Leishman on top at Conway Farms

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Notes and observations from Saturday’s third round of the BMW Championship, where in tougher conditions Marc Leishman birdied the 18th hole to shoot 68 and extend his lead to five shots over Jason Day (70) and Rickie Fowler (70). For more coverage from Conway Farms Golf Club, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. CONWAY FARMS BITES BACK No one would ever confuse Conway Farms for Bethpage Black. After all, this is where Jim Furyk fired a 59 at the 2013 BMW, and where Marc Leishman shot a 62 in the first round. But the course is not without its defenses, and they were up Saturday. “It was a lot tougher today,â€� said Phil Mickelson, who birdied three of his first six holes only to eventually settle for a 2-under 69. “The pins were in tough spots and the greens got a lot firmer.â€� That was a common refrain, as players made 164 bogeys on the day, compared to 147 on Friday and 131 on Thursday. Rickie Fowler eagled the first hole, but alas could only find one more birdie and two bogeys the rest of the way. “I didn’t make anything,â€� he said of his putting. Patrick Cantlay double-bogeyed the par-3 11th after hitting his tee shot in the water, but at least he had company. The 169-yard hole yielded no birdies and 19 bogeys or worse on the day, the first time all season in which a par-3 has shut out the entire field. Jason Day crushed his tee shot 366 yards on 18, but pulled his second shot into a buried lie in the greenside bunker. He hacked his ball out and settled for his 15th par of the day. “The greens started to get a little firmer,â€� Day said. “The fairways started to get a little firmer.â€� Leishman hung tough despite bogeys at the fourth and seventh holes, sprinkling in five birdies. “The course changed quite a lot today compared to the first two days,â€� said Leishman, who shot a back-nine 40 to finish a disappointing third at the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston two weeks ago. “Firmed up a lot and the greens sped up, so that [good play] was good to see and nice to keep making birdies like I have been all week.â€� RAHM MAKES PUSH TO STAY IN TOP 5 FedExCup No. 5 Jon Rahm could do no wrong earlier this season, registering seven top-10s in a span of 10 starts, highlighted by his win at the Farmers Insurance Open. He hit a sudden dip in form, a summer swoon that saw him miss cuts and/or fail to contend in the majors, and now he’s back again, playing some of his best golf of the year from tee to green. The 22-year-old from Spain racked up seven birdies against just one bogey and signed for a 65, tied with Lucas Glover (-10, T12) for best of the day. At 11-under, Rahm is eight off the lead. “I’ve been really close timing-wise, really close to hitting really good shots,â€� Rahm said. “My swing hasn’t been a hundred percent, maybe 90 percent. This week it’s close to a hundred percent. I’m visualizing the shots, hitting them a lot closer to the way I see it.

“Hit more than two perfect shots a round, you’re having a really good ball-striking day. I’m fortunate to say there’s been least two of them each round. Hopefully I can keep it going.â€� Rahm is coming off a T4 at the Dell Technologies Championship and a T3 at THE NORTHERN TRUST. With Jordan Spieth falling down the leaderboard, Rahm could wind up being the most consistent performer over the first three legs of the FedExCup Playoffs. “My ball-striking was probably close to the best it’s ever been right now,â€� he said, “so hopefully I can keep going and make a few more putts.â€� CALL OF THE DAY BRADLEY FEELING LIKE OLD SELF Keegan Bradley was the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year back in 2011, when he won the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the PGA Championship. He would play in a Presidents Cup (2013) and two Ryder Cups (2012, 2014), forming an electric tandem with Phil Mickelson. Today, Bradley, 31, is lingering at 48th in the FedExCup standings. He and his wife, Jillian, are anticipating the birth of their first child, due Nov. 18, as Keegan works to find his old form. “Everyone thinks I stink now,â€� Bradley said after shooting an opening-round 65 at the BMW. Scores of 72-68 in the second and third rounds have him at 8-under (T20), and he’s projected to finish outside the top 30 (47th) in the FedExCup. He’ll likely need to shoot something around 66 on Sunday to play his way into the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake. What happened to Bradley? Everything. The USGA and R&A outlawed anchored putting. He retooled his full swing, so he was working on new mechanics both on and off the greens. He changed caddies and slipped to 60th in the FedExCup in 2015, and 103rd last season. Relegated to watching Presidents Cups and Ryder Cups on TV, he missed the Masters this year as veterans like Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson sent encouraging messages to buoy his spirits. Through it all, Bradley kept on working as the golf world moved on. Now in his 10th year as a pro, he has been encouraged by five top-10 finishes this season. He’ll need a sixth on Sunday. “If it’s not this year, hopefully it will be next year,â€� he said. “But I feel a lot more like the person I was out on the course, now more than ever.â€� ODDS AND ENDS Leishman is 14-under so far on the par-4s, which is on pace to set a new record for a winner in the FedExCup Playoffs. (Jason Day went 15-under in winning THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2015.) Leishman is also excelling on and around the greens, second in the field this week in strokes gained: around the green (+1.477). He was 31st in that category entering the week. … The largest margin of victory in a FedExCup Playoffs event is eight strokes, which Tiger Woods accomplished twice (2007 TOUR Championship, 2009 BMW Championship). Jason Day won THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2015 by six shots. Leishman currently leads the BMW by five. … Justin Rose was one of the few to keep a bogey off his card on the way to a 66 (12-under, solo fourth). The Olympic gold medalist from England said he noticed a slight uptick in the wind on Saturday. “Lot of tricky club-making decisions out there,â€� he said. … The field’s stroke average for the third round was 69.420, the highest it’s been all week. The second-round stroke average was 69.072, while the first-round average was 68.855. SHOT OF THE DAY

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