Viktor Hovland is 18 holes away from an $18 million check and the FedEx Cup trophy.
The Norwegian owns a six-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele after the third round of the Tour Championship on Saturday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Hovland, 25, won last week’s BMW Championship to move to second in the FedEx Cup points standings in time for this week’s “staggered start” format. His rounds of 68-64-66 have vaulted him to 20 under par.
Hovland began the day tied for the lead with Collin Morikawa. After playing the first 36 holes bogey-free, Morikawa made two bogeys and a double and carded a 73, dropping back to a tie for third with Keegan Bradley (70) at 13 under.
An unexpected 75-minute suspension because of a nearby lightning storm did not zap Hovland’s momentum. He came out of the delay birdieing Nos. 12 and 13 to build as much as a seven-shot advantage.
Schauffele’s 68 was his 27th consecutive round of par or better at East Lake.
His stellar form aside, Hovland’s lead is not impenetrable. Just last year, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland came back from six down in the final round to beat Scottie Scheffler for his third FedEx Cup title.
Morikawa wasn’t the only big name who moved backwards Saturday. Scheffler had four bogeys and didn’t make a birdie until the final hole for a 73. After starting the week in first place at 10 under, Scheffler is tied for fifth at 11 under with Wyndham Clark (68) and Jon Rahm of Spain, who had a double bogey on No. 8 en route to a 71.
McIlroy posted a 71 and is part of a tie for eighth at 9 under with Patrick Cantlay (68) and Adam Schenk (69).
–Field Level Media