McIlroy leads by 1 in Shanghai

SHANGHAI — On a day when eight players had a chance to take the lead at the HSBC Champions, Rory McIlroy found the best way to move forward was to not go backward.

He didn’t get the most out of his round Saturday at Sheshan International. But he had the lead. “I’m not going to complain,” McIlroy said after 5-under 67 with no bogeys on his card. “I’m in the lead going into tomorrow. Just need to rest up and try to get out there and play another good, solid round of golf.”

McIlroy hit a towering lob wedge that spun down the ridge to 3 feet for birdie on the par-5 closing hole to take a one-shot lead over Louis Oosthuizen on a day of big runs and unseemly collapses. He had neither. McIlroy only had to stress twice for par, and not after the third hole. He wound up at 15-under 201 as he goes for his first World Golf Championship since 2015, his fourth victory of the year and a chance to move a little closer to the No. 1 ranking.

Oosthuizen began the third round with five straight birdies and finished with two birdies over his last three holes for a 65.

“Five in a row and then just played decent,” Oosthuizen said. “Need to have another good one tomorrow.”

Li Haotong of China had a robust crowd going early with five birdies through six holes to take the lead, only to shoot 42 on the back nine for a 74 that knocked him out of contention.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele felt a little better in his fight to recover from the flu, and it showed early when he opened with three straight birdies and missed an 8-foot putt that would have been four in a row. He overcame a few mistakes around the turn and finished with three straight birdies for a 68 to finish two off the lead and get into the final group.

This is the only World Golf Championships event where no one has won backto-back, and Schauffele is in the best shape to try to keep the WGCs in American hands for the eighth straight time.

Schauffele was tied at 13-under with Matt Fitzpatrick (70).

Eight players were within five shots of the lead, including Sungjae Im (70) and Match Play champion Kevin Kisner (67), both hopeful of being wild-card selections next week for the Presidents Cup.