John Daly shoots 69 and is 4 behind at Nationwide Tour event; Josh Broadaway leads

Daly 4 back at Nationwide event; Broadaway leads

FORT SMITH, Ark. — John Daly was four strokes off the lead after shooting a 1-under 69 in the third round of the Fort Smith Classic on Saturday.

Josh Broadaway (65) moved to the top of the leaderboard at the 6,873-yard Hardscrabble Country Club course. He led by one stroke at 11 under.

Daly started well with birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 and was within one stroke of the lead, but the two-time major champion bogeyed three of his final 12 holes. Daly began the day tied for fifth but ended in a tie for 13th at 7 under.

“I hit the ball a hell of a lot better than I scored,” Daly said. “I love the way I’m hitting the ball. I’m just not catching too many breaks. For me it felt like it was the worst I could have shot.”

This is Daly’s first Nationwide Tour event since 1991. He is from Dardanelle, about 75 miles from Fort Smith, and organizers hope he can help this struggling tournament find a title sponsor so it can remain viable.

“I just want to go out and play a decent round of golf tomorrow and try to shoot under par as many as I can,” Daly said. “Hopefully I can build from there.”

Jason Enloe, the 2009 champion at this event, shot a 66 Saturday and is within three strokes of the lead.

Brenden Pappas (66) and Tag Ridings (68) — who, like Daly, went to the University of Arkansas — are four shots off the lead. Ridings said the course at Hardscrabble feels like home.

“I feel pretty experienced here,” Ridings said. “There are a few shots I’m able to use to my advantage that you wouldn’t know unless you’ve played it a thousand times.”