WORLD NUMBER THREE Jon Rahm fired a bogey-free six-under par 65 on Saturday to grab a three-shot lead at the at the Genesis Invitational in Riviera, where Tiger Woods thrilled fans with a four-under par 67.
Rahm, who can return to number one with a victory, hit just five of 14 fairways but moved past overnight leader Max Homa, putting himself in position to capture a third US PGA Tour title of 2023.
His 15-under par total of 198 put him three clear of Homa, whose two-under par 69 for 201 kept him one in front of Keith Mitchell, who also posted a 69.
Meanwhile, Séamus Power is in a tie for 15th heading into the final round, after an impressive four-under 67 which puts him on five-under for the tournament alongside Scottie Scheffler and Danny Willett.
The Waterford man picked up eight birdies while a triple bogey on the 12th hampered his otherwise brilliant performance in the third round.
Rahm opened his round with a birdie at the first, just missing a 12-foot eagle attempt. He rolled in birdie putts from inside eight feet at the fourth, eighth and ninth. He rolled in a two-foot birdie at the 11th, to take the solo lead at 14-under.
Rahm is seeking a third title of the year after victories at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and at La Quinta, California, in his next event.
His hot start followed a strong autumn in Europe, where he won a third Spanish Open title in October and the DP World Tour Championship in November.
It all has him in position to grab the number one spot from Scheffler, who supplanted Rory McIlroy with his Phoenix Open win last Sunday.
McIlroy fell out of contention at the tournament on Saturday with a two-over 73 to put him on four-under for the tournament. He’s joined on that mark by Shane Lowry who carded a 71 in a round which included three birdies and three bogeys.
Homa, who started the day with a one-shot lead, kept the pressure on. He drained a 19-foot birdie putt at the third and added a five-foot birdie at the sixth. He tied Rahm’s lead with a birdie at the 10th and tied him again with a seven-foot birdie at the 13th.
Homa faltered, however, with back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th, and Rahm closed his round with a final flourish — draining a 23-foot birdie putt at 18.
While Rahm arrived at Riviera as perhaps the hottest golfer on tour, Woods was a mystery coming into his first event since he missed the cut at the Open Championship in July.
Still severely limited by the right leg injuries he suffered in a February 2021 car accident, Woods had barely made the halfway cut.
But he equalled the third-best round of the day behind Denny McCarthy’s 64 — which pulled the American into a share of seventh, and Rahm’s 65.
Woods has played just three tour-level tournaments since the crash, finishing 47th at the Masters last April, withdrawing from the PGA Championship after three rounds and missing the cut at St. Andrews.
Woods is the host of the tournament, which features 19 of the world’s top 20 all chasing a $3.6 million winner’s prize from a purse of $20 million.
That prize money is bumped up thanks to the tournament’s status as one of the tour’s new designated events, designed to bring the best players together more often.
But even with the wealth of talent on view, Woods was the undisputed star attraction, provoking roars throughout the day from his legion of followers.
Elsewhere, Leona Maguire is 11 shots off the lead heading into the final round of the Aramco Saudi Ladies International.
The Cavan native grabbed three birdies to leave her on seven-under, while American Lilia Vu sits at the top of the leaderboard.
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