At a course made famous by the deeds of Tiger Woods, Wright shot the round of the day at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, the clubhouse leader at 6-under par when he signed for a 7-under 63.

He would end the day in a tie for fourth as Steve Stricker (67), Ernie Els (64) and Robert Karlsson (66) all edged in front and will begin the final round three strokes off the lead held by Stricker.

With 18-year-old son Noah on the bag, Wright began day three in a tie for 23rd but rocketed up the leaderboard with eight birdies between the third and 13th hole.

Such was the zone the 50-year-old was in, he forgot to write down his scores as he picked off birdie after birdie.

“I had a section through the middle of the round where I actually blacked out,” Wright said.

“I didn’t even put any scores down on my scorecard. I had forgotten to write the scores, so just had a real just zone experience through that middle of the round.

“I think I was on about the 14th tee maybe and I said to Noah, my son, I pulled that scorecard and I was blank from three onwards.

“I was writing scores down and I said, ‘I don’t even know what I had.’

“Just totally oblivious to what I was meant to be doing other than hitting the ball, target, hole, target.

“It’s the greatest feeling. I wish we could do it more.”

Michael Wright was the last player in the field as an alternate.

After the best round of his PGA TOUR Champions career, the rookie is T4 @KauligChamp! pic.twitter.com/MkuFRqBHxc

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 13, 2024

Wright’s run began with five straight birdies from the third hole, his ‘zone’ experience so immersive that he struggled to recall how he even did it.

A 15-foot putt for par on eight was his longest of the day, carrying his momentum into the back nine with three more birdies on the trot from the 11th hole.

A dropped shot on 17 after finding the fairway bunker made Wright’s Sunday assignment slightly more challenging yet after his late call-up into the field, the Brisbane native wants to maximise his good fortune.

First alternate, Wright was only added when Harrison Frazar withdrew with a neck injury and is savouring every moment of the experience that he is sharing with his son.

“This is his third week on (the bag) and he’s done a great job so far,” Wright said.

“It’s been really cool to have him on the bag and someone I can trust and just share that experience with him is cool.

“Really looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and doing a bit of the same.”

Wright is not the only Australian name prominent on the leaderboard through three rounds with fellow Champions Tour rookie Cameron Percy (69) and Mark Hensby (68) in a share of 12th at 2-under par and Stuart Appleby tied for 16th after a 66 in Round 3.

Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

Round 3 Australasian scores
T4        Michael Wright            70-71-63—204
T10      Steven Alker (NZ)         68-65-74—207
T12      Mark Hensby               69-71-68—208
T12      Cameron Percy             69-70-69—208
T16      Stuart Appleby             72-71-66—209
T23      Richard Green              67-73-72—212
T42      Steve Allan                   72-71-72—215
T42      John Senden                75-69-71—215
T59      Greg Chalmers             73-75-70—218
T71      Rod Pampling              72-74-77—223