Rahm mounts late charge, takes 4-shot lead after Round 3 of Memorial

A flurry of late birdies propelled Jon Rahm to the top of the leaderboard on Saturday, as the Spaniard fired a 4-under 68 to take a four-shot advantage at the Memorial Tournament.

Rahm entered the day trailing Tony Finau and Ryan Palmer by one, a deficit that grew to four halfway through Round 3. However, after playing the opening 12 holes at even par, Rahm made four consecutive birdies on Nos. 13 to 16 to pull ahead.

"... Today could be one of the best rounds of golf I've played in my life," Rahm said. "It's unbelievable, and it's hard to believe how passively it came compared to how I played usually."

Rahm's 68 tied Brendon Todd for the lowest score of the day. They were the only two players of the 74 who made the cut to shoot in the 60s. The field's scoring average for Round 3 was 73.7, slightly better than 2-over par.

("My caddie and I) were thinking the club champion, the scratch club champion, might not break 80 here today. It's that difficult a golf course," Rahm added.

The 25-year-old can reach No. 1 in the world with a victory on Sunday combined with Rory McIlroy finishing worse than second.

While Rahm was making birdies, Finau was going in reverse. He held a commanding edge after posting a 3-under through 12, but the 30-year-old carded two double-bogeys late in the day to sign for a 1-over 73.

Palmer held tough through another challenging day at Muirfield Village due to firm greens and blustery conditions. He shot 1-over to share second with Finau going into the final round.

Here's how the top of the leaderboard stands following Round 3:

Tiger Woods took advantage of more benign conditions on Saturday. The 44-year-old posted a 1-under 71 after making the cut on the number.

McIlroy shot 72 to remain inside the top 15 at 2-under. Justin Thomas turned in a 3-over 75 to fall into a share of 24th.

Round 4 gets underway at 8:25 a.m. ET on Sunday. Tiger will tee off alongside Marc Leishman at 11:25 a.m., with the final pairing of Rahm and Palmer out at 2:35 p.m. Here's the broadcast schedule: