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Min Woo Lee wags his finger in delight.

The Aussie drains a 34-foot putt up the hill on the 18th as shadows lengthen to finish his round with a birdie.

He's among a host of players who will be in the mix tomorrow.

Alex Smalley has an eagle putt incoming on the 16th. It's hardly easy. He's almost 50 feet right of the pin and has a ridge in the centre of the green to negotiate but this looks pretty good.

The American is only a fraction short of pace and now has birdie putt for a two-shot advantage over the field.

It's there. Course it is. This is some finish to his round. Well if he can hold it together.

Meanwhile, Maverick McNealy gets up and down from a bunker to record a birdie of his own having dropped a shot on the 15th.

Pretty much in keeping with their day so far Cameron Young and Justin Thomas end their rounds with bogeys.

They are now in a tie for 32nd and while they may only be five shots back on the current leader, the course management of both will need to significantly improve on Sunday to give them any sort of hope of contending.

You don't see too many Hideki Matsuyama fist pumps but one appears on the 16th after he chips in for an eagle as he knows just how crucial that could be.

It's been a rollercoaster for the former Masters champion today, who was three over for his round after five bogeys, but he's pulled all those shots back with a birdie on 14 and now this eagle on 16.

So even though he's just level par for his round that's just two shots off the pace.

A birdie at the 16th sandwiched in between two bogeys for Max Greyserman.

The 30-year-old American is now at the 18th attempting to end the round as he started - at three-under.

Four consecutive pars for Min Woo Lee, who is a further shot back.

A birdie for either player at the 18th would be massive.

Alex Smalley started this round like a bag of nerves. He was all over the place from the tee and toiling on the greens as he made bogeys on three of the first four holes.

At that stage it looked like his hopes of being in contention had been torpedoed.

But he is now the new outright leader after finding the heart of the cup with a putt from 26 feet, to record his fourth birdie in seven holes.

What a recovery.

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Jon Rahm was asked if a win would boost LIV Golf's chances of getting new funding: "Honestly, in a week like this one, I'm thinking more about myself. I'm not going to take on anything outside what I can control when it comes to competing tomorrow.

"If I do get it done and I sit here again tomorrow, then you can ask me the same question and I'll give you an answer.

"But what it would mean for Spain as well in the grand slam tally and being the last leg of the grand slam for us as well, there's a lot of things that would mean a lot, but too much of it is out of my control.

"So hopefully I can keep doing what I've done so far this week, especially today, and I get the chance to answer that tomorrow."

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England's Aaron Rai, speaking after signing for a three-under 67 to have a share of the lead: "A lot of things can and will change tomorrow. So, yeah, amazing to be here, but trying not to get too far ahead of myself also.

"It's an extremely testing course, so I think it demands a lot of presence, a lot of patience, a lot of clarity. I'm trying my best to really stick in there and kind of take what comes. There's always an element of nervousness, and I feel that, but I've really enjoyed it over the last couple of days, especially over the last nine holes or so today. It's a great situation to be in. It's a great golf course to challenge myself in."

Just reading Rai's post-round media chat back, the start of one of questions has been transcribed as 'I'm sure everyone in Wölffer Hampton and in England is watching on'. I'd love to know how that description of Wolverhampton goes down in the Black Country.

Scottie Scheffler actually makes a putt on the last, shame it's only for a bogey as the world number one signs for a 71 to finish on one under for the tournament.

Absolutely no joy on the greens today for the defending champion, who is going to need a big run on Sunday to stand a chance of keeping the Wanamaker Trophy for another year.

He's only three shots back as it stands but there are so many players up there it's going to be tough - esepcially if his putter doesn't warm up.

Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley both find the left greenside bunker on the par-three 14th.

This sort of shot is loathed by recreational golfers all over but these boys don't flinch.

It's more like a closest to the pin comp as they flop out and run their balls across the green to around two feet.

Delightful.

Well, not quite a full duff, but Scottie Scheffler left his second shot out of the bunker short of the 18th green, and he's then played a weak chip that's not made it up the hill and trickles back down off the surface.

And it gets worse - as his putt then from the bottom of the hill only just gets over the brow and still leaves him eight feet for bogey.

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Aldrich Potgieter's iron shot at the 15th has enough momentum to dribble close to the cup which gives the South African an easy birdie putt.

Stephan Jaeger goes agonisingly close with a monster birdie putt from 34 feet but the German has to settle for par.

Nothing's coming easy for Chris Gotterup but he's still battling away there and it's a really nice, crisp iron shot off the tee into the 14th green, leaving just 14 feet.

No birdie this time but three straight pars is a decent response to back-to-back bogeys earlier on.

Neither Maverick McNealy or Alex Smalley have hit the heights of their rounds on Thursday or Friday.

However, given they are only one stroke back any sort of of birdie blitz down the stretch could put either of them front and centre on Sunday.

And they both clearly fancy it as McNealy sweeps in a birdie putt from 15 feet or so, and then watches his playing partner sink his effort from five feet.

Both now are in a seven-way tie for the lead.

A 25-foot putt from Scottie Scheffler tracks all the way down the hill but it just slides by the right edge of the cup as the home crowd let out a huge groan.

They thought it was in all the way, Scheffller probably didn't as he's seen how most of his putts have gone today.

Ludvig Aberg has a lengthy putt for birdie on the last but it's more just a lag for a two-putt par, which he gets with ease to close on four under and in a share of the lead.

The Swede has been there or thereabouts a couple of times in majors already but this could be his best chance of landing one given how wide open it looks to be.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think Phil Kenyon (Scheffler's putting coach) will be on speed dial tonight.

Scottie Scheffler hits the front bunker on 16 but splashes out to seven feet to leave a putt for birdie. Want to guess if he made it or not?

Of course not, not the way Scheffler's putter has been behaving today, it's been stone cold and he's made next to nothing.

Unlike David Puig who drains a monster here for an eagle to jump back to one under.

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Xander Schauffele told Sky Sports: "The pins were easier today than the first few rounds. You just have to be in position on this golf course if you want to make any birdies. Making a birdie out the rough is the ultimate bonus. You are just trying anything you can to make par.

"I am trying to lock in as much as I can. Not that I'm not locking in on other events, but you just want a chance on Sunday as a player. It looks like I'll have a decent one tomorrow."

Aaron Rai's chip runs into around four feet. He just need to roll this in for a share of the clubhouse lead.

In it goes. It's a bogey to finish on an otherwise positive day.

Rai signs for a three-under 67 and will have a decent chance to become only the second English winner of this tournament on Sunday.