Scheffler, Fitzpatrick grab share of lead at BMW

Scottie Scheffler made a few birdie putts at the start and then kept making a lot more at Olympia Fields Saturday on his way to a 6-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Matt Fitzpatrick in a BMW Championship that is wide open.

Fitzpatrick had a 66, falling into a tie on the 18th when he went from the bunker to the rough, punched out under a tree to the collar of the green and had to make a 5-foot bogey putt to at least get into the final group.

They were at 11-under 199, one shot clear of British Open champion Brian Harman (67).

But that’s not the only way to keep score in the final round.

At stake for more than a half-dozen players is making sure they finish in the top 30 in the FedEx Cup that allows them to advance to the Tour Championship next week at East Lake. Among those on the bubble is Jordan Spieth.

At stake for a few Americans is trying to earn one of six automatic spots in the Ryder Cup, with the BMW Championship as the final qualifying event. Strong finishes by the likes of Max Homa and Xander Schauffele could knock out PGA champion and LIV Golf player Brooks Koepka.

And as the pleasant day south of Chicago illustrated, chaos can happen at any time.

Scheffler, with at least a share of the 54-hole lead for the first time since he won The Players Championship five months ago, kept his stress to a minimum. He dropped only one shot, responded with three straight birdies to start the back nine, hit driver off the deck to set up his last birdie and finished with two solid par saves.

Homa wasn’t so fortunate. He seized control early and while he was out of position on the seventh hole, it didn’t look like a big problem until it was. It took two chips from right of the green to get to within 15 feet, and then he three-putted — missing from 2 feet — to make a triple bogey.

He missed two more par putts from 5 feet and 8 feet on the back nine, but steadied himself and holed a 7-foot par putt on 18 for a 71. That was nine shots worse than his course-record 62 on Friday, but it left him within two shots of the lead. Rory McIlroy (67) and Viktor Hovland (65) were three behind. McIlroy opened with four birdies in six holes, but also three-putted from 15 feet on 10.

Homa now shares the North course record with Sam Burns, who had eight birdies for a 62. Burns is in the group at 7-under, reviving his chances of going to East Lake.

Denny McCarthy (No. 34) also played bogeyfree for a 65 that gives him a chance to advance. He also was in the group at 7-under with Justin Rose (No. 32), who also is poised to head to Atlanta.

Spieth, meanwhile, made only one birdie, and not until the 12th, for a 72 and goes into the final round projected to be a fraction out of the top 30.

LPGA/DP — English golfers Daniel Brown and Gabriella Cowley will take leads into the final round of the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, an event co-sanctioned by the European tour and LPGA Tour.

Brown started the third round with a six-shot lead on Saturday and maintained that advantage after making birdie on two of his last three holes for a 3-under 67. His nearest challengers are Alex Fitzpatrick (67) and Wilco Nienaber (63), with Adrian Otageui (66) a stroke further back.

Cowley shot 5-under 67 and was on 6 under, one stroke clear of Ryann O’Toole of the United States (68) and Esther Henseleit of Germany (69). American Marissa Steen, who led after two rounds, dropped six shots off the lead after a 75.

Champions — Tim Petrovic followed up his opening-round 62 with a 4-under 66 to carry a two-shot lead into the final round of the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary, Alberta.

After firing 1 under on the front with two bogeys, Petrovic had five birdies on the back against one bogey to move to 12-under 128 overall.

Petrovic sits two shots ahead of Ken Duke, who carded a 64 to move to 10-under. Scott Dunlap was the big mover, leaping from 48th to third with a 8under 62. He’s in a tie at 8 under with Billy Andrade (64 Saturday), Robert Karlsson (65), and Dicky Pride (66) heading into the final round.

USGA — Nick Dunlap, the 19-year-old from Huntsville, Ala., will play for the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship in the 36-hole final on Sunday after beating another 19-year-old, Parker Bell of Tallahassee, Fla., 3 and 2 in Saturday’s semifinals at Cherry Hills (Colo.) Country Club.

In the final, Dunlap will battle 22-year-old Neal Shipley of Pittsburgh, Pa., who earned a comefrom-behind, 2-and-1 win in the other semifinal over John Marshall Butler of Louisville, Ky. Shipley’s victory was sealed on the par-5, island-green 17th hole, when his approach stopped inches from the hole for a birdie.