Flurry of birdies in Round 3 help give Morikawa 2-shot lead at WGC
Collin Morikawa made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch midway through Round 3 to help give himself a two-shot lead at the WGC-Workday Championship.
The 24-year-old led by five at one point during Saturday's round, but two bogeys on the final two par 5s at The Concession Golf Club cut into his advantage, and he carded a 5-under 67 for the day.
Morikawa, who tops the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green, is looking to secure his fourth PGA Tour title on Sunday.
Billy Horschel and Brooks Koepka are leading the chase of Morikawa. Horschel played his final three holes at 3-under to get into the final pairing with Morikawa for Sunday's round, and Koepka - who was in first after Round 2 - struggled out of the gates but managed to shoot 2-under to remain in contention.
Here's how the top of the leaderboard stands ahead of Sunday:
| Place | Player | To Par | R3 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collin Morikawa | -15 | 67 |
| T2 | Billy Horschel | -13 | 69 |
| T2 | Brooks Koepka | -13 | 70 |
| 4 | Webb Simpson | -12 | 69 |
| T5 | Rory McIlroy | -11 | 66 |
| T5 | Patrick Reed | -11 | 69 |
| T7 | Viktor Hovland | -10 | 66 |
| T7 | Scottie Scheffler | -10 | 67 |
| T7 | Hideki Matsuyama | -10 | 68 |
| T7 | Matt Fitzpatrick | -10 | 71 |
Rory McIlroy flew up the leaderboard with a 66 that tied for the lowest score of the day. McIlroy made seven birdies and an eagle on Day 3 but was held back by an early double-bogey.
Cameron Smith, who played in Saturday's final pairing with Koepka, carded a 5-over 77 to plummet into a tie for 20th.
Round 4 begins at 7:35 a.m. ET on Sunday from Bradenton, Florida. The final group tees off at 1:50 p.m.