Matthieu Pavon rattled in a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, becoming the first French golfer to win on the modern US PGA Tour.

Up by two strokes with two holes to play, Pavon missed a three-foot par putt at the 17th to see his advantage cut to one.

He was in a fairway bunker off the tee at the par-five 18th, where his second shot left him in the dense left rough.

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But he muscled a mighty shot to the green and avoided a playoff with a clutch seven and a half foot putt, carding a three-under par 69 for a 13-under par total of 275.

Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard carded a one-under par 70 to finish second on 276.

The victory on the demanding South Course at Torrey Pines -- a two-time US Open venue -- comes after the 31-year-old Pavon captured his first DP World Tour title -- in his 185th start -- at the Spanish Open in October.

He earned his US PGA Tour card with a top-10 finish in the DP World Tour standings.

"I have no words. It's amazing," Pavon said, his voice shaking in a post-round television interview. "It has been a long journey. I waited seven years on the main tour to win back in Europe and finally got a win in America. It's just tremendous."

Pavon shook off an opening bogey with four front-nine birdies, his two-foot birdie at the ninth pulling him into a tie for the lead with Germany's Stephan Jaeger.

Jaeger, also chasing a first PGA Tour win, came into the final round with a one-stroke lead and pushed it to three with birdies at the second and third holes.

But three back-nine bogeys proved too much to overcome and Jaeger finished tied for third on 11-under with Americans Jake Knapp and Nate Lashley.

Pavon played the final nine in even par, but it wasn't all smooth sailing.

The Frenchman looked to be in trouble at the 14th, where his second shot went through the green down the steep bank behind the putting surface.

Luckily, it stopped before rolling out of bounds and his shot up to the putting surface rolled within a foot of the cup.

He was in a greenside bunker off the tee at the par-three 16th but drilled a 23-foot putt to save par and keep his lead at two strokes.

<h2>The guts to finish</h2>

After the bogey at 17, Pavon watched Hojgaard belt it down the fairway at 18 and thought "it's going to be spicy now."

After his second shot left him in dense rough, his caddie advised caution, but Pavon opted to go for the green.

"I was so pumped at that time, I know I had the energy to lift that ball up on the green," he said. "That ball came out like a butterfly and it really fed the slope on the green ... That was the right time to prove I have the guts to finish that tournament and I did it so I'm so happy about that last hole."

Hojgaard finished with five birdies and three bogeys in his two-under par 70, keeping the pressure on Pavon by reaching the 18th green in two and giving himself a two-foot birdie putt.

"We were all grinding our heart out," Hojgaard said. "(Pavon) made good up-and-downs on the back nine and gave me a chance on 17, but then he pulled some magic on 18, which you've got to do if you want to win.

"I gave it my best to put a bit of pressure on him today, but he got one on me. Happy for him."

Matthieu Pavon rattled in a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, becoming the first French golfer to win on the modern US PGA Tour.

