SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Two weeks ago, Derek Ernst received a call from his wife, Laney, after the second round of the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes. He had just made the cut on the number but wasn’t playing particularly well and had yet to post a strong finish this season. They discussed a possible career change.

“My wife called me and said it might be time for me to get another job because this was obviously not working out,” said Ernst. “That must have been something I needed to hear because I had a top-10 there after making the cut on the number and then a T12 last week. I’m just feeling really good.”

Since that call after the second round in Colorado, Ernst has posted nine straight rounds in the 60s, including rounds of 69-68-67 this week at the TPC San Antonio Championship at the Oaks. Ernst will carry a one-stroke lead into tomorrow’s final round at 12-under.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the last group,” noted Ernst. “I think Knoxville two years ago was the last time I was in the final group. I felt the pressure a little bit today and I’ll feel it a little bit tomorrow.”

While some players grinded on their game during the three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ernst took a different approach. He didn’t touch a club for seven and a half weeks. Instead he ate healthy and worked out regularly to lose about 18 pounds, citing the long season as motivation to work on strengthening himself.

“Two years ago I weighed 198 and had 18 percent body fat, now I’m 175 with nine percent body fat,” said Ernst, who has been accompanied by his family at the resort over the past two weeks. “I just have more energy. Just eating healthy and working out, nothing special.”

Ernst, a 30-year-old UNLV alum, found immediate success on the PGA TOUR when he won the 2013 Wells Fargo Championship as a 22-year-old rookie. He competed full time on TOUR through the 2015-16 season and has played primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour over the past four seasons. After just a T105 finish at Q-School last fall, Ernst wasn’t sure that he would get any starts. As a past PGA TOUR champion, he got into five of the first six events this season and made two cuts, enough to get him into the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes. After a missed cut in Utah, the T10 finish in Colorado has turned his year around.

“When you’re playing well you don’t really look at the status and trying to get in,” said Ernst. “I’ve never been in this position before. Checking my commitment worksheet and seeing where I am each week. I’ve definitely done that more in the last few months than I have in the last few years.”

Ernst leads three players by a single stroke entering Saturday’s final round. Reflecting on his moving day surge in Panama earlier this year, Davis Riley carded a back-nine 6-under 30 to reach 11-under and sit one stroke back. Texas Christian University alum Paul Barjon continued his strong play to match the 11-under total, along with 36-hole leader Austin Smotherman. Smotherman double-bogeyed the first hole but rebounded with four birdies for a third-round 70.

Final-round tee times will run from 7:30-9:40 a.m. on Saturday off of the first and 10th tees.