Tour round up: Rory, Westwood, Leona, Clarke
Lee Westwood. Picture: Getty
Rory McIlroy carded a four-under 67 but slipped further off the lead in the Dell Technologies Championship in Boston.
He moved up 21 spots to tied 21st on four-under-par, seven strokes behind Webb Simpson, who holed a putt from off the 18th green from 71 feet for eagle and an eight-under 63 to lead by a shot on 11-under from Tyrrell Hatton (63) and Justin Rose (67).
Tommy Fleetwood (65), another Englishman, is alone in fourth, three behind Simpson on eight-under.
A brilliant round by @WebbSimpson1 highlighted by a walk-off eagle.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 2, 2018
Watch his second round in less than 4 minutes.👇 pic.twitter.com/zL8R7hs1uV
World No 1 Dustin Johnson (69) is tied 16th on five-under with McIlroy in an eight-strong group tied for 21st on four-under that includes Alex Noren (69), Brooks Koepka 69), Russell Knox (72), Tiger Woods (66) and Bryson DeChambeau (68).
Westwood leads in Denmark
Lee Westwood will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Made in Denmark after a dramatic third day at Silkeborg Ry Golf Club.
The Englishman entered Saturday two shots off the lead but a sensational run of five birdies in a row after the turn handed him a three-shot lead as the Ryder Cup Vice Captain delighted the huge crowds at Thomas Bjørn’s home club.
A double-bogey at the last after finding water off the tee then dropped him back to 16 under with a 67 and opened the door to the rest of the field.
England's Steven Brown fired a brilliant 63 to sit at 15 under alongside countryman Jonathan Thomson and Belgian Thomas Detry, with another Englishman in Matt Wallace a further shot back.
In the race to make the Ryder Cup Team, Thorbjørn Olesen came into the week knowing a two-way tie for seventh or better would guarantee his place at Le Golf National, with Matthew Fitzpatrick needing a victory and hoping that Olesen stumbles.
The Dane carded a 67 to surge up the leaderboard before Fitzpatrick went one better to sit three shots ahead of Olesen but six off the lead.
Eddie Pepperell could also qualify with a victory but he carded a 74 to sit at three under.
Westwood has held a 54-hole lead on 24 occasions on the European Tour, claiming 11 of his 23 wins from that position, including his last one at the 2014 Maybank Malaysian Open.
The 45 year old is making his Danish debut this week as he looks for victory in a 14th country on the European Tour but he is ruling out an 11th consecutive Ryder Cup appearance when Bjørn makes his Captain's Picks on Wednesday.
Lee Westwood: “Thomas doesn't want an old man like me playing, he wants the young kids in! I've played ten and I know when my game is really on song ready for the Ryder Cup and I think there are more people deserving of a pick than me.
“I played great all day. I made one bad swing off the 18th tee but it'd be stupid to focus on that as well as I played, I had it under control all day. I'm not thinking any kind of score, I'm just going to try and go out and play like I've been playing. I'm hitting the ball solid and I'm rolling it well on the greens.”
Jigger Thomson: “Let’s start with the ruling. Basically I hit my second shot into the hazard on the third hole. I hit it into one of these environmental areas where you can’t stand in there or step foot or play the ball. I have taken a drop and it landed on a bank. This is the bit that everyone is unsure of. Sam, my playing partner was adamant that the ball wasn’t at rest and the referee thought it was. We have just been in the recording area with the referees’ trying to thrash it out but there comes a point where you have to accept the decision. We’re all grown-ups, let’s sign the card and get out of here. It’s just one of those things – it’s fine and it’s something that happens all the time. I had a great round of golf after that anyway so it’s fine.
“These past four weeks have been a real test of my patience because I have been playing some great golf and just not getting the results. This week has been great so far and I will go in there tomorrow feeling strong.
“I didn’t think I would comfortable today but when you start hitting good shots you get in your bubble but you can also ride the crowd. The crowd are there to help – they are there to cheer us on and if you can get it going it can help you. I am really looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and getting after it. I have nothing to lose – I am going to go out there and try to win.”
Steven Brown: “I actually wasn’t thinking about a number over dinner last night but I had a feeling that it was going to be a good day when I saw the draw and realised I would be playing with Richie McEvoy. We have played a lot together and are very comfortable playing together so I had a feeling it was going to be an enjoyable day.
