One shot clear, with a crowd breathing down his neck
Seven of the 87 rounds played over three days have come in above par. East Lake is no fortress any more. In those conditions, getting a one-shot lead is close to a feat.
Yet that is exactly what Viktor Hovland did overnight. The Norwegian signed for a 65, five under par, and heads into the final round of the Tour Championship at 15 under. Ryan Gerard is one back. The rest of the field is at least three shots adrift.
Hovland knows the place. He won here in 2023. He also explained on Saturday night why these Bermuda greens, running at 13 on the stimpmeter, suit him even though they are the exact opposite of what he grew up on in Norway. “As soon as I find the read, I feel completely comfortable over the ball,” he said.
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Scheffler and McIlroy lurking
Scottie Scheffler is three back, part of a four-man group at 12 under with Adam Scott, Ludvig Aberg and Chris Gotterup. The American posted an unflashy 66. His answer to the logjam at the top came in one line. “I’m not thinking beyond finding the fairway on the first hole.”
Rory McIlroy came from a long way off the pace. He carded a 63 to climb to seventh, five shots back. Three straight birdies from the 15th to the 17th briefly dragged him level with the leaders. Then his approach to 18 ended up on the 10th fairway. He saved par.
The Northern Irishman has three Tour Championship wins, in 2016, 2019 and 2022, along with three FedEx Cup titles. Last week, he was in the final group again. It still didn’t end the way he wanted.
Ten million on the line
The winner on Sunday will bank 10 million dollars. Robert MacIntyre showed you can go low even when you’re out there on your own, opening with a 63. Adam Scott rolled in more than 130 feet of putts across his round.
Gerard is playing in his first Tour Championship. Three times this season, he has come agonisingly close to a win. Three times, he has come up short.
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