Matthieu Pavon rattled in a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Saturday, becoming the first French golfer to win on the modern US PGA Tour. Up by two strokes with two holes to play, Pavon missed a three-foot par putt at the 17th to see his advantage cut to one. He was in a fairway bunker off the tee at the par-five 18th, where his second shot left him in the dense left rough. Also Read: Luka Doncic drops record 73 points in Dallas Mavericks' win over Atlanta Hawks But he muscled a mighty shot to the green and avoided a playoff with a clutch seven and a half foot putt, carding a three-under par 69 for a 13-under par total of 275. Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard carded a one-under par 70 to finish second on 276. The victory on the demanding South Course at Torrey Pines -- a two-time US Open venue -- comes after the 31-year-old Pavon captured his first DP World Tour title -- in his 185th start -- at the Spanish Open in October. He earned his US PGA Tour card with a top-10 finish in the DP World Tour standings. "I have no words. It's amazing," Pavon said, his voice shaking in a post-round television interview. "It has been a long journey. I waited seven years on the main tour to win back in Europe and finally got a win in America. It's just tremendous." Pavon shook off an opening bogey with four front-nine birdies, his two-foot birdie at the ninth pulling him into a tie for the lead with Germany's Stephan Jaeger. Jaeger, also chasing a first PGA Tour win, came into the final round with a one-stroke lead and pushed it to three with birdies at the second and third holes. But three back-nine bogeys proved too much to overcome and Jaeger finished tied for third on 11-under with Americans Jake Knapp and Nate Lashley. Pavon played the final nine in even par, but it wasn't all smooth sailing. The Frenchman looked to be in trouble at the 14th, where his second shot went through the green down the steep bank behind the putting surface. Luckily, it stopped before rolling out of bounds and his shot up to the putting surface rolled within a foot of the cup. He was in a greenside bunker off the tee at the par-three 16th but drilled a 23-foot putt to save par and keep his lead at two strokes. The guts to finish After the bogey at 17, Pavon watched Hojgaard belt it down the fairway at 18 and thought "it's going to be spicy now." After his second shot left him in dense rough, his caddie advised caution, but Pavon opted to go for the green. "I was so pumped at that time, I know I had the energy to lift that ball up on the green," he said. "That ball came out like a butterfly and it really fed the slope on the green ... That was the right time to prove I have the guts to finish that tournament and I did it so I'm so happy about that last hole." Hojgaard finished with five birdies and three bogeys in his two-under par 70, keeping the pressure on Pavon by reaching the 18th green in two and giving himself a two-foot birdie putt. "We were all grinding our heart out," Hojgaard said. "(Pavon) made good up-and-downs on the back nine and gave me a chance on 17, but then he pulled some magic on 18, which you've got to do if you want to win. "I gave it my best to put a bit of pressure on him today, but he got one on me. Happy for him."

Golf: Matthieu Pavon becomes first Frenchman to win at US PGA Tour with Framers Insurance Open win

Germany's Stephan Jaeger rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt from the fringe at his final hole on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead over Nicolai Hojgaard after the second round of the US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Jaeger carded an eight-under par 64 on the North Course, one of two in use over the first two days of the tournament, for a 12-under par total of 132.

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He snatched the solo lead with his eagle bomb at the par-five ninth hole -- his last -- moments after Hojgaard completed a bogey-free six-under par 66 on the North Course for an 11-under total of 133.

"I hit a good drive," Jaeger said. "It was a little into the wind today, so we had 260, 270 pin. I kind of tugged it a little bit. I wanted it kind of go middle of the green and I went right at it, ended up landing just short of the pin and scooting kind of (to the) back fringe.

"Had a little downhill right-to-lefter about 35 feet and it ended up curling in. It was awesome to see that. Finishing like that, it was exciting."

Jaeger, 34 and ranked 101st in the world, is chasing his first US PGA Tour title.

He opened with back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th and strung together three more at 15, 16 and 17.

He followed his lone bogey of the day at the first with birdies at the third and eighth before his bravura finish and was looking forward to being in the hunt over the final two rounds on the challenging South Course, the two-time US Open venue.

"I've won a few times on the Korn Ferry, but to be able to be out here on the weekend with the cameras on and play in front of the guys, last couple groups is awesome," Jaeger said.

Hojgaard had opened with a strong five-under effort on the South Course on Wednesday and followed that up with another solid effort.

He climbed the leaderboard with four straight birdies from the fourth through the seventh and added two more birdies at 13 and 16.

<h2>Matsuyama ace</h2>

Although playing the South Course first may have taken some pressure off, he said the North layout was still plenty challenging.

"There's still thick rough around North Course, you've still got to hit the shots out there," he said. "I don't feel like it's that easy. I've played some really good golf these two days so it kind of felt stress free, but I can see that you can get in trouble on both courses."