“This course actually reminds me of back home playing at Wentworth in some ways. It’s through the trees and the wind can swirl around and the greens are quite similar so I have had the pace of the greens all week which always helps. I actually had a little bit of injury in my side on Tuesday so I only played a few holes and then me and my caddie just walked the course on Wednesday to get a feel for it.
“I’m trying not to think about keeping my card at the moment but it is difficult not to. But the past few weeks I have probably been trying too hard and putting too much pressure on myself so I have been trying move away from that and just play golf and see what happens.
“I just need to try and keep moving forward tomorrow. I haven’t been in this position on the European Tour before but I know that I can’t try to just consolidate my position as guys will fly past you on a Sunday if you try and do that. I’m going to have to play well to beat the guys that are up there with me so it will be a case of trying to go out there and get after as much as I can.”
Thorbjørn Olesen: “I felt pretty comfortable. It was the same yesterday as well. I’m still missing a little bit with the driver but today was definitely better than the first two days. I have a couple of bad shots to the right with the driver and I am probably hitting two or three of those per round at the moment which is kind of costing me a little but hopefully I can sort that out on the range this afternoon.
“I was just trying to move through the field today and hopefully get into a position where I can have a chance of a good result on Sunday. I’m honestly just thinking about Made in Denmark. I think I have had too many of these questions on the Ryder Cup – all I am thinking about is Made in Denmark.”
Matt Fitzpatrick: “It was really good. I obviously got off to a pretty fast start – four under through ten – missed a good chance on 11 and then birdied my next two. If it was perfect I would have holed two more putts and I think that's as much as I could have got out of the round but 66 is good. I know that I've just got to go out there and win and make lots of birdies but at the same time I feel like just playing well in general is just what I need to do anyway. Not just talking about Ryder Cup, just for my season alone. I feel like I have played well and just not strung it all together so whether it's this week, next week, two weeks, it's nice to get something going again and get myself up there. A 62 tomorrow would be nice – it's doable.”
Eddie Pepperell: “It was falling day for me. I hit the ball pretty well on the range, probably the best I've hit it. I didn't hit it great off the tee out there but I did feel like I hit my irons a lot better but on the greens – once I set foot on them I don't know what it was like watching but it wasn't professional golf. I would have needed a certain set of circumstances this week which don't look like they're going to happen but when I consider two years ago where I was at to here, it's chalk and cheese, really. This isn't really pressure, this is a pleasure compared to where I was at two years ago. I enjoy playing well and I hate playing badly so being a golfer and being a perfectionist I wouldn't say I find it fun. The good days are good. This is what golf is all about and sport at the highest level is – mostly frustrating and occasionally fantastic. You've just got to make sure you live somewhere in between and keep breathing.”
McElroy four back in France
Dermot McElroy shot a four-under 66 to lie four shots behind Jack Singh Brar (64) who had a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the Cordon Golf Open
Michael Hoey (68) and Jonny Caldwell (72) were seven behind with Gavin Moynihan (73) 11 back and Cormac Sharvin (71) 14 behind. Scores
Leona two back in South Dakota
Leona Maguire is just two shots behind Sweden's Linnea Strom heading into the final round of the Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge at Willow Run Golf Course in South Dakota.
Ström shot a four-under 66 to lead by a shot from the Philippines ' Dottie Ardina on eight under with Maguire carding a three-under 67 to share third spot with England's Charlotte Thomas, Sweden's Linnea Johansson and Allyssa Ferrell. Scores
With a cheque for $31,500 up for grabs, a win would catapult Maguire close to the top 10 in the money list who will be awarded LPGA Tour cards for 2019 at the end of the season.
Clarke seven back in Calgary
Darren Clarke is seven shots behind Joe Durant heading into the final round of the Shaw Charity Classic in Calgary.
He followed a level par 70 with a four under 66 in his second PGA Tour Champions start since finishing tied 24th on his debut in last week's Boeing Classic.
On the Staysure Tour Paul Streeter shot a seven-under par 65 to lead the Travis Perkins Masters by seven shots at Woburn with Des Smyth the best of the Irish, tied for 11th on level par.
