Swede Carl Pettersson posted a four-under 66 to maintain his lead after the third round of the PGA Wyndham Championship on Saturday.

American Scott McCarron (64) is two shots adrift of Pettersson who reached 19-under 191 total.

Briny Baird (62), Garrett Willis (69) and Kevin Streelman (67) are tied for third at 13-under, six shots back of Pettersson.

Pettersson got his weekend started with a superb 61 in the second round at the Sedgefield course.

Pettersson said the temptation is to press too much after shooting such a low score the day before.

"Unless you get off to a really hot start, you kind of feel like you're behind the eight-ball," Pettersson said.

"Sometimes, you can start pressing too much, and in golf, pressing's not really good to do.

"You've got to let the birdies happen, let the putts go in. You can't really force them in. I think it's easy to get agitated the day after you made everything."

Pettersson made an eagle on the par-five fifth hole, blasting his approach to four feet of the pin.

His only stumble came at another par-five, the 15th where he made bogey after three-putting on the green.

McCarron finished in style with a birdie at 18, where he holed a 45-foot bunker shot. McCarron joked with his caddie about making it before he took his swing.

"I told my caddie if I made this, I would get in the bunker and do a snow angel. I chickened out," said McCarron, of the shot on 18 where he failed to make good on his snow angel promise.

McCarron is playing his way back into form after surgery on his elbow in 2006.

AFP