Two more Europeans, Belgian Thomas Detry and France's Matthieu Pavon, shared third on 134, Pavon posting an impressive seven-under 65 on the South Course where Detry carded a four-under 68.

"A pretty good round overall, very solid off the tee," said Pavon, who had eight birdies and one bogey. "Didn't catch much rough the last two days, that was key. And then the putter was on fire, which is funny.

"I really missed short ones ... but dropped some big bombs and keep the momentum going."

Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama had a rollercoaster of a day on the South Course, where he carded his first hole-in-one on tour at the par-three eighth but also had four bogeys in his one-under 71 that left him five adrift.

Germany's Stephan Jaeger rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt from the fringe at his final hole on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead over Nicolai Hojgaard after the second round of the US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Germany's Stephan Jaeger rolled in a 35-foot eagle putt from the fringe at his final hole on Thursday to seize a one-stroke lead over Nicolai Hojgaard after the second round of the US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Jaeger carded an eight-under par 64 on the North Course, one of two in use over the first two days of the tournament, for a 12-under par total of 132. Also Read: LeBron James creates history with record 20th NBA All-Star game nomination He snatched the solo lead with his eagle bomb at the par-five ninth hole -- his last -- moments after Hojgaard completed a bogey-free six-under par 66 on the North Course for an 11-under total of 133. "I hit a good drive," Jaeger said. "It was a little into the wind today, so we had 260, 270 pin. I kind of tugged it a little bit. I wanted it kind of go middle of the green and I went right at it, ended up landing just short of the pin and scooting kind of (to the) back fringe. "Had a little downhill right-to-lefter about 35 feet and it ended up curling in. It was awesome to see that. Finishing like that, it was exciting." Jaeger, 34 and ranked 101st in the world, is chasing his first US PGA Tour title. He opened with back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th and strung together three more at 15, 16 and 17. He followed his lone bogey of the day at the first with birdies at the third and eighth before his bravura finish and was looking forward to being in the hunt over the final two rounds on the challenging South Course, the two-time US Open venue. "I've won a few times on the Korn Ferry, but to be able to be out here on the weekend with the cameras on and play in front of the guys, last couple groups is awesome," Jaeger said. Hojgaard had opened with a strong five-under effort on the South Course on Wednesday and followed that up with another solid effort. He climbed the leaderboard with four straight birdies from the fourth through the seventh and added two more birdies at 13 and 16. Matsuyama ace Although playing the South Course first may have taken some pressure off, he said the North layout was still plenty challenging. "There's still thick rough around North Course, you've still got to hit the shots out there," he said. "I don't feel like it's that easy. I've played some really good golf these two days so it kind of felt stress free, but I can see that you can get in trouble on both courses." Two more Europeans, Belgian Thomas Detry and France's Matthieu Pavon, shared third on 134, Pavon posting an impressive seven-under 65 on the South Course where Detry carded a four-under 68. "A pretty good round overall, very solid off the tee," said Pavon, who had eight birdies and one bogey. "Didn't catch much rough the last two days, that was key. And then the putter was on fire, which is funny. "I really missed short ones ... but dropped some big bombs and keep the momentum going." Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama had a rollercoaster of a day on the South Course, where he carded his first hole-in-one on tour at the par-three eighth but also had four bogeys in his one-under 71 that left him five adrift.

Golf: German Stephan Jaeger takes one-stroke lead with eagle in US PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open

Chris Kirk fired eight birdies in a seven-under par 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Akshay Bhatia going into the final round of the US PGA Tour Sentry tournament in Kapalua, Hawaii.

With windy conditions driving up scores on the par-73 Plantation course, Kirk shook off an early bogey with four straight birdies on the front nine, capping the burst with a 16-foot birdie at the eighth.

He strung together three more at the 12th, 13th and 14th to seize a share of the lead and gave himself a birdie of less than a foot at the par-five 18th to take the solo lead with a 21-under par total of 198.

