Rory McIlroy’s slim hopes of winning the FedEx Cup faded a little more after a level-par 70 left him 11 strokes behind leader Dustin Johnson at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The Holywood star mixed three birdies with three bogeys to end the day tied for ninth on eight-under-par after his second three-putt of the day at the par-five 18th forced him to settle for a closing par-five.

The Co Down man needed a good driving week to challenge for his third FedEx Cup win but hit just six of 14 fairways for the third day running to be ranked joint 26th in the 30-man field for driving accuracy and 21st for proximity to the hole.

Johnson hit just seven fairways over the first two days but he missed just three of 14 yesterday as he fired a seven birdies and a bogey in a six-under 64 to lead by five shots on 19-under par from Xander Schauffele (67) and Justin Thomas (66) with Jon Rahm (66) six behind in fourth place on 13-under.

“Obviously today was much different off the tee,” Johnson said. “Hit a lot more fairways, and then the couple fairways I missed were just off. I know it was what I needed to do, to play here well, is just hit it in the fairway. I definitely hit a lot more fairways today.”

It’s Johnson’s fourth consecutive 54-hole lead but after being forced to settle for second in the PGA Championship and the BMW Championship, he’s taking nothing for granted.

“Obviously the game is in good form. I've got a lot of confidence in everything I'm doing right now. And yeah, I've played well over the last four events and I'm comfortable in the spot that I'm in.

“Even the two Sundays where I didn't win I felt like I played really solid rounds. Just a couple guys played a little bit better. Tomorrow is more of the same. I just need to go out and focus on what I'm doing and try and shoot the lowest score I can.”

Johnson had a chance to win the FedEx Cup in 2016 when led the Tour Cham[ionship by two shots at the start of the final round but shot 73, the worst score of the day and ended up six shots outside a playoff that saw Rory McIlroy beat Kevin Chappell and Ryan Moore to win his first FedEx Cup.

“To be the FedExCup champion is something that I want to do. It's something that I want on my resume when I quit playing golf,” Johnson said. “Yeah, I mean, it means a lot to me. So yes, I do want to win this tournament.

“Obviously I had a chance to win it a few years ago. Not really in control of that one, so it's a little bit different. Obviously I didn't play well. If I played well I would have, but on Sunday I didn't have a chance. I couldn't control winning by my golf. I was pulling hard for Kevin Chappell. (Laughter.)

“But yeah, tomorrow I do. I control my destiny. I need to go out and just play like I did today. Obviously I'm swinging good. I've got a lot of confidence in the game. So I'm looking forward to tomorrow.”

Schauffele has the game to catch Johnson if he gives him some help but he wasn’t counting on any charity from the leader.

“I mean, he's showcased what he can do,” Schauffele said. “If he does what he normally does, it's going to be almost impossible to catch him. I can try and influence him, which he probably won't really care about. If I birdie the first three holes it's not going to faze him. It's DJ. We've seen him do it for 20 plus years now, and I just have to try and be better.”

Thomas now has some momentum but he knows it may take something special to catch Johnson when he’s in this mood.

“DJ is clearly playing well,” Thomas said. “It wasn't easy today. It's still East Lake. But anything can happen around this course. You can shoot 63 or 64 and you can shoot 73 or 74 very easily. I just need to hope that tomorrow is my 63 or 64.”

Third-Round Leaderboard

Pos. Name Began R1 R2 R3 Total

1 Dustin Johnson -10 -3 E -6 -19

T2 Xander Schauffele -3 -3 -5 -3 -14

T2 Justin Thomas -7 -4 +1 -4 -14

4 Jon Rahm -8 -5 +4 -4 -13

5 Collin Morikawa -5 +1 -5 -3 -12

Things to Know

• For the second season, the TOUR Championship is weighted by FedExCup Starting Strokes, with the format crowning a single champion; at the conclusion of the TOUR Championship, the player with the lowest score in relation to par combined with his FedExCup Starting Strokes will win the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup. Last year through 54 holes, Brooks Koepka (15-under-par) led Xander Schauffele (14-under-par) and Rory McIlroy (14-under-par) by one stroke. McIlroy ultimately shot a final round 66 to win the TOUR Championship by four strokes over Schauffele. 

• Largest final-round comeback in TOUR Championship came from Camilo Villegas in 2008; he trailed Sergio Garcia by five and posted a final-round 66 and defeated Garcia in a sudden-death playoff.

• At East Lake Golf Club, the previous largest 54-hole lead at the TOUR Championship was Henrik Stenson in 2013 who led Dustin Johnson by four and ultimately won by three over Jordan Spieth and Steve Stricker. 

• After hitting just two of 14 Fairways in Regulation in Round 2, Dustin Johnson hit 11 of 14 Fairways in Regulation in Round 3 and led the field in Strokes Gained – Off the Tee (1.681).

• Dustin Johnson has now held or shared the 54-hole lead in his last four starts: PGA Championship (1/T2), THE NORTHERN TRUST (1/Won), BMW Championship (T1/P2) and TOUR Championship (1). The last player to do this in four consecutive stroke-play events was Tiger Woods in 1999: PGA Championship (T1), WGC-NEC Invitational (1), National Car Rental Classic at Disney (T1), TOUR Championship (1). Note: THE INTERNATIONAL – using Modified Stableford scoring – was played the week after the PGA Championship in 1999.

