Rodgers, Martin tied at Sea Island
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Patrick Rodgers ran off four straight birdies late in his round Saturday and finished with a par save for a 6-under 64, giving him a share of the lead with Ben Martin in the RSM Classic and another chance at his first PGA Tour title.
Martin was poised to match that score until he came up short on the 18th green, chipped to just inside 5 feet and missed the par putt. He had a 65.
They were at 14-under 198 in the final PGA Tour event of the year, and it was far from a two-man race.
Ten players were within two shots of the lead, a group that included Sahith Theegala (68), Brian Harman (64) and even Harry Higgs, who was atop the leaderboard at the start of the day and had a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 70.
Cole Hammer, who graduated from Texas in May and is playing on a sponsor exemption, was tied for the lead going into the weekend. He was 4 over through five holes and managed a 72. Even so, he was only four shots behind.
It didn’t take Rodgers long to get in the mix. He holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole, stuffed his approach to 6 feet on the tough 14th, made an 8-foot birdie on the par-5 15th and capped off his run with a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th.
Eight of the top players on the leaderboard have yet to win on the PGA Tour.
Theegala certainly had his chances during his rookie year that saw him reach the Tour Championship. Taylor Pendrith (65) got plenty of experience playing his first Presidents Cup in September. Taylor Montgomery has had a strong start to his rookie season with five finishes in the top 15. He already is up to No. 65 in the world.
Adam Svensson of Canada made the biggest move with a 62, including an eagle on the par-5 15th hole, putting him one shot behind along with Theegala and Andrew Putnam.
LPGA Tour
NAPLES, Fla. – Leona Maguire of Ireland had four straight birdies around the turn and added a pair of birdies late for a 9-under 63, allowing her to catch Lydia
Ko in the CME Group Tour Championship and set up a duel for the richest prize in women’s golf.
At stake on Sunday at Tiburon Golf Club is $2 million to the winner.
Maguire, one of 11 first-time winners on the LPGA Tour this year, is too far back in the points race to win LPGA player of the year, though $2 million in a single day would make up for that. That would be nearly twice what Maguire has made in 23 previous events.
Ko had a five-shot lead to start the third round – seven shots ahead of Maguire – and made a mixture of birdies and bogeys that stalled her round. She fell one shot behind Maguire until chipping to tap-in range on the par-5 17th. She finished with a 70.
They were at 15-under 201 in what shaped up as a two-player race for the $2 million.
No one else was closer than five shots to them. Former U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 had a 68 and Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland had a 69. They were at 206.
European Tour
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Rory McIlroy is well-placed for another Race to Dubai title after his 7-under 65 on Saturday left him three shots off the lead heading into the final round at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. Jon Rahm holds a one-stroke lead after a bogey-free 65 put the Spaniard at 15-under 201 overall at Jumeirah Golf Estates as he seeks to win the event for a third time.