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"A little bit of a slow start, for sure," Kirk said. "Those firsthand full of holes with the wind direction and how strong it was are actually playing really difficult. We've had relatively calm winds, then pretty breezy today.

"Then you get into five, six, seven, some of those holes where you can take advantage of, and (I) played really great the rest of the way," added Kirk, who won his fifth tour title at the Honda Classic last year to end a near eight-year drought.

Kirk said the wind was a factor in his biggest miscue of the day, a tee shot into the penalty area at 15.

"I only hit it barely right, but with that wind blowing so hard over the left it just took it over there," said Kirk, who holed a par-saving putt from off the green.

"To make that one after a nice run of birdies before that definitely kept the momentum going," he said.

Bhatia had one of the day's handful of bogey-free rounds with seven birdies in his seven-under 66 for 199.

That included a burst of three in a row from the fifth through the seventh, and a 12-foot birdie at 13 briefly gave him the outright lead.

He was tied for the lead after a 17-foot birdie at 15, but he couldn't pick up another stroke, finishing with a disappointing three-putt par at 18.

"That's what I'm going to think about, but it was a good day," said the 21-year-old who is playing Kapalua for the first time after winning his maiden title at the Barracuda Championship last July.

The elite season-opening event, this year with a purse of $20 million, is open to last season's tournament winners and to the top 50 in last year's FedEx Cup.

Bhatia said he was relying on the experience of his caddie to know when to attack and when to be more conservative on the unfamiliar course.

"You've got to make a lot of birdies," he said. "You just keep plotting around and hopefully you play this golf course more and more you get more comfortable on certain things."

Former champion Jordan Spieth also went bogey-free with six birdies in his six-under 67 to headline a trio on 200 that also included Xander Schauffele and South Korean An Byeong-hun.

Schauffele had nine birdies in an impressive eight-under par 65 while An carded a 68.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, who held a one-shot overnight lead, carded a one-under 71 to join a group three off the pace on 201. He was tied with Harris English (64) Sahith Theegala (68) and Australian Jason Day (67).

Chris Kirk fired eight birdies in a seven-under par 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Akshay Bhatia going into the final round of the US PGA Tour Sentry tournament in Kapalua, Hawaii.

Chris Kirk fired eight birdies in a seven-under par 66 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Akshay Bhatia going into the final round of the US PGA Tour Sentry tournament in Kapalua, Hawaii. With windy conditions driving up scores on the par-73 Plantation course, Kirk shook off an early bogey with four straight birdies on the front nine, capping the burst with a 16-foot birdie at the eighth. He strung together three more at the 12th, 13th and 14th to seize a share of the lead and gave himself a birdie of less than a foot at the par-five 18th to take the solo lead with a 21-under par total of 198. Also Read: FA Cup: Alexander Isak stars as Newcastle United beat bitter rivals Sunderland; Leicester beat Millwall "A little bit of a slow start, for sure," Kirk said. "Those firsthand full of holes with the wind direction and how strong it was are actually playing really difficult. We've had relatively calm winds, then pretty breezy today. "Then you get into five, six, seven, some of those holes where you can take advantage of, and (I) played really great the rest of the way," added Kirk, who won his fifth tour title at the Honda Classic last year to end a near eight-year drought. Kirk said the wind was a factor in his biggest miscue of the day, a tee shot into the penalty area at 15. "I only hit it barely right, but with that wind blowing so hard over the left it just took it over there," said Kirk, who holed a par-saving putt from off the green. "To make that one after a nice run of birdies before that definitely kept the momentum going," he said. Bhatia had one of the day's handful of bogey-free rounds with seven birdies in his seven-under 66 for 199. That included a burst of three in a row from the fifth through the seventh, and a 12-foot birdie at 13 briefly gave him the outright lead. He was tied for the lead after a 17-foot birdie at 15, but he couldn't pick up another stroke, finishing with a disappointing three-putt par at 18. "That's what I'm going to think about, but it was a good day," said the 21-year-old who is playing Kapalua for the first time after winning his maiden title at the Barracuda Championship last July. The elite season-opening event, this year with a purse of $20 million, is open to last season's tournament winners and to the top 50 in last year's FedEx Cup. Bhatia said he was relying on the experience of his caddie to know when to attack and when to be more conservative on the unfamiliar course. "You've got to make a lot of birdies," he said. "You just keep plotting around and hopefully you play this golf course more and more you get more comfortable on certain things." Former champion Jordan Spieth also went bogey-free with six birdies in his six-under 67 to headline a trio on 200 that also included Xander Schauffele and South Korean An Byeong-hun. Schauffele had nine birdies in an impressive eight-under par 65 while An carded a 68. World number one Scottie Scheffler, who held a one-shot overnight lead, carded a one-under 71 to join a group three off the pace on 201. He was tied with Harris English (64) Sahith Theegala (68) and Australian Jason Day (67).

