American golfer Cameron Young shot a five-under 65 and threatened to run away from the pack after the third round of the Wyndham Championship.

Young, seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour, was at 20 under 190 for a five-stroke advantage over Colombia's Nico Echavarria at Greenboro, North Carolina, after Saturday's third round.

The 28-year-old Young has been a runner-up seven times since joining the tour in 2022.

Echavarria, who shot 64, had birdies on four of the final seven holes to rise into contention.

Chris Kirk (67), Mac Meissner (70) and defending champion Aaron Rai (69) of England are tied for third at 12 under.

Karl Vilips was the leading Australian, 13 shots behind Young and tied for 21st place at seven under after rounds of 67, 67 and 69.

His compatriots Cam Davis and Adam Scott are both tied for 36th, sitting at five under.

Davis has been a model of consistency, following 68s in his first two rounds with a 69 in the third.

Scott matched Davis's third-round 69, after earlier rounds of 65 and 71.

Aaron Baddeley is 74th at one over after rounds of 70, 67 and a disappointing 74.

Young, who was at 15 under through the first two rounds, with the 125 matching the tournament's 36-hole scoring record, was tearing through Sedgefield Country Club.

Through six holes of the third round, Young's margin rose to eight strokes. He had birdies on holes No.3 to No.6, and until the 15th hole on Saturday Young's lone bogey in the tournament came on No.1 (his 10th hole) of the first round.

Rai lost the momentum he had in the second round when he came back to complete the round on Saturday morning. Then in the third round, he was two over through 12 holes before three consecutive birdies put him back in the mix.

Amateur Jackson Koivun shot 65 and is alone in sixth place at 11 under.

South Korea's Sungae Im, after a pair of 64s and playing in the final group in the third round, dipped with a 73 and to be nine under.

The Wyndham Championship is the last tournament on the PGA Tour's regular season, so there will be crucial developments in Sunday's round as golfers aim to secure spots in the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings to qualify for the post-season.

- with AAP