• Xander Schauffele (T2) has trailed after 54 holes in all four of his PGA TOUR victories; in his last win at the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions, he trailed Gary Woodland by five entering the final round but blitzed the field with a final-round 62; his final-round scoring average in those four wins is 64.25.

• Justin Thomas (T2) rebounded on the greens on Sunday as he made 139 feet, 3 inches of putts after making just 107 feet, 5 inches in the first two rounds combined. 

• Five different players have held the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2020. Four of those players - Dustin Johnson (1), Justin Thomas (T2), Jon Rahm (4) and Rory McIlroy (T9) are inside the TOUR Championship top 10 heading into Monday's final round.

• Four players among the top five through 54 holes have accounted for nine of the PGA TOUR’s 35 wins this season: Dustin Johnson (1/2 wins), Justin Thomas (T2/3 wins), Jon Rahm (4/2 wins), Collin Morikawa (5/2 wins).

 

Entering this week

Dustin Johnson

Age 36 (June 22, 1984)

Country United States

FedExCup 1

OWGR 1

PGA TOUR starts 273

PGA TOUR wins 22

PGA TOUR top-10s 102

Starts in 2019-20 13

Wins in 2019-20 2

Top-10s in 2019-20 6

TOUR Championship starts 10

TOUR Championship Top-10s 5 

Dustin Johnson (1/-19)

• With a win Sunday, Johnson would move to sole possession of 27th place all-time for PGA TOUR victories with 23.

• Johnson has won nine of 20 times holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead (in a 72-hole event); his final-round scoring average in those 20 events is 70.2, with nine of the rounds in the 60s

• Final-round scoring average in 10 previous starts at East Lake Golf Club is 69.70

• Has won nine of 12 times when holding a lead of three or more strokes entering the final round

• Seven birdies in round three ties his highest total in a round at East Lake (2013/R4, 2015/R4)

• Qualified for the TOUR Championship for the 12th consecutive season (didn’t play in 2014 due to personal reason), the longest active streak on TOUR

• Since the Return to Golf, has recorded two victories (Travelers Championship, THE NORTHERN TRUST) and two runner-up finishes (PGA Championship, BMW Championship)

• In the FedExCup Playoffs, owns the most wins (5/tied with Rory McIlroy), top-fives (12) and top-10s (20) 

Xander Schauffele (T2/-14)

• With a 67 on Sunday, the 2017 TOUR Championship winner posted his 15th consecutive round at par-or-better in as many attempts at East Lake Golf Club; sits at 38 under in his career at the TOUR Championship

• Starting the week at 3-under par, 2017 TOUR Championship winner has finished inside the top three in the final FedExCup standings on two previous occasions (3rd/2017, 2nd/2019)

• Overcame a five-stroke deficit in the final round of his most recent PGA TOUR victory at the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions; has come from behind to win all four of his PGA TOUR titles

• Looks to join Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy with multiple victories at East Lake

• Owns six top-10s, including two runner-up results, without a victory during the 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season

• Leads the field in Strokes Gained – Putting through 54 holes (+7.083)

Justin Thomas (T2/-14)

• Accounted for the only eagle of the round – a chip-in from 20 feet, 3 inches short of the green – on the par-5 sixth

• In search of first victory at East Lake despite winning the 2017 FedExCup

• Tied career low at East Lake GC with fourth 66 in 19 rounds in Sunday’s third round

• Only player with three victories this season (THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, Sentry Tournament of Champions, WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational)

• Finished T7 or better in all four previous starts at East Lake Golf Club (T6/2016, 2nd/2017, T7/2018, T3/2019)

Jon Rahm (4/-13)

• Jon Rahm posted the lone bogey-free round (66) on Sunday to move from T5 to T2

• TOUR Championship finishes: 2017 (T7), 2018 (T11), 2019 (T12)

• Last week’s BMW Championship victory was his fifth TOUR title, moving him from No. 9 to No. 2 in the FedExCup

• One of four players with at least one win in each of the last four PGA TOUR seasons (Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas)

Miscellaneous Notes

• With his birdie at the 238-yard par-3 ninth hole, Collin Morikawa became the second player since 2007 (Scott Verplank, 2007) to birdie the ninth hole in the first three rounds. No player has made birdie in all four rounds.

• Collin Morikawa holed five birdies on the back nine to close with a 4-under 31 and a third-round 67 to sit solo fifth; leads the field in birdies through three rounds with 17

• Daniel Berger birdied his final three holes for a 6-under 64 to equal the low round of the tournament (Rory McIlroy/R1, Abraham Ancer/R1, Sungjae Im/R2). 

• Scottie Scheffler (8) is in position to become the third rookie to finish inside the top 10 in the FedExCup standings (Xander Schauffele/3rd/2017, Jordan Spieth/7th/2013)

• Five players in the 2020 TOUR Championship field competed in the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Championship: Daniel Berger, Harris English, Lanto Griffin, Scottie Scheffler and Brendon Todd

• Rookies in the field: Scottie Scheffler (8), Viktor Hovland (T21)

• Three FedExCup champions are in the field: Justin Thomas (T2), Rory McIlroy (T9), Billy Horschel (30)

• The PGA of America’s Vardon Trophy and the PGA TOUR’s Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average will be decided after Monday’s final round. Here are the top five entering this week’s action:

  Rank      Player                                 Scoring Average (adjusted)

  1            Webb Simpson                  68.866   

  2            Bryson DeChambeau         69.097   

  3            Jon Rahm                           69.149

  4            Daniel Berger                     69.164

  5            Justin Thomas                   69.180