Golf: Chris Kirk takes on top with one-shot lead at PGA Tour Sentry Open

Colombia's Camilo Villegas carded a second straight eight-under par 64 on Friday to grab a two-shot lead in the US PGA Tour's World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico. Villegas, who claimed the most recent of his four tour titles back in 2014, opened with a 10-foot eagle at Cardonal at Diamante -- the first Tiger Woods-designed course to be used for a PGA Tour event -- and added eight birdies with two bogeys to build a 36-hole total of 16-under 128.

He was two strokes clear of US veteran Matt Kuchar, who had seven birdies without a bogey in his second straight 65 for 130. Germany's Stephan Jaeger and American Justin Suh both posted 65s to share third on 131 in the fifth of seven tournaments making up FedEx Cup Fall -- the group of tournaments played after the Tour Championship that finalizes eligibility for the 2024 PGA Tour season.

Villegas, who started the day two shots off the lead, said he "set the tone" with his eagle and two birdies to open his round. After a three-putt bogey on the fourth he birdied the sixth, and after a bogey at the seventh he had five more birdies the rest of the way, including three straight to end his round.

"Eighteen was a good one," he said. "To make a four on that one, it makes dinner taste a little better." Despite his quick start, Villegas said patience was key in a round in which players were waiting on almost every hole.

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"Pace of play was really, really slow," he said. "Sometimes it was a little tricky to focus. I kept it pretty chill with my caddie and my playing group and just tried to keep the momentum going on a slow day." Kuchar characterized his round as "good, steady golf."

"I've been feeling good for a while about the state of my game," said Kuchar, who claimed the last of his nine tour titles at the 2019 Sony Open. Kuchar teed off on the 10th and said his first birdie of the day at 12 was one of the high points of his day. "The 12th hole is a difficult green, hit just a nine-iron in, but nice approach shot, my third hole of the day to get going with a birdie there."

Colombia's Camilo Villegas carded a second straight eight-under par 64 on Friday to grab a two-shot lead in the US PGA Tour's World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Colombia's Camilo Villegas carded a second straight eight-under par 64 on Friday to grab a two-shot lead in the US PGA Tour's World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico. Villegas, who claimed the most recent of his four tour titles back in 2014, opened with a 10-foot eagle at Cardonal at Diamante -- the first Tiger Woods-designed course to be used for a PGA Tour event -- and added eight birdies with two bogeys to build a 36-hole total of 16-under 128. He was two strokes clear of US veteran Matt Kuchar, who had seven birdies without a bogey in his second straight 65 for 130. Germany's Stephan Jaeger and American Justin Suh both posted 65s to share third on 131 in the fifth of seven tournaments making up FedEx Cup Fall -- the group of tournaments played after the Tour Championship that finalizes eligibility for the 2024 PGA Tour season. Villegas, who started the day two shots off the lead, said he "set the tone" with his eagle and two birdies to open his round. After a three-putt bogey on the fourth he birdied the sixth, and after a bogey at the seventh he had five more birdies the rest of the way, including three straight to end his round. "Eighteen was a good one," he said. "To make a four on that one, it makes dinner taste a little better." Despite his quick start, Villegas said patience was key in a round in which players were waiting on almost every hole. Also Read: Arsenal thunder into Champions League last 16, blasting six past Lens on frigid London night "Pace of play was really, really slow," he said. "Sometimes it was a little tricky to focus. I kept it pretty chill with my caddie and my playing group and just tried to keep the momentum going on a slow day." Kuchar characterized his round as "good, steady golf." "I've been feeling good for a while about the state of my game," said Kuchar, who claimed the last of his nine tour titles at the 2019 Sony Open. Kuchar teed off on the 10th and said his first birdie of the day at 12 was one of the high points of his day. "The 12th hole is a difficult green, hit just a nine-iron in, but nice approach shot, my third hole of the day to get going with a birdie there."

