Rory McIlroy back in the hunt as Viktor Hovland leads way at Tour Championship
McIlroy shot a seven-under-par 63 in the third round and trails Hovland by five strokes in Atlanta
Rory McIlroy reclaimed a position in contention at the Tour Championship following a seven-under-par 63, but Viktor Hovland maintains a significant lead over the Northern Irishman at East Lake. McIlroy, who started the day seven shots behind Hovland and Ryan Gerard, slipped further behind early in his third round after three-putting the par-three second hole.
Despite this error, McIlroy rebounded by birdying four of his next five holes and adding more shots on the 10th and 12th, before bogeying the final hole. McIlroy now finds himself five shots behind Hovland, who shot 65, and four behind Gerard, who carded 66. The 23rd-place finisher McIlroy expressed satisfaction with his putting, stating that he had played well throughout the tournament.
Hovland, the back-to-back Masters champion, expressed his delight with his 65, noting that it was a week where he could consistently put together strong performances. Four birdies in the final six holes for Hovland secured his lead in the Tour Championship, with the prospect of a $10 million prize on the line. Scottie Scheffler, world number one, is one of four players trailing by three shots, posting a bogey-free 66 on Saturday.
English golfers Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick both faltered, ending up at eight-under-par, seven shots behind Hovland.
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