Leishman builds lead to 5 shots
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Marc Leishman got upand-down from a tough lie behind the 18th green for one last birdie Saturday that gave him a 3-under 68 and extended his lead to five shots over Jason Day and Rickie Fowler going into the final round of the BMW Championship.
Leishman gets another chance today to win a FedExCup playoff event and grab one of the top five seeds at the Tour Championship next week. The top seeds have the clearest path to claim the $10 million bonus.
And this opportunity is much better than two weeks ago.
Leishman shared the 54-hole lead at the TPC Boston with Justin Thomas, who surged past Leishman and held off Jordan Spieth. This time, no one could make a run at him Saturday on a warm day with a steady wind at Conway Farms.
Fowler rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt from just short of the green on the opening hole, and made only one birdie the rest of the way. He missed putts from the 6-foot range on consecutive holes on the back nine, one of them for birdie, and couldn't make birdie with an iron in his hand for his second shot on the par-5 18th.
Day pulled within two shots with a birdie at the turn but played the back nine with eight pars and a bogey. He also had an iron for his second shot on the 18th, but it plugged into the side of the bunker.
Fowler and Day shot 70.
Leishman was at 19-under 194 after the kind of round that limited the possibilities for the final day. No one else was closer than seven shots of the affable Australian. Justin each Rose had a 66 and was at 12-under 201 while Jon Rahm had a 65 and was in a large group at 11-under 202, eight shots out of the lead.
The excitement figured to come from the race to East Lake.
The top 30 in the FedExCup advance to next week's Tour Championship, where all have a mathematical chance at the $10 million bonus and are assured spots in every major except the PGA Championship next year.
Phil Mickelson, finally finding his form late in the year, has a chance to make it to the Tour Championship. He had a 69 — his seventh straight round in the 60s — but failed to take advantage of the easiest par-4 at Conway Farms — the reachable 15th — and took bogey on both par-3s.
“I'm playing well enough to get in contention and win again,” said Mickelson, whose last trophy came from the British Open in 2013. “And I want to get in that field because I think if I do, I think I'll have a really good shot at it.”
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand shot 3-under 68 to lead the Evian Championship second round on Saturday and could join her younger sister Ariya in golf's record book. Seeking to be the first sisters to each win a major title, Moriya's 9-under total left her one shot ahead of Ayako Uehara of Japan, who had seven birdies in her round of 66. The leading group for Sunday is completed by Katherine Kirk of Australia, who carded a 69 to trail Moriya by two strokes. All three playing partners will seek their first major.