An Alabama golfer leads the PGA Tour’s The American Express tournament after Justin Thomas carded an 11-under 61 on Saturday.

“I told myself, at least after yesterday, I wanted to try to get to 30 under this weekend,” Thomas said after his sizzling third round. “Didn’t think I was going have to deal with a freaking college kid shooting 60 today.”

The tournament leader isn’t Thomas, who is a former Alabama All-American.

The leader is Nick Dunlap, who is a current member of the Crimson Tide golf team.

The Huntsville native shot a 60 at La Quinta Country Club on Saturday to move to 27-under par for the California tournament in his bid to become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991. Dunlap had 10 birdies and one eagle during the third round.

“It was a blast,” Dunlap said after joining Patrick Cantlay as the only amateurs who have shot a 60 in PGA Tour competition. “My caddie Hunter said it a million times today: There’s no time like the present. The putter felt so good. The hole looked like a funnel. …

“Ultimately, just kind of kept putting shots together and ended up with a pretty good round.”

A Huntsville native and 2023 U.S. Amateur champion, Dunlap has a three-stroke lead on second-place Sam Burns and is four shots ahead of Thomas.

“I’ve heard I think what everybody else has seen,” Thomas said of Dunlap. “I’ve heard he’s an unbelievable player. He rises to the occasion, to the moment, which I think is something you can’t really teach to anybody. He’s played well on all the biggest stages, which says something very impressive.

“Tomorrow’s a great day for Alabama golf. I know (Alabama men’s golf) coach (Jay) Seawell’s going to be tuned in very closely to the TV. For me, it’s not necessarily about that. I’m trying to go chase him down and outrace everybody else.”

Dunlap is making his fourth appearance on the PGA Tour by playing on a sponsor exemption in this week’s tournament. He missed the cut in his previous three PGA Tour outings.

A victory would earn an immediate PGA Tour card for Dunlap.

“More than I can put into words,” Dunlap said when asked what winning the tournament would mean to him. “But it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be something I haven’t experienced yet on the PGA Tour.

“We’ve got a good plan for that golf course, and just kind of go out there and do us and stay in the present, like Hunter says, and go from there.”

The final round will be contested on the Stadium Course at PGA West, where Thomas played on Saturday. Dunlap played the second round on the Stadium Course and carded a 7-under 65.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.