Billy Horschel shines on Day 3 at Memorial, jumps out to 5-shot lead

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Billy Horschel is extra involved with the way in which he’s enjoying than the scale of his lead within the Memorial. Either manner, he’s in fine condition going into the ultimate spherical.

On a Muirfield Village course that’s getting more and more firmer, Horschel hasn’t made a bogey for the reason that tenth gap of his opening spherical. There had been 5 gamers tied for the lead at one level. Horschel completed the day 5 pictures forward.

It was the second straight yr for an enormous 54-hole lead at the Memorial. Horschel will at least get an opportunity to end the job.

One yr after Jon Rahm constructed a six-shot lead — solely to be compelled to withdraw after the third spherical due to a optimistic COVID-19 take a look at — Horschel delivered a gem on a beautiful Saturday afternoon with a 7-under 65 for his largest 54-hole lead of his profession.

Horschel chipped in for birdie on his opening gap. Everything else was merely stable, with just one different birdie putt outdoors the 10-foot vary.

He was at 13-under 203, 5 pictures away from Aaron Wise (69) and Cameron Smith (72).

“I just go to the tee understanding I’m leading the tournament. I know I’ve got however many shots I have ahead,” Horschel mentioned. “I’m not going to be protective, I’m not going to be overly aggressive. I’m going to play the way I have the last three days. We’re going to hit the golf shots that are required, and I know if we do that it’s going to give me the best chance to be victorious come tomorrow.”

He shall be going for his sixth particular person title and seventh PGA Tour victory.

Daniel Berger had a 67 and 6 pictures behind together with Jhonattan Vegas and former British Open champion Francesco Molinari, who hasn’t had a top-five end for the reason that 2019 Masters.

“I’m just happy to be up there,” Molinari mentioned. “Billy is a really good player, but in golf you never know. On a course like this, it’s showing today that if you hit the fairways you get plenty of chances and you can shoot 6-, 7-under par. If you start missing fairways it’s a whole different challenge. I think there’s going to be an outside chance, but it’s just nice to be kind of up there.”

Smith began with a one-shot lead and bumped into hassle instantly, with bogeys from the bunker on the primary two holes. He performed alongside Denny McCarthy, who on three events within the first hour was placing for birdie from nearer than the place Smith was placing for par.

It was a wrestle for Smith to get again to even for the day, however by then, Horschel was beginning to draw back from everyone.

He took the lead with a wedge to 3 toes for birdie on the par-5 seventh, after which stuffed his tee shot to a entrance pin inside 6 toes on the par-3 eighth. He made birdie on all of the par 5s. The 4 occasions he missed the inexperienced, he chipped in on No. 1 for birdie and made powerful saves from bunkers and a fragile pitch behind the twelfth inexperienced that ran rapidly away from him.

Smith saved himself one shot at the tip. The greens are agency sufficient that something within the tough makes it exhausting to cease close to the outlet. Smith’s shot from deep grass proper of the 18th fairway bounded to the again of the inexperienced with a entrance pin. The Aussie went with a flop store that trickled close to the outlet and settled 3 toes away for par.

“It was a nice one to get par out of,” Smith mentioned. “There was lots of not-so-good stuff out there today, and just stuck in there. Managed to have a couple of birdies on that back nine. Just nice to get away with level par and keep myself in the tournament. I think especially today it could have got away from me a little bit.”

Rory McIlroy began the third spherical simply three pictures out of the lead, however as everybody else round him was piling up birdies, McIlroy was caught on pars. He didn’t make his first birdie till the eleventh gap and shot 73 to fall 4 pictures behind.

Defending champion Patrick Cantlay started his spherical by pulling his tee shot right into a stream and making double bogey. He atoned for that with a pair of eagles, completed with three straight par putts from outdoors 8 toes and shot 69. He was seven beind.

That would seem to be too far again — the biggest comeback at the Memorial is 5 pictures, most not too long ago 15 years in the past by Okay.J. Choi. Then once more, gamers have rallied from seven pictures behind to win the final two weeks by Sam Burns at Colonial and by Justin Thomas at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s any different,” Wise mentioned. “Anything is possible.”

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(*3*)Related:Will Zalatoris and Jordan Spieth shut behind six-way tie for lead at Memorial