PGA Tour: Rickie Fowler finished with a bang to grab a one-shot lead into the final round of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Fowler, who is chasing his first PGA Tour victory since 2019, birdied five of his final six holes to finish with an eight-under 64 at Detroit Golf Club and move to 20 under par, one stroke ahead of Canada’s Adam Hadwin.
The American hit a 20-footer at the second and took advantage of both par-fives on the front nine, shooting 33 and wiping out a bogey at the 10th with a stroke at the par-three next.
Fowler scored three straight birdies beginning with the 13th and a two-putt gain at the par-five 17th before firing his approach at the par-four 18th to within three of the flag for a close-range birdie.
“I’ll still have to play some solid golf tomorrow because there are a lot of guys right behind me,” Fowler said. “It’s not like I have an eight-shot lead or anything that allows me to just cruise.
Video game spin from @RickieFowler ↩️ pic.twitter.com/NVTYA0sxG5
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2023
“Like I said at the US Open, after these last few years, I’m not afraid to fail. I’ve dealt with a lot of it, as well as a lot of awful golf. So, just keep believing your swing concepts, stick to our game plan, and go play some golf.”
Hadwin tied the course record with an eagle and seven birdies in a bogey-free 63, but his compatriot and halfway co-leader Taylor Pendrith fell two shots down after finishing his five-under 67 with a bogey.
Aaron Rai of England is three strokes down in a tie for fourth, while two-time major champion Collin Morikawa is one of five men tied for sixth on 16 under and four back going into the final day.
Due to the potential of thunderstorms, tee times for the final round have been moved forward, with players playing in threesomes on Sunday with a two-tee start in effect. The last group will now tee off at 8.55am local time (1.55pm BST).
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