By Jeremy Harness

NAPA – Silverado Resort and Spa is not known as an easy course by any stretch of the imagination. Just ask anyone who plays there on a regular basis.

On Saturday, Sang-Moon Bae made Silverado’s North Course look like a beginner’s track and not one designed for a PGA Tour event that is supposed to test the best players in the world.

With the exception of a pair of three-putt bogeys, the South Korea native who now lives in the Dallas-area had a rare-air round with a seven-under 65 to take a commanding four-stroke lead going into the final round of the Frys.com Open.

Bae’s putter got hot almost immediately from the start, as he went on a birdie barrage from holes two through six. He started the run at the 240-yard par-three second by sticking a hybrid four feet from the hole and draining the birdie putt.

“I felt like I played perfect (Saturday), besides two bogeys,” Bae said. “Five birdies in a row was really fun. I read every break on the green (well). It was a really easy game.”

His signature shot, however, came at the drivable, 292-yard par-4 17th hole, as he hit a left-to-right fade off the tee that did not appear to be on a good line, particularly with a deep bunker guarding the front of the green.

However, his drive landed about 10 feet past the front edge of the green – directly over the front bunker – and rolled to about six feet away from the hole. Bae then drained that putt for an eagle to pad his lead, moments after rookie Zac Blair had birdied the same hole one group ahead of him.

“I knew the pin position is really hard on that hole, only three (yards) from the right (edge of the green),” Bae said when asked if he considered laying up to a wedge distance to approach the green more conservatively. “If I hit a wedge shot, it’s a really hard hole.

“I really hit a solid drive, a pretty solid high shot that was a little lucky, too.”

He didn’t hit as good a drive at the 18th, as he ended up in the fairway bunker on the right side. However, he quickly regrouped on the par-five and, after blasting his second shot into the fairway and knocking his approach into the middle of the green, he put a perfect roll on a 15-footer that found the hole to close the round with a birdie.

It hasn’t been all about the putter for Bae – even though it has had a big hand in his current position – as the Frys.com Open has seen a remarkable turnaround with his short game, as has been the case with 36-hole leader Martin Laird.

Bae was only able to salvage par from off the green 57 percent of the time last season, ranking him 112th on the PGA Tour. Conversely, he has gotten it up and down 11 of 12 times this week.

Meanwhile, Blair had closed to one stroke of Bae after his birdie at the 17th, which saw him hit a long iron off the tee and hit a wedge to 10 feet to set things up.

The 24-year-old, who really looks more like a teenager than a recent college grad, finished his round with a three-under 69 and recovered very nicely from two straight bogeys on the 12th and 13th and, with his second position, will be paired with Bae Sunday afternoon.

“It’s been a great start so far,” said Blair, who shot a six-under 66 on Friday to get himself into the mix. “I’d like to go out and play well tomorrow and finish it off.”

Laird didn’t quite get on a the tear that he did on Friday and appeared to be sliding out of contention a bit, as his wedges and putter gave him trouble while three-putting the fifth and eighth greens.

However, he was able to steady himself and scored two-under on the back nine to finish with a one-under 71 for the day and is currently tied for third with Brooks Koepka and Scott Langley, Bae’s Saturday playing partner.

“I putted great yesterday and today, the speed – I thought the greens were maybe a little slower today and just struggled with the speed a little bit,” Laird said. “(But) I just said to my caddie coming down the last (hole that) I really didn’t play very well and still shot one-under, so I’m still in the tournament.”