ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Brendon de Jonge shot a 3-under-par 67 Saturday and increased his lead at the Nationwide Tour's Xerox Classic. De Jonge's 54-hole total of 12-under 198 is three shots better than rookie Jonathan Fricke (63) and England's Greg Owen (67).

Leading money winner Jarrod Lyle (66) is alone in fourth place, four back of the 28-year-old leader. Alex Prugh (66) and Canada's David Hearn (69) share fifth place, five behind de Jonge, who is searching for his first career win.

The former Virginia Tech standout held a two-shot lead at the start of the day and battled his way around the Irondequoit Country Club course, the shortest on Tour at just 6,720 yards. De Jonge was steady despite some swirling winds and was up by two after 17.

His second shot on the closing hole, an uphill par-4 that stretches 478 yards, hit the right side of the green and bounded down a hill and settled against the grandstands. After getting a drop, de Jonge faced a tricky uphill shot to a close pin.

"I dropped it into a good lie where I didn't have too many options," he said. "I had a good lie to flop it. Honestly, I was thinking to try and get it about 10 feet past the hole and make that putt for par."

He didn't need a putter. He turned lemons into lemonade with a pitch that landed about 10 feet short of the hole and had perfect speed before finding the cup for a bonus birdie and a three-stroke advantage heading into Sunday's chase for the $108,000 first-place check.

De Jonge is No. 12 on the money list and already in solid shape for a return trip to the PGA Tour in 2009, but a win would lock things up and push him to either No. 1 or No. 2 on the list depending on how the Australian Lyle fares on Sunday.

"I'm to a point now where I've gotten myself in this position or around this position and I'm getting more comfortable," he said.

Chasing him is Fricke, a rookie from suburban Atlanta who carded his second-best round of the season. His 63 Saturday is topped only by an 8-under 62 at the Fort Smith Classic in May. Fricke's charge up the leaderboard came courtesy of his work on the greens, where he canned six birdie putts that ranged between 20 and 30 feet.

"I put a new putter in play a few weeks ago and since then I have made just about everything I've looked at," he said. "It's happened every so often. I'm the type of putter that when they start going in, I tend to make a whole lot. I'm really streaky. I've always made a lot of putts from inside eight feet and I seem to have it close from outside 15 to 20 feet. Once that first one goes in, they all seem to start going in."

Fricke came into the week having missed the cut in his last seven starts and stands only No. 137 on the money list but was encouraged in his progress.

"I've had a lot of good things going on the last few weeks. It just keeps building and building," he said. "All the hard work is finally coming into its own."

It all came together down the stretch for Fricke, who rolled in birdies on four of his final five holes, including the treacherous final three.

Owen is No. 11 on the money list and knows that a big finish would also guarantee him a return trip to the Tour, where he played from 2005-07.

"I'm in a good position, but obviously I need to get off to a good start and put some pressure on the leaders," he said. "It's hard work on this Tour. There are so many good players out here. I know that every shot could make a big difference for the rest of my life."

Lyle into contention with a 4-under 66 that put him at 8-under through 54 holes. He already has two wins on his resume this year and a third and a third victory would be worth an instant promotion to the PGA Tour for the remainder of this season and all of the 2009 campaign.

Third-Round News & Notes: The third-round scoring average was 70.831. ... Players who were bogey-free in Saturday's third round: Cameron Percy (67). ... Alex Prugh shot a 4-under 66 and is 7 under through 54 holes. Prugh, a rookie on Tour this year, has now posted sub-par scores in 12 of his last 13 rounds. The 23-year old University of Washington graduate has finished tied for sixth, tied for third and tied for 37th in his last three starts and has climbed from No. 113 to No. 55 on the money list.

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