Rose chasing BMW title and world No. 1

Justin Rose did his part on another day of low scoring Saturday in the BMW Championship, running off four straight birdies early for a 6-under 64 and a oneshot lead over Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.

At stake for Rose is moving to No. 1 in the world for the first time in his career.

Still ahead is a final round at soggy Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, that could take more than one day to complete because of rain in the forecast, along with 13 players within five shots of the lead. The list includes Tiger Woods, who shot 66 and made up no ground on the lead.

“If you shoot 65, you were losing ground,” McIlroy said with only slight exaggeration.

Rose made four straight birdies early on the front nine to quickly erase a twoshot deficit to Schauffele, and he finished the front nine birdie-birdie for a 29. Schauffele, hopeful that a victory will give U.S. captain Jim Furyk reason to pick him for the Ryder Cup, stayed with Rose the whole way until he three-putted from the tight collar on the 18th hole for a bogey and a 67.

McIlroy picked himself up quickly from a double bogey on the par-3 eighth hole with an eagle on the par-5 ninth. Three birdies over the last six holes gave him a 63 and a spot in the final group.

The top 30 in the FedEx Cup after the final round advance to East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship. Bryson DeChambeau already has clinched the No. 1 seed with victories in the opening two playoff events.

The more interesting race is at the bottom.

Jordan Spieth salvaged his round late again for a 66, but he still was just outside the top 30. He has never missed the Tour Championship. Keegan Bradley made two tough pars for a 66 and narrowly edged past Spieth for the 30th spot.

Scoring was the lowest it has been all week at 67.17. Only six players from the 69-man field were over par, and there was a 62 for the third straight round. Tommy Fleetwood has two of them, Friday and Saturday. After opening with a 71, Fleetwood goes into the final round just two shots behind. So does Rickie Fowler, despite a bogey on the final hole for a 65. FITZPATRICK TAKES LEAD >> Defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick sank a 40-foot putt for birdie on the 18th to end the European Masters third round on with a two-shot lead in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The 24-year-old Englishman had five birdies and an eagle in a 7-under 63 for a 14-under total of 196, two ahead of France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera (64).

Motors

RAIN WASHES OUT BRICKYARD 400 ACTIVITY >> Rain washed out all track activity at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the field for the final race of the regular season was set by points.

Kyle Busch will start on the pole today for the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis because qualifying was canceled. Kevin Harvick will start second and Martin Truex Jr. third.

Drivers will have no practice or any other track time before the race. The Xfinity Series race was also canceled and rescheduled for Monday. Rain is expected to drench Indiana into Sunday and expectations are slim for the Cup Series to race as scheduled.

The Cup race is the final qualifying opportunity for the 16 drivers attempting to make the playoffs. JOHNSON IS STRUGGLING >> Jimmie Johnson doesn’t have a playoff spot locked in as the seven-time NASCAR champion prepared for rain-drenched Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the final race of the regular season.

Johnson is in a 48-race losing streak headed into the Brickyard 400 and his Hendrick Motorsports team has been inconsistent all season. It’s put him up by just 19 points over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman in the battle for the 15th position on the playoff grid.

NBA

BIRD FACES CHARGES >> Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird, a former Cal player, is facing several charges following a domestic incident in which a victim was injured, Boston police said. Bird, a second-round draft choice of the Celtics in 2017, signed a two-year contract with the team this summer after splitting his rookie season between Boston and the Maine Red Claws of the G-League.

Boxing

KHAN RECOVERS TO BEAT VARGAS >> English welterweight Amir Khan had to climb off the canvas to continue his comeback with a points win over Samuel Vargas in Birmingham, England. In his second fight since returning to the ring after a two-year absence, Khan was knocked to the floor in the final seconds of the second round. The 31-year-old Khan recovered and settled for a unanimous points victory from the grueling fight.

Cycling

SIMON YATES WINS TEST TO RECLAIM VUELTA LEAD >> Simon Yates recovered the lead of the Spanish Vuelta after pulling away from his title rivals on the final uphill push to win the mountainous 14th stage in Nava. Miguel Angel Lopez and Alejandro Valverde crossed seconds later, followed shortly by Thibaut Pinot and Nairo Quintana.

Yates, riding for Michelton-Scott, finished the 106mile stage in nearly 4 ½ hours and reclaimed the red jersey that he wore from stages 9 to 11.