SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Spencer Levin passed on Phoenix Open title sponsor Waste Management's green-out, wearing a simple black-and-white outfit.
He didn't exactly soften his carbon footprint, either, leaving a trail of cigarette smoke and butts in his wake as he increased his big lead at TPC Scottsdale.
"You mean guys in the crowd?" he asked when questioned about fans giving him grief for smoking on the course. "Oh, yeah, (they get on me) every time, but I enjoy it (smoking)," Levin said. "They were asking to bum them from me, too."
He has lit up the Stadium Course so far, too, stringing together rounds of 65, 63 and 68 to open a six-stroke lead in pursuit of a breakthrough PGA Tour victory.
He wasn't quite as sharp with his belly putter as he was the first two days, but remained firmly in control in front of the largest crowd in tournament history, a noisy gathering of 173,210 in perfect conditions.
"It was fun for sure, but I was trying to focus, too," Levin said about the huge crowd and party atmosphere. "You don't get that too often, all those people cheering."
Levin, five strokes ahead after the completion of the second round Saturday morning, had four birdies and a bogey in the third round to reach 17 under. The bogey on the par-5 15th was his first since the opening hole of the tournament.
"I felt like I played solid," Levin said. "I felt like I was in control of my ball most of the day, and yeah, I'm pleased. I've never had a big lead like that starting the day, and I thought I played well. Overall, I'm pleased about it."
Webb Simpson was 11 under after a 68. At No. 6 in the world, he's the highest-ranked player in the field.
"I feel good, but my swing is just not really getting in sync," Simpson said. "I'm missing the ball left and right. I want to polish that up. But I made a bunch of good swings down the stretch that gave me a lot of confidence."
The 27-year-old Levin, remembered for a hole-in-one and 13th-place tie in the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock while still in school at New Mexico, is trying to win for the first time on the PGA Tour. He came close last year, losing a playoff to Johnson Wagner in the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Last week at Torrey Pines, Levin had a share of the first-round lead after a 62, but followed with rounds of 76, 73 and 72 to tie for 43rd.
"Hopefully, I can just stay calm, try my best and keep having fun," Levin said. "I'm going to try my best. That's all I'm going to do, and we'll see what happens."
Bubba Watson was seven strokes behind Levin after a 67.
"He's playing so good, you don't expect him to come back in the field," Watson said. "You're going to have to go chase him down."
Tour rookie John Huh shot a 69 to join Watson at 10 under.
Kyle Stanley was eight strokes back after a 69 as he tries to rebound from a devastating loss. On Sunday at Torrey Pines, he made a triple-bogey 8 on the final hole of regulation and lost to Brandt Snedeker in a playoff.
Jason Dufner, second last year after a playoff loss to Mark Wilson, shot a 68 to join Stanley, Chris Stroud (66), Greg Chalmers (67) and Ben Crane at 9 under.
Fan favorite Phil Mickelson was 8 under after a 67.
The former Arizona State star won the tournament in 1996 and 2005.
"I'd like to be further up, but given where I was 27 holes ago, I'm in a really good spot," Mickelson said.
"I'm starting to play some good golf, and I'm starting to get a little bit of momentum."
While Levin wasn't in on the green-out, many players had fun with it. Crane and Rickie Fowler were two of the greenest, sporting the color nearly head to toe. Mickelson wore a dark green shirt.
"I think it's cool what Waste Management is doing, creating awareness for the environment as well as supporting the PGA Tour event," Mickelson said.
Levin got off to a good start with birdies on the third and fourth holes.
