CROMWELL, Conn. – In the span of 35 minutes Saturday, Zack Sucher went from leading the Travelers Championship by five to trailing by one.

Sucher had built his lead on the strength of four front-nine birdies.

But in a disastrous three-hole stretch, he played Nos. 10-12 in 5 over: bogey-double bogey-double bogey.

“The front nine was a lot of fun; back nine wasn't much,” he said.

It started with a pulled drive into the trees at 10, a hole Sucher says doesn’t fit his eye. He likes to hit a high cut and that tee shot doesn’t call for it. He thought about hitting 3-wood, but tried to force a low cut instead.

“Obviously that was an awful swing,” he said. “Worst I've made in a while.”

His tee shot at par-3 11th wound up under the lip of a bunker.

“[No.] 11 couldn't have been worse,” he said. “I don't think I could have got that shot out at best, and having it hit the lip and plug again didn't help.”

Playing from a fairway bunker at 12, he missed the putting surface well to the left. Attempting a flop shot over another bunker between himself and the hole, Sucher dumped it in the sand.

“I should have never make double from there,” he said. “Worst case is you make bogey and move on.”

A delay on the 13th tee gave Sucher the opportunity to gather himself and fight his way to the clubhouse with six straight pars.

“I was kind of happy we had a break on 13,” he said. “Get to calm down a little bit. Yeah, I was rattled there for a few holes. …

“So, yeah, 10, 11, 12, that hurts. Other than those three holes, I'm very happy how I handed myself. Played pretty well.”

After a 1-over 71, Sucher will start Sunday tied for second at 10 under, six behind tournament leader Chez Reavie. In a weird way, Sucher’s own collapse gives him some hope. Maybe Reavie will come back, and Sucher will be the one ripping off birdies on TPC River Highlands’ volatile back nine.

“Absolutely. This back nine is that way,” he agreed. “You can make tons — every hole is almost birdie-able on that side. … But, man, there is trouble everywhere.”

As much as he still wants to win, Sucher is very aware of what else he’s playing for. Making his third-to-last start on a medical extension after missing all of last year following ankle surgery, Sucher needs to rack up 322 FedExCup points. He has this week, the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the John Deere Classic to do it. He’s already locked up his Korn Ferry Tour card for next year, but he’s trying to play his way back to the PGA Tour.

“A good finish here would go a long way,” he said. “I’m outside the top 200 (in the FedExCup standings). I’ve got two events left. I’m still trying to win but I know how far a high finish would go.”