Hideki Matsuyama pulled away from a crowded field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, carding a six-under 64 to take a five-stroke lead into the final round.
Denny McCarthy, who was tied for the halfway lead with Matsuyama, added four bogeys for his round before registering a first birdie and is now tied for sixth, eight shots back.
Sam Burns had only five pars – and a broken driver – in his round of 70 to also fall back, while world No 1 Scottie Scheffler too slipped off the pace with his round of 69.
The top 50 players in the field advance to the BMW Championship next week and will be assured of getting into all the $20m signature events next year.
Viktor Hovland took a big step towards that with a third-round 66, leaving him in third place and six shots behind Matsuyama.
However, Jordan Spieth’s season effectively ended when he made two double-bogeys in his round of 74, leaving him in 69th place against a 70-man field.
Will Zalatoris came into the postseason at No 49 and shot 67 on Saturday to see him into a tie for sixth alongside McCarthy. He is now all but assured of staying inside the top 50.
Among those on the bubble to advance going into Sunday’s final round are Justin Rose and Adam Scott. Rose, who is currently tied for ninth at TPC Southwind in Memphis, is 55th in the FedEx Cup, while Scott – tied for 25th – is 46th.
Every PGA Tour event is live on Sky Sports, with coverage of the FedEx St. Jude Championship continuing at 4pm on Sky Sports Golf on Sunday.
Watch all of the FedExCup Playoffs live on Sky Sports Golf. Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
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