Rose leads by one shot in Newtown, has world No 1 ranking in sight
NEWTOWN SQUARE, US: Justin Rose could sense the sky getting a little darker, the wind a little cooler and more brisk. Every shot means so much this time of the year, and the last two holes Saturday at the BMW Championship might mean even more.
Rose saved par from an awkward stance with his golf ball in the thick grass on the slope of a bunker. Xander Schauffele left a long putt from the tightly mown collar on the 18th green 8 feet short, and his par putt from there caught the high side of the cup and spun away.
When the third round ended, Rose had a 6-under 64 — six birdies on the front, all pars on the back — for a one-shot lead over Schauffele and Rory McIlroy going into the final round at Aronimink, a course so soft from rain than the average score from 69 players over three rounds was 67.5. At stake is chance for Rose to reach No. 1 in the world for the first time with his third title in the Philadelphia area.
The question lingering amid the clouds: Would there be another round? Rose tried not to think about it. “It was definitely in the back of your mind,” he said. “I said to my caddie, ‘How about tomorrow?’ Just got to get through today.”
Starting times were moved up to 7 a.m. Sunday with hopes that the heavy rain stays away, and that the final round can get in. The forecast has a small window Monday morning if needed. If the rain is relentless, there’s a chance of a 54-hole tournament, which has happened only once in the 11 years of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Rose was at 17-under 193, and 13 players were within five shots of the lead. That included Tiger Woods, who missed only two greens in regulation, kept a clean card, shot 66 and let a good round get away.