(Atlanta) Viktor Hovland delivered another excellent 66 (-4) card, this time from the lead group, to build a six-stroke lead in the PGA TOUR Championship standings on Saturday.
Only 18 holes separate the Norwegian from a check for 18 million.
Hovland arrived in East Lake, New Jersey after shooting a 61 at Olympia Fields – 28 on the back nine – to win the BMW Championship.
He was tied with Collin Morikawa going into the third round, with Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele in ambush. No one could keep up their pace, especially after a 90-minute break due to bad weather.
Hovland, who started the tournament at -8 as the second seed, is now at -20. After his round, he said he couldn’t remember ever having played so well in all facets of his game.
“The list of names on this trophy is pretty special,” Hovland said. I feel like I’m in a sprint. Obviously, it was a marathon to get to this tournament. However, it’s hard to win the FedEx Cup if you haven’t played well in the previous weeks. »
Schauffele has never finished lower than seventh or done worse than normal in seven appearances at this Championship. He shot 68 and is -14 in three rounds.
He couldn’t think of anything more than two putts from around 1.2m on the back nine – for par on the 15th and a birdie on the 18th – especially with the gap growing with Hovland.
“It’s not good enough,” he said, not without praising his rival, who extended his lead to seven strokes at one point.
“He plays incredible golf. He works very hard. I saw him work really hard during those playoff tournaments. I was training late and he was always there until dark. So there is no surprise. »
Despite the lead, Hovland must be wary of their opponents. Scheffler’s example last year should keep him on his toes. Despite leading by six strokes at the start of the last set, he was beaten by Rory McIlroy.
“I know what I have to do,” Schauffele said. I have to go out there, put as much pressure on him as possible on the front nine tomorrow, and hope it works out for me. »
Corey Conners is the highest ranked Canadian. He is at -5, one shot ahead of his compatriot Nick Taylor.