Leishman leads BMW by 5 shots
It takes a lot to get to get under golfer Marc Leishman’s skin. He tells his wife that even after a particularly bad round, give him 10 minutes and he’ll be fine.
His last tournament, when Leishman lost a two-shot lead on the back nine at the TPC Boston, was an exception.
“That one probably took a day,” he said. “It stung a bit.”
Saturday at the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship in Lake Forest, Ill., brought Leishman on the verge of redemption.
Leishman got up-and-down from a tough lie behind the 18th green for one last birdie that gave him a 3-under-par 68 and extended his lead to five shots over Jason Day and Rickie Fowler going into the final round at Conway Farms.
Leishman, at 19-under 194, gets another chance to win a FedEx Cup playoff event and grab one of the top five seeds at the Tour Championship next week. Fowler and Day each shot 70. “Leish is playing spectacular,” Day said. “He’s going to be very difficult to beat tomorrow. I’ve got to come and play really good golf because he’s not making any mistakes.”
The top 30 in the FedEx Cup advance to next week’s Tour Championship, where all have a mathematical chance at the $10 million bonus. LPGA: Moriya Jutanugarn shot 3-under 68 to lead in the Evian Championship after two rounds in Evian-les-Bains, France. Her 9under total was one shot ahead of Ayako Uehara, who had seven birdies in her round of 66.
Katherine Kirk carded a 69 to trail Jutanugarn by two strokes. None of the three has won a major.
The fifth women’s major of the season is a 54-hole event after weather-affected play Thursday was wiped out. PGA Tour Champions: David McKenzie birdied the final six even-numbered holes for a 7-under 64 and a share of the lead with Jerry Smith in the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship in Victoria, British Columbia. Jerry Kelly was a stroke back after a 66. European Tour: Kiradech Aphibarnrat birdied his last hole to card 5-under 66 and take the lead after the third round of the KLM Open in Spijk, Netherlands. His 14-under total gave him a one-shot lead over Romain Wattel.