NIGHTMARE THIRD-ROUND 78 BY RUSSELL KNOX

• PATRICK REED looks to pass major test at Quicken Loans; Justin Rose in the mix

  FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
• By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

BETHESDA, Maryland -- Congressional Country Club doled out birdies grudgingly and bogeys with abandon on Saturday.
This may have been the third round of the Quicken Loans National but the way the venerable Blue Course played was worthy of a major championship -- and Congressional has hosted four.
Only 13 players bettered par in the third round -- but none of the four overnight leaders managed it. Patrick Reed's round of 71 was the best of that group and with it he extended his lead to two strokes entering the final round.

Marc Leishman, who was one of the three tied with Reed at the start of the round, posted a 73 that left him tied at 4 under with Seung-Yul Noh and Freddie Jacobson.
 Noh's round of 66 was the best of the day -- by two strokes -- and he was done 18 minutes after the final group left the first tee.
"I actually said to Matty, my caddie, ... on the back nine, 'It feels a bit like a U.S. Open' because there were a few pins that you really didn't have a chance to get at," Leishman said. "But I think that's good.
"It's a tough golf course. It's long; if you're not in the fairway, you have no chance. If you are on the fairway and you hit a good shot, you can make birdie. Yeah, I think it's great to change it up like that occasionally where par is a really good score."
A total of 19 players will start the final round within five strokes of Reed's lead, including 2013 U.S. Open champ Justin Rose at 3 under and defending champ Bill Haas, who is another shot back. 
Reed is a formidable front-runner, though -- the 23-year-old has won each of the three times he's held the 54-hole lead.
"That was one of those days that we were able to grind it out," he said. "It played tough. It seemed to get firmer and faster as the day went on, and you know, it was just a lot of adjusting you had to do during the round. You know, we handled it pretty well and luckily we have the lead going into tomorrow."
Leishman said the crusty greens were getting that "bluish color." And the lush rough is nothing short of brutal, making players try to minimize the errors, according to Reed. Shots that would have stopped earlier in the week "just seemed to bound and just keep going," the leader added.
No wonder the scoring average on Saturday was the highest of the week at 1.480 over par. As far as Sunday is concerned? Well, Rose, who won the 2010 Quicken Loans National, would like nothing better than to see the firm, fast conditions continue.
"The only fear I have is it's such a bunched leaderboard that if they dump some water on the golf course and we still get a hot day like we did today, someone could really come out early tomorrow and post a number, which I think won't really suit the leaders too much," he said.
"Obviously I'd be a fan of them letting them go a little bit and making this a tough tournament and sort of having another U.S. Open I feel like. That would be my wish right now. ... It's definitely a test. It was fun."
SCOTSWATCH: Russell Knox had a nightmare round of 78 on Saturday and dropped to a share of 62nd place on 218. The Inverness exile had a triple bogey 8 at the long ninth and a double bogey 5 at the short 10th with bogeys coming at the first, fourth, 14th and 16th. He did birdie the fifth and 18th.

LEADERBOARD
Par 213 (3x71)
207 Patrick Reed (USA) 68 68 71
209 Seung Yul Noh (S Korea) 73 70 66, Freddie Jacobson (Sweden) 67 71 71, Marc Leishman (Australia) 70 66 71
SELECTED SCORES
210 Justin Rose (England) 74 65 71 (T5)
218 Russell Knox (Scotland) 73 67 78 (T62)