SMITH FIRES 60 TO JOIN RAHM

Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith were tied for the lead Saturday in The Northern Trust, and neither could have imagined how they got there.

Smith had never shot better than 62 — twice this year on the PGA Tour, once at his home club in Brisbane, Australia — when he stood over a 12-foot putt on the 18th hole at Liberty National for a chance at the 13th sub-60 round on the PGA Tour.

He missed and had to settle for the course record at 11-under 60, and figured that would at least keep him in range of the world’s No. 1 player.

“Jon is playing some pretty good golf at the minute, so we’ve got to try to catch up,” Smith said. Thanks to Rahm, he did. The U.S. Open champion ran off four birdies in a sixhole stretch around the turn to regain the lead and had good scoring chances ahead of him. But he twice hit into the water on the second- and third-easiest holes, dropped a combined three shots and had to rally for a 67.

They were at 16-under 197 and now get a day off because of Hurricane Henri. The PGA Tour looked at the path, and there was enough rain and dangerous wind on the edges of the storm that they decided to close Liberty National today. The final round will be Monday.

Rahm and Smith were one shot ahead of Erik van Rooyen of South Africa, who made 10 birdies for a 62, one of four rounds at 62 or lower.

Smith teed off some three hours before the leaders and opened with five birdies in six holes. He picked up his eighth birdie on the 13th, came within a foot of a holein-one on the 14th and started thinking 59.

Smith narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 16th, hit a wedge stiff on the 17th to reach 11 under for the round and was one birdie away from the 13th sub-60 round on the PGA Tour. His approach to the 18th settled 12 feet to the right of the flag.

“Just didn’t do it,” Smith said.

Elsewhere

Scandinavians Anna Nordqvist and Nanna Koerstz Madsen share the lead heading into the final round of the Women’s British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland.

They were a stroke ahead of Lizette Salas of the United States, whose upand-down at the last completed a round of 70 that didn’t include a bogey from the fifth hole.

Lexi Thompson was in a group of four two shots back and Nelly Korda was in a group of seven three back.

• Woody Austin birdied the par-5 18th for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke lead over Jim Furyk and Colin Montgomerie in the PGA Tour Champions’ Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash.

• Tapio Pulkkanen will take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the European Czech Masters after a 6-under 66.

Cameron Smith