Rose takes four-shot edge to final round at Colonial

FORT WORTH, Texas — Justin Rose birdied the first three holes to quickly extend his lead at the Fort Worth Invitational and finished with a 4-under-par 66 on Saturday to take a four-stroke advantage into the final round at Colonial.

Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion with eight PGA Tour victories, was at 14-under 196. Emiliano Grillo (69), his playing partner, was at 10 under with Brooks Koepka (67).

After a two-putt birdie at the opening par 5, Rose had back-to-back birdie putts to get to 13 under. That put him four strokes ahead of Grillo, who had eight pars in a row before consecutive birdies on Nos. 9 and 10.

It is the largest 54-hole lead at the Hogan’s Alley since Kenny Perry led by seven in 2005. The largest lead anyone had taken into the final round since had been two strokes, and that had happened only twice.

Rose’s last 54-hole lead came in the 2017 Masters, where the Englishman lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff.

■ At Ann Arbor, Mich., Minjee Lee shot a bogey-free 4-under 68 for a 12-under 204 total to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Volvik Championship, with Stacy Lewis (67) tied for second while playing five months’ pregnant.

■ At Benton Harbor, Mich., Scott McCarron made his lone third-round bogey on the final hole for a 5-under 66 to slip into a tie for the lead with Tim Petrovic (65) at 13-under 200 in the Senior PGA Championship.

■ At Virginia Water, England, Francesco Molinari overcame gusty winds to shoot a 6-under 66 and tie for the thirdround lead with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy (71) at 13-under 203 in the BMW Championship.

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