LAST UPDATE | 28 Aug 2022
RORY MCILROY IS the nearest challenger to the leader of the Tour Championship after a superb 63 in the third round left him six shots behind Scottie Scheffler at East Lake in Atlanta.
The season-ending event had seen play suspended due to lightning in the area, the second time today that play was halted.
McIlroy came back to finish his round on Sunday morning and added further birdies on 17 and 18 for a seven-under round to stay closest to Scheffler, who closed with back-to-back birdies to card an impressive 66 in round three.
Xander Schauffele, playing alongside Scheffler, is 17-under tied in second place with Sungjae Im in third spot on 16-under.
“With a 72-hole event I think it’s still pretty early in the tournament,” Scheffler said. “We’re all just kind of jockeying for position and I was just out there trying to hit some quality shots.”
The third round of the TOUR Championship was suspended at 6:36 p.m. due to lightning in the area.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) August 27, 2022
Schauffele paid the price for missing fairways with bogeys at the fourth and fifth holes, only to birdie the sixth and seventh — the latter on a 33-foot putt — to again equal Scheffler.
After seven pars, Scheffler holed a 12-foot birdie putt at the eighth to pull one stroke ahead and both leaders made bogeys at the par-3 11th after landing in bunkers, leaving Scheffler ahead when play was stopped.
Upon his return, he produced a superb showing to secure a four-under round.
Scottie Scheffler is dialed in 🎯 pic.twitter.com/HQQQpkhLvG
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 28, 2022
McIlroy produced a blistering front nine as he picked up shots on the 2nd and 3rd before a bogey on the 4th. Then an eagle arrived on the par-five 6th and another birdie on the 8th.
He will play with Scheffler in the final round which is set to get underway later on Sunday afternoon.
