well. I love the wind. Just excited for it."

Moving Day's biggest winner, loser

Winner -- Nate Lashley: The 39-year-old was able to keep his head above water with some short-game magic the first two days. Not necessarily striking the ball better in Round 3, Lashley's prowess on and around the green propelled him to the co-round of the day. A bogey-free 7-under 64 was the result of roughly 110 feet of made putts and a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 7th. Making up four strokes on the leader, Lashley is now three adrift and in with a chance to capture his second title on the PGA Tour.

Loser -- Patrick Reed: It felt as if Reed was due for a big week, and through the first 36 holes, he was well on his way. Beginning the day only three strokes off the pace at 9 under, Reed stalled with a round of 1-under 70 while those around him pushed up the leaderboard. The short game was only able to do so much for the 31-year-old on Saturday, as his ball-striking continues to be a problem. Now in a tie for 8th, the American is five back of Rahm and will need some assistance if he is to collect title No. 10 on the PGA Tour.

Rick Gehman and Jonathan Coachman recap, react and analyze Saturday's third round action at the Mexico Open. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The race for low Mexican golfer just got real

It is unlikely this year's Mexico Open winner will hail from the homeland, as only three Mexican golfers made it through to the weekend. Alvaro Ortiz looked like the best chance for a while as the defending champion reached 10 under at one point in his third round. Playing his last four holes in 4 over, Ortiz finished with a major blemish, making a triple-bogey 8 on the easy par-5 18th. 

"Yeah, it was a great round, it was a great round. I had two bad holes, but the other 16 I think were impeccable," Ortiz said. "I hit the ball really well, I just lost a little of the feeling there at the end, but I did so many good things. I putted incredible, I thought I hit the ball really well off the tee and gave myself a lot of chances. Just feeling well and excited for tomorrow. I already want to go out there and try to make a low one tomorrow."

He is joined by his brother, Carlos, at 6 under as the Ortiz family holds a one-stroke edge over Abraham Ancer. The world No. 20 has appeared sluggish in his return to competition after dealing with a back injury but should be a nice fit for next week's venue ofTPC Potomac. Alvaro will attempt to join his fellow countryman in the nation's capital as he is in need of a top-10 finish in order to gain entry into the Wells Fargo Championship.

Updated odds, picks

Here's a glance at the odds heading into the final round of the Mexico Open, courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.

• Jon Rahm: 4/7
• Cameron Champ: 6-1
• Kurt Kitayama: 11-1
• Davis Riley: 12-1
• Patrick Rodgers, Nate Lashley: 18-1

4/7 is a steep price to pay for a man who has not won in nearly a year, but it is about time he reenters the winner's circle. Last week saw a pair of elites capture their first victories of 2022, and I see this week playing out in a similar manner. He has flashed more upside with his irons through the first 54 holes compared to Champ. and should prove to be the eventual difference-maker.