BMW Championship: Dustin Johnson tied for lead, Rory McIlroy slips three behind | Golf news

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The best shots and highlights from day three at Olympia Fields, including a hole-in-one and some superb long-range holes.

Dustin Johnson stepped up his bid for consecutive victories in the FedExCup Play-Offs when Rory McIlroy lost ground over the leaders on the third day of the BMW Championship.

With Olympia Fields still presenting a US Open-style challenge and scores below 70 in a premium, Johnson and fellow player Hideki Matsuyama will meet again in the final round after they both shot 69 to close at one-under.

Rory McIlroy fought 73 on the third day

The top two are the only players under par after 54 holes, and have a two-shot lead over the course, while McIlroy’s hopes of a first win of 2020 took a hit when he charged five bogeys to two birdies on a 73. who saw it. slide two more.

Nighttime co-leaders McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay were erratic early in their third rounds after Matsuyama suddenly jumped to three under after a chip-in for the eagle in the first and a birdie in the fourth, although the Japanese ace undid. his excellent opening work with three bogeys on five holes around the corner.

Rahm’s strange marker error

Jon Rahm picked up his ball on the fifth green, but realized he had forgotten to mark it first!

But he went back under the card with a birdie at 15 that was matched by Johnson, and both managed to stay one behind in the penultimate tournament of the season.

Johnson, who regained world No. 1 status with his staggering 11-shot demolition of the field at the Northern Trust last week, couldn’t match his fellow player’s outing as it took him four shots just to find the one. green on the starting hole.

Hideki Matsuyama is tied for the top with Johnson

The American made two putts for the bogey, but caught shots in the third and eighth on either side of another spot in the fifth, and his putter cooled after the turn when he missed four straight chances before finally landing a putt. drop by a four on the 15th.

Adam Scott dug deep to hit 70 with two birdies and a pair of bogeys, the Australian veteran remained in contention in one more along with Joaquin Niemann (68) and Mackenzie Hughes (69).

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Jon Rahm held the clubhouse lead for hours and boosted 33 places in the standings with a magnificent 66 under the conditions, although the Spaniard could have been better had he not committed a rare penalty on the fifth green.

Rahm was perhaps distracted by a disappointing approach from the middle of the fairway that came within 45 feet of the flag, and picked up his ball having forgotten to mark it first, a mistake he realized immediately before calling a rules official to confirm. a one stroke penalty.

McIlroy goes to final round three behind

McIlroy didn’t look as fluid as he did in the first two rounds, and a three-put bogey in the third was hardly the greens confidence booster he was looking for, although he holed from just 15 feet in the fifth only to bogey both par. three in the first nine after he made his starting shots to both.

A misguided drive in the 10th landed against a tree root and forced him to throw back into the fairway with his left hand as he released his fourth shot of the day, but a booming drive and a sharp pitch in the next set gave him a bounce. birdie.

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Corey Conners enjoyed the first hole of his career on the PGA Tour after hitting a 150-yard nine iron on the sixth on day three of the BMW Championship.

But he found more hard-to-come opportunities and shot three putts from 70 feet to finish the third round off the lead, along with Rahm, Bubba Watson and Brendon Todd, whose 71 was one of the most mountainous rounds of the year.

Todd birdied two of the first six holes before bogeying five of the next six, which he followed with three straight birdies, another drop shot and two closing pairs that kept him at an attacking distance from the leaders.

Matt Fitzpatrick raised his hopes of qualifying for next week’s Tour Championship after a 68 that included an impressive 119-yard hole from rough to eagle at 15, the Englishman reaching three under and one ahead of compatriot Tyrrell Hatton .

Deflated Cantlay failed to make a single birdie on a 75 that left him four more, while Corey Conners provided the highlight of the third day thanks to the first hole in one of his career on the PGA Tour, finding the cup with a perfect Iron. nine of 150 yards in the fifth.