Prime-ranked Scottie Scheffler and 2022 US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick every reeled off three consecutive back-nine birdies to share the lead after Saturday’s third spherical of the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship.
US star Scheffler made seven birdies in opposition to a lone bogey to shoot a six-under par 64 whereas England’s Fitzpatrick had 5 birdies earlier than a controversial closing bogey left him on 66 at Olympia Fields in suburban Chicago.
That left them on 11-under 199 after 54 holes within the penultimate FedEx Cup playoff occasion, the place the highest 30 in season factors advance to subsequent week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
“I performed what felt like a terrific spherical,” Scheffler mentioned. “The winds had been shifting round a bunch on the market … however I did job of once I obtained into bother, obtained out, and my quick recreation was very nice.”
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American Brian Harman, final month’s British Open winner, was third on 200 after a 67 with countryman Max Homa, who set the course file Friday with a PGA career-low 62, fourth on 201 after a 71.
Reigning FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy, a four-time main winner from Northern Eire, fired 67 to share fifth on 201 with Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who shot 65.
Fitzpatrick, main by a stroke, saved par from a greenside bunker at 17 however at 18 discovered a fairway bunker and the left tough, the place he mentioned a course marshal “semi-stood” on the ball.
“Didn’t totally stand on it, however positively brushed it since you may see the grass was utterly moved,” Fitzpatrick mentioned.
“It was positively sat additional down than once I obtained there. They didn’t see it, they usually can’t affirm that, so I wasn’t going to struggle for it, actually.”
As an alternative, he punched into the green and went up and down for bogey to fall again stage with Scheffler, saying his third shot was impacted.
“Not a special angle, nevertheless it simply got here out heavy,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “If it sat up just a little bit lighter, it comes out just a little bit higher on the inexperienced — it’s rather less demanding bogey than what I had.”
It was a tough day for leaders.
Homa birdied the second and fourth holes to stretch his lead however was undone by a triple bogey on the seventh — needing 4 to succeed in the inexperienced and three-putting from 13 toes.
He mentioned afterwards: “Simply … golf is difficult some days.”
When Harman made bogey on the ninth regardless of discovering a fairway bunker, he fell right into a three-way shared lead with Homa and Fitzpatrick.
Harman birdied 10 to seize the lead, however 2022 Masters winner Scheffler, this 12 months’s Gamers Championship winner, started the again 9 with three birdies, the final and longest from 13 toes, to match him on 10-under.
That’s when Fitzpatrick charged, sinking a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-3 thirteenth, a 21-footer at 14 and a four-footer on the par-5 fifteenth after a terrific rescue shot from left timber to retake the lead after Scheffler birdied 15.
– McIlroy stalls –
McIlroy, who can overtake Scheffler for primary with a victory, made 4 birdies within the first six holes however stumbled with bogeys at 9 and 10 and ended 4 adrift.
“Bought off to a terrific begin, holed some good putts early, kind of stalled in the midst of the spherical,” McIlroy mentioned. “I may have been a pair nearer to the lead however general pleased with how I performed.”
American Sam Burns matched Homa’s day-old course file with a bogey-free 62 to face on 203.
“I simply wish to go on the market and play with confidence, play free and see what occurs,” Burns mentioned.
He entered the day provisionally in thirty second for the 12 months however rose up the sphere and now sits comfortably inside the road to succeed in subsequent week’s finals.
American Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion who gained PGA titles the previous two weeks, was seven adrift after a 69.
Fourth-ranked American Patrick Cantlay, the two-time defending BMW champion, fired 71 to face on 207.
The BMW is the ultimate US qualifying occasion for subsequent month’s Ryder Cup, with six spots to be selected factors Sunday.