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.
Rodgers hit the reset button after last season ended in August, setting up a plan with swing coach Jeff Smith that entails making incremental improvements. It appears to be working. He tied for third in Bermuda three weeks ago and has been a steady presence during the fall events.
Rodgers was the top-ranked amateur in the world his final year at Stanford. He is making his 226th start on the PGA Tour and still searching for his first win.
It didn’t take 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.
“I feel like I put together a tiny offseason with my coach, Jeff Smith. We really put a good plan together,” Rodgers said. “I’ve been feeling more comfortable. It’s a hard game, and it’s always nice to see hard work pay off.”
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.
Martin’s lone PGA Tour victory was eight years ago in Las Vegas.
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, who also shared the 36-hole lead. He saved par from a bunker on the last hole for a 69.
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.
The forecast for Sunday was for rain and 20 mph (32 kph) gusts.
“Nothing I’m not used to from Ireland,” Maguire said when she finished her round. “We’ll see where Lydia gets at the end of the day, but ultimately just go out and play as well as I possibly can, and especially if there’s bad weather, that’s all you can control. Looking forward to one last walk of the season tomorrow.”
Brooke Henderson kept her slim hopes alive for player of the year. The Canadian, who had to withdraw last week with a back injury, had two eagles in her round of 65 and was at 9-under 207.
Henderson will have to win the CME Group Tour Championship and have Ko finish third or worse to win player of the year.
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.
The top-ranked Mcilroy will battle U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick on Sunday for the Harry Vardon Trophy.
“If I’m able to go out there tomorrow and shoot a good score and get the job done, it would be a really nice way to end what’s been a great year,” said the Northern Irishman, who is trying to become the European tour’s leading player for the fourth time in his career.
Fitzpatrick trails Rahm by one shot after a 70 that included two bogeys on the front nine at the Earth Course, where he is a two-time winner.
The Englishman can clinch what would be his first Race to Dubai title if he wins Sunday and Mcilroy finishes below second. A second-place finish would also be good enough for Fitzpatrick if Mcilroy finishes lower than seventh.
“It would mean the world,” said Fitzpatrick, who lamented a slow start Saturday. “I’m going to need a lot of things going my way. I’ve given myself a chance going into tomorrow and that’s all you can do from the start of the week.”
Alex Noren (68) is two shots off the lead, and Mcilroy is tied for fourth with Tyrrell Hatton (72).
Eagles (8-1) at Colts (4-5-1)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS Tipico Sportsbook line:
Eagles by 6 1⁄2
QB Jalen Hurts and the Eagles hit the road and look to get back on the winning side of things after the “Monday Night Football” loss to the Commanders. The Colts picked up a win in Jeff Saturday’s coaching debut, a turn of events that surprised many around the NFL.
Jets (6-3) at Patriots (5-4)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS Tipico Sportsbook line:
Patriots by 3
Old rivals come together for the second time this season when QB Zach Wilson and the Jets face Bill Belichick’s Patriots in a game with huge AFC East ramifications. Second-year QB Mac Jones and New England took down New York in the first meeting between the teams.
Lions (3-6) at Giants (7-2)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox Tipico Sportsbook line:
Giants by 3
RB Saquon Barkley and the Giants will try to keep their impressive season going. Barkley, QB Daniel Jones and the offense has been performing consistently and now face a leaky Lions defense. Detroit QB Jared Goff, RB D’andre Swift and the rest of the offense will look to keep pace.
Commanders (5-5) at Texans (1-7-1)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox Tipico Sportsbook line: Commanders by 3
The Commanders come in off a short week after the upset of the Eagles on “Monday Night Football.” Coach Ron Rivera announced Wednesday that QB Taylor Heinicke would start over Carson Wentz against the Texans, who have relied on rookie RB Dameon Pierce.
Bears (3-7) at Falcons (4-6)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox
Tipico Sportsbook line:
Falcons by 3 1⁄2
Dual threat Justin Fields is looking more like a legitimate toptier quarterback each week, and though the Bears will be the visitors, he’ll play in the friendly conditions of a domed stadium. Can the Falcons contain the running threat? And can Atlanta QB Marcus Mariota bounce back?
Browns (3-6) vs. Bills (6-3)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS Tipico Sportsbook line:
Bills by 7 1⁄2
The NFL moved the game to Detroit because of impending snowy weather. QB Josh Allen and the Bills will try to rebound against the struggling Browns after a loss to the Vikings.
Rams (3-6) at Saints (3-7)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox Tipico Sportsbook line:
Saints by 3 1⁄2
The defending Super Bowl champion Rams have issues on both sides of the ball. The Saints have experienced their fair share of strife, too, and will rely on RB Alvin Kamara, who’s got just 56 rushing yards combined the last two weeks.
Panthers (3-7) at Ravens (6-3)
TV: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox
Tipico Sportsbook line:
Ravens by 13
QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens come off their bye week and hope to get back TE Mark Andrews, who practiced Wednesday for the first time since Oct. 21. The struggling Panthers, who are led by third-year quarterback P.J. Walker, will be hunting for an upset.
Raiders (2-7) at Broncos (3-6)
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox Tipico Sportsbook line: Broncos by 3
Josh Mcdaniels’ Raiders limp into the matchup against the Broncos and QB Russell Wilson. The Raiders failed to take down the Colts in Jeff Saturday’s coaching debut. Can QB Derek Carr, RB Josh Jacobs and WR Davante Adams get momentum going? Or will Wilson and Co. prevail in this AFC West matchup?
Cowboys (6-3) at Vikings (8-1)
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS Tipico Sportsbook line: Cowboys by 2
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings return home on the heels of the thrilling overtime win against the Bills. Meanwhile, the Cowboys and QB Dak Prescott look to rebound after an overtime loss to the Packers. The Dallas defense will have to slow down Minnesota WR Justin Jefferson.
Bengals (5-4) at Steelers (3-6)
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS Tipico Sportsbook line: Bengals by 4
Joe Burrow and the Bengals are fresh off a bye week and look to make up ground in the playoff picture. There’s a gaggle of 6-3 teams ahead of them in the AFC. Rookie QB Kenny Pickett, RB Najee Harris and the Steelers hope to find some magic at home.
Chiefs (7-2) at Chargers (5-4)
TV: 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC Tipico Sportsbook line:
Chiefs by 6
The Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs (7-2) face fellow quarterback Justin Herbert’s Chargers in a huge AFC West matchup with playoff implications. The Chiefs picked up a home win over the Chargers in Week 2.
49ers (5-4) at Cardinals (4-6)
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET Monday, ESPN Tipico Sportsbook line:
49ers by 8
The NFL heads south of the border when QB Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers take on WR Deandre Hopkins’ Cardinals. The Cardinals likely wish they were on a bye week instead of a business trip to Mexico City given their mess of injuries, including ailments to QB Kyler Murray and TE Zach Ertz, among others.