Golf

BMW Championship 2023 leaderboard and odds – how things stand after day 3

August 20, 2023 12:49 am
BMW Championship 2023 leaderboard and odds – how things stand after day 3
Aug 19, 2023; Olympia Fields, Illinois, USA; Scottie Scheffler hits his shot from the 11th fairway during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA - Photo by Icon Sport

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick share first place atop a crowded leaderboard in Illinois at the BMW Championship after Saturday’s third round.

Sunday should provide plenty of fireworks, with eight players within four strokes of the lead. Open champion Brian Harman (10-under) sits one shot behind, followed by Max Homa (9-under), Viktor Hovland (8-under) and Rory McIlroy (8-under).

Tomorrow’s round will determine the top 30 players headed to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Later in this article, we’ll dive into which players sit on the bubble.

BMW Championship leaderboard 2023

Place/Player
Score
R1
R2
R3
R4

T1

S. Scheffler
-11
66
69
64
–

T1

M. Fitzpatrick
-11
66
67
66
–

3

B. Harman
-10
65
68
67
–

4

M. Homa
-9
68
62
71
–

T5

V. Hovland
-8
69
68
65
–

T5

R. McIlroy
-8
65
70
67
–

T7

S. Burns
-7
71
70
62
–

T7

D. McCarthy
-7
69
69
65
–

T7

X. Schauffele
-7
71
65
67
–

T7

J. Rose
-7
70
65
68
–

Highlights from round three

The following section will showcase key moments from Saturday.

Scheffler and Fitzpatrick search for another victory

It’s been more than a few months since Scheffler won the 2023 Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Players Championship. The Dallas native can win for the third time this season should he hoist the trophy Sunday afternoon.

Scheffler recorded an impressive 6-under round of 64 to move to 11-under on moving day. His scorecard featured seven birdies compared to a lone bogey.

A win for Scheffler could grow a stronger case for him to win the PGA Tour Player of the Year Award. Jon Rahm is currently the frontrunner, but a third victory would boost the University of Texas product’s chances.

Fitzpatrick, who went to college at Northwestern down the road from Olympia Fields Country Club, can win for the second time this campaign and for a third time since 2022. The 28-year-old won the 2022 U.S. Open and the 2023 RBC Heritage.

The Sheffield, England native had a bogey-free round going and was the solo leader before bogeying the 18th hole. Fitzpatrick needs to finish in solo eighth or better to qualify for next week’s finale. His rounds of 66, 67 and 66 have moved him 35 spots up this week into the projected fifth spot in the FedEx Cup rankings.

Max Homa tumbles

After setting the course record (8-under 62) at Olympia Fields on Friday, Homa went 1-over on Saturday.

The Cal Berkeley product still has a chance, sitting two strokes behind, but a triple bogey on the seventh hole almost guaranteed he wouldn’t shoot under par for the day. Back-to-back bogeys on holes 12 and 13 also stung, but the two-time winner this season managed to birdie the 15th and 17th to salvage his round and climb back into contention.

Sam Burns ties the course record

The spotlight on Homa setting the course record lasted less than 24 hours after Burns shot an 8-under 62 Saturday to give himself a chance. The 2023 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play champion trails by five strokes at 7-under for the tournament.

Jordan Spieth and others in danger of missing Tour Championship

Three-time major winner Spieth is currently in the 31st spot in the FedEx Cup rankings, one spot away from qualifying for East Lake. A 2-over over par round of 72 moved him outside of the top 30 behind Denny McCarthy, who holds the last qualifying spot.

World No. 14 Tyrrell Hatton is also swimming in dangerous waters sitting in 29th. Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose and Jason Day (25th, 26th and 27th) are safe for now but will need to put together solid showings tomorrow in order to maintain their spots.

Updated BMW Championship odds

  • Scottie Scheffler: 5/4 (+125)
  • Matt Fitzpatrick 18/5 (+360)
  • Brian Harman: 6/1
  • Rory McIlroy: 9/1
  • Max Homa: 9/1
  • Viktor Hovland: 14/1
  • Xander Schauffele: 35/1

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