Scheffler, Fitzpatrick share lead at BMW
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — Scottie Scheffler made a few short birdie putts at the start and then kept making a lot more Saturday on his way to a 6-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Matt Fitzpatrick in a BMW Championship that is wide open.
Fitzpatrick had a 66, falling into a tie on the 18th when he went from the bunker to the rough, punched out under a tree to the collar of the green and had to make a 5-foot bogey putt to at least get into the final group.
They were at 11-under 199, one shot clear of British Open champion Brian Harman (67).
But that's not the only way to keep score in the final round.
At stake for more than a half-dozen players is making sure they finish in the top 30 in the FedEx Cup that allows them to advance to the Tour Championship next week at East Lake. Among those on the bubble is Jordan Spieth.
At stake for a few Americans is trying to earn one of six automatic spots in the Ryder Cup, with the BMW Championship as the final qualifying event. Strong finishes by the likes of Max Homa and Xander Schauffele could knock out PGA champion and LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka.
And as the pleasant day south of Chicago illustrated, chaos can happen at any time.
Scheffler, with at least a share of the 54-hole lead for the first time since he won The Players Championship five months ago, kept his stress to a minimum. He dropped only one shot, responded with three straight birdies to start the back nine, hit driver off the deck to set up his last birdie and finished with two solid par saves.
Homa wasn't so fortunate. He seized control early and while he was out of position on the seventh hole, it didn't look like a big problem until it was. It took two chips from right of the green to get to within 15 feet, and then he three-putted — missing from 2 feet — to make a triple bogey.
He missed two more par putts from 5 feet and 8 feet on the back nine, but steadied himself coming in and holed a 7-foot par putt on the final hole for a 71.
ISPS Handa World Invitational: English golfers Daniel Brown and Gabriella Cowley will take leads into the final round of the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, which is co-sanctioned by the European tour and LPGA Tour. Brown started the third round with a six-shot lead on Saturday and maintained that advantage after making birdie on two of his last three holes for a 3-under 67. His nearest challengers are Alex Fitzpatrick (67) and Wilco Nienaber (63), with Adrian Otageui (66) a stroke further back. The No. 384ranked Brown, who tied for seventh in the Barbasol Championship on the European tour and PGA Tour, has never won a European tour event.