Dustin Johnson didn’t play a flawless third round, but he was still able to extend his lead in Shanghai. Here’s how things stand heading into the final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions.
Leaderboard: Johnson (-17), Brooks Koepka (-11), Henrik Stenson (-10), Brian Harman (-9), Justin Rose (-9)
What it means: The world No. 1 is seeking his third WGC title of the year after wins in Mexico and the Match Play. Koepka briefly took the lead with birdies at Nos. 1-3, but DJ regained control of the tournament with a four-shot swing at the par-5 8th – Koepka made a triple, DJ a birdie. A win on Sunday would give Johnson his 17th PGA Tour victory and his sixth World Golf Championship.
WGC-HSBC Champions: Articles, photos and videos
Full-field scores from the WGC-HSBC Champions
Round of the day: Johnson, Poom Saksansin and Marc Leishman all recorded rounds of 4-under 68 to tie for the low score of the day. A breezy third round and tough pin positions resulted in few low scores.
Best of the rest: Stenson fired a back-nine 32 for a 3-under 69 in Round 3. The world No. 9 will start the final round in third place, and – along with Koepka – will likely be one of the few players who has any chance of catching DJ on Sunday.
Biggest disappointment: Patrick Reed started the day five shots off the lead and in fifth place, but he tumbled down the leaderboard to T-49 after a 10-over 82.
Shot of the day: Stenson went flag hunting on the back nine, highlighted by this approach into No. 11.
Henrik Stenson goes flag hunting (again!) pic.twitter.com/gkFUJNI2Cc
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 28, 2017
Storyline to watch in final round: With a six-shot lead heading into Sunday, it looks like the only person who can stop DJ is … DJ. But he will be playing alongside two fellow major champions in Koepka and Stenson. Johnson is making his first start of the 2017-18 season, and a win in Shanghai would mark his 11th consecutive season with at least one victory.
Source: Internet
