Italian Matteo Manassero and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox were tied for the lead after the third round at a closely contested Canadian Open.

Manassero and Fox both carded rounds of 64, each including seven birdies and one bogey as they moved to 14 under.

“It was a really good round,” said Manassero, whose bogey came at the 17th hole before he recovered the stroke with a birdie at the last.

“I missed the short one on 17, and I did miss a couple more short ones. I try to think of them just like a shot really, like a driver, like a six-iron, whatever. It’s just a shot.

“It wasn’t that hard for me to stay focused into what I was doing and not ruining [it] at the end.”

Manassero will be chasing his first PGA Tour title, while Fox is seeking a second just a month after his first triumph on the tour at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

“Obviously there’s a lot of good players behind me,” said Fox. “I feel like it’s going to take a pretty low [score] to get the job done.”

Lee Hodges and Kevin Yu both shot seven under par rounds of 63 and sit one back along with Matt McCarty.

A 65 from England’s David Skinns moved him on to 11 under along with seven other players, including overnight leader Cameron Champ.

Champ could only manage a one over-par 71 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

England’s Danny Willett (67) and Ireland’s Shane Lowry (68) are a shot further back on 10 under.