MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rory McIlroy shot an 8-under 62 on Saturday at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational to take a one-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka at the World Golf Championships event.
McIlroy, who missed the cut by a stroke last week in the British Open on his home turf in Northern Ireland, rebounded very nicely. He had a nine-birdie, one-bogey round to move from a tie for 17th to the top of the leaderboard at TPC Southwind. He finished the round with three straight birdies, including a 27-footer on the par-4 18th after putting his tee shot into a fairway bunker. He had a 12-under 198 total.
Two groups behind McIlroy, Koepka (64) had his chances. The world’s top-ranked player finished with three straight pars. Now Koepka and McIlroy, who played the first two rounds together, will play together Sunday in a final round for the first time in their careers.
Second-round leader Matthew Fitzpatrick (69) was third, two strokes back. Marc Leishman (63), Alex Noren (66) and Jon Rahm (68) were three shots behind.
LPGA: Cresting a wave of South Koreans atop the Evian Championship leaderboard, Hyo Joo Kim fired a third-round 65 to take a one-shot lead at Evian-Les-Bains, France.
Kim’s latest impressive round in a major did not quite match her very first – a record 61 in this tournament as a teenager five years ago when she took the title in her elite debut. But it was good enough to move her to 15-under 198 through three rounds.
Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park was alone in second place. She birdied the par-5 18th for a 5-under 66 on the hillside course overlooking Lake Geneva.
Seven-time major winner Inbee Park (69) was tied for third, four shots back, with Jin Young Ko (66), the world No. 2 who won the season’s first major, the ANA Inspiration.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Englishman Paul Broadhurst birdied two of the last three holes at Lytham St. Annes, England, to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Senior British Open, which will be Tom Watson’s final appearance at the tournament.
Broadhurst had four birdies and a bogey in his 3-under 67 in wet conditions, for a 5-under 205 total.
American Woody Austin (68) is second, one shot off the lead.
Watson, a five-time British Open champion and a three-time Senior British Open champion, shot 2-over 72 and is tied for 55th at 6 over.
After the round, the 69-year-old American announced he wouldn’t be playing at the event again. In his 18 appearances, he has never missed the cut.
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