Viktor Hovland took a one-shot lead into the final round of the Tour Championship after posting a five-under-par 65 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday.
The Norwegian golfer produced a birdie-birdie finish to reach 15 under par, moving narrowly ahead of playing partner Ryan Gerard. Hovland, the 2023 FedExCup champion, is chasing his second title in four years at the PGA Tour season finale.
The Tour Championship is the culmination of the PGA Tour season, bringing together the top 30 players on the leaderboard to compete for the FedExCup trophy. Heading into Sunday's final round, all 29 players remaining in the field are under par.
World number one Scottie Scheffler remains three shots back in third place at 12 under as he pursues a second FedExCup title. Scheffler is joined on 12 under by Chris Gotterup, Adam Scott, and Ludvig Åberg, who ended his third-round 65 with three consecutive birdies.
Rory McIlroy jumped into contention by setting the early clubhouse target with a round-of-the-day 63. McIlroy sits five strokes back at 10 under alongside Cameron Young, who carded a round-of-the-day 62 on Friday. McIlroy, a winner of the FedExCup in 2016, 2019, and 2022, is searching for a record-extending fourth FedExCup crown.
Third Round Play by Play
The halfway co-leaders were chased by a star-studded group throughout Saturday's round. Gotterup quickly made it a three-way tie for the lead with a birdie at the third hole. Hovland also birdied the third, but failed to get up and down from the sand to save par at the fourth. Young birdied two of his opening six holes to reach 10 under.
McIlroy charged through the field with four birdies in a six-hole stretch on his back nine to add to the logjam at the top. McIlroy had been eight shots back earlier in his round before setting the clubhouse target. Gotterup briefly claimed the solo lead before Hovland and Gerard both birdied the par-five sixth hole to move ahead on 11 under.
Gerard added another birdie from nine feet at the seventh hole and traded pars with Hovland around the turn. He doubled his advantage over the chasing pack by holing a 12-foot birdie putt at the 12th hole. Gerard has previously won once on the PGA Tour, at last year's Barracuda Championship.
Hovland responded with a birdie from 12 feet at the 13th hole, made a 15-foot putt to save par at the 14th, and birdied the 15th to draw level with Gerard on 13 under. Both players saved par at the 16th, before Hovland took the outright lead with an eight-foot birdie at the 17th. Both players birdied the par-five 18th to ensure they will share the final pairing again on Sunday.
"Super pleased," Hovland said. "65 out there, especially with that finish, I'm super happy with that. I'd say the last few weeks I have been putting a lot better, but it's been hard to put together consistently good days in a row. It's been just one of those weeks where I've been able to put it together every single day for three days."
McIlroy Surges with Round of the Day
Masters champion McIlroy began his third round seven shots off the halfway lead and scrambled for par at the first hole before making a three-putt bogey at the second. He recovered by making birdies on his next two holes and taking advantage of the par-five sixth hole.
McIlroy added another birdie from 10 feet at the par-four seventh hole, but missed an opportunity on the driveable eighth. A close-range birdie at the 10th was cancelled out by a dropped shot at the 11th hole.
World number two McIlroy responded with an eight-foot birdie at the 12th hole and converted three consecutive birdie chances from 12 feet or longer starting at the 15th hole. His total of nine birdies equalled his highest single-round count on the PGA Tour this season, while his 63 matched his lowest career score at East Lake.
"I got myself back in the tournament," McIlroy said. "I think the difference today was I just putted a lot better. I think I lost maybe a combined three on the greens over the first two days and I probably gained over three on the greens today."
McIlroy added: "The ball striking has been there. Hit some nice iron shots, drove it well for the most part. I felt like I played okay the last couple days, just wasn't getting as much out of my game as I wanted to. I pieced it together today and obviously with a better score."
Final Round Schedule
The final round of the Tour Championship takes place on Sunday, with live broadcast coverage starting at 5pm on Sky Sports Golf.
