Rose leads by one at BMW tourney
Golfer has shot at No. 1 world ranking with win
Justin Rose could sense the sky getting a little darker, the wind a little cooler and more brisk. Every shot means so much this time of the year, and the last two holes Saturday at the BMW Championship might mean even more.
Rose saved par from an awkward stance with his golf ball in the thick grass on the slope of a bunker. Xander Schauffele left a long putt from the tightly mown collar on the 18th green 8 feet short, and his par putt from there caught the high side of the cup and spun away.
When the third round ended, Rose had a 6-under 64 — six birdies on the front, all pars on the back — for a one-shot lead over Schauffele and Rory Mcilroy going into the final round at Aronimink, a course so soft from rain that the average score from 69 players over three rounds was 67.5
At stake is chance for Rose to reach No. 1 in the world for the first time with his third title in the Philadelphia area, including his U.S. Open at Merion five years ago.
Jordan Spieth was projected to fall just outside the top 30 in the Fedex Cup, which would mean missing the Tour Championship and getting some form of penalty from the PGA Tour because of his schedule. He would have one more day to change that.
The question lingering amid the clouds: Would there be another round?
Rose tried not to think about it.
“It was definitely in the back of your mind,” he said. “You could start to feel the weather coming in and getting darker. Kind of had the feel there’s some big weather coming. I said to my caddie, ‘How about tomorrow?’ Just got to get through today.”
Starting times were moved up to 7 a.m. Sunday with hopes that the heavy rain stays away, and that the final round can get in. European PGA: Defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick sank a 40-foot putt for birdie on the 18th to end the European Masters third round with a two-shot lead. The 24-year-old Englishman had five birdies and an eagle in a 7-under 63.