Rose birdies four straight holes for one-stroke lead

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — 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 one-shot 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 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 two-shot 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.

■ EPGA: At, Crans-Montana, Switzerland, 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 for a 14-under total of 196, two ahead of France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera (64).

Doug Ghim, the American former top-ranked amateur, had a 67 to join a five-man group on 10 under, including Ashun Wu of China who fired a second straight 65. Matching Fitzpatrick’s 63, Gavin Green of Malaysia moved to 9 under.

Overnight leader Hideto Tanihara of Japan is six shots behind Fitzpatrick after a 1-over 71. Only two players on the leaderboard top 20 failed to break par on a sun-soaked 6,848-yard course in the thin Swiss Alps air.