Golf: Colombia's Camilo Villegas leads by two at US PGA Tour

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy birdied two of the last four holes to grab a share of the lead after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour Memorial Tournament.

World number three McIlroy, who won at Dubai in January but hasn't taken a US PGA title this year, fired a two-under par 70 to stand on six-under 210 after 54 holes at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

David Lipsky, an American chasing his first PGA title, closed with back-to-back bogeys and fell into sharing the lead with McIlroy and South Korean Kim Si-woo, who shot 71.

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One stroke back on 211 were Norway's Viktor Hovland and Americans Wyndham Clark, Mark Hubbard, Lee Hodges and Denny McCarthy.

McIlroy, a 23-time PGA winner, had struggled after missing the cut at the Masters and sharing 47th at Quail Hollow,&nbsp;where he's a three-time champion.

But he shared seventh at the PGA Championship two weeks ago at Oak Hill despite feeling uncomfortable over the ball and has found better form with the US Open two weeks away.

"I'm feeling more comfortable than I felt at Oak Hill," McIlroy said. "I wouldn't say I'm 100%. But I'm battling and I'm hanging in there and the course is playing really tough."

"It feels better. I did a lot of real good work last week. I feel like I'm not fighting the club face as much as I have been so I'm able to release it a little bit more and have a little more trust in it."

"And with how tough it's playing this week, you need to trust it."

McIlroy blasted out of a greenside bunker and sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 fourth, but made bogey at 10 after missing the fairway and taking four to find the green.

He answered with a birdie putt from just outside 25 feet at the par-3 12th then sank a six-foot birdie putt at the par-5 15th and answered a bogey at 16 with a seven-foot birdie putt at 17.

At 18, McIlroy knocked a 70-foot birdie putt almost nine feet past the hole but sank the comeback putt for par and pumped his right fist after booking his place in Sunday's final pairing with Kim and avoiding his first three-putt of the week.

"This course is still very playable from the fairways. I've done a good job of keeping the ball in play, hitting a lot of 3-woods, a lot of irons off tees," McIlroy said.

"What I need to do tomorrow is just stick to that game plan, not try to get ahead of myself, not get too aggressive. If I stick to the game plan I've had for the last three days, I'll be in with a great chance."

<h2>Kim feels 'great'</h2>

World number 38 Kim, who won his fourth PGA title in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii, made his second double bogey of the day at the par-5 11th then answered with birdies at 12, 13 and 15 to own a share of the lead.

"I feel great," said Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner. "Making two doubles and shoot under par on this course, I'll take it."

Lipsky, ranked 160th, led much of the day and wasn't unhappy despite his poor finish.

"To find myself at the top of the leaderboard, I couldn't be happier," he said. "My short game has always been pretty good. I was able to lean on that today. I was able to hole a few nice par putts as well. Overall pretty happy."

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion and 2014 Memorial winner, made three straight bogeys starting at eight and a triple-bogey at the par-3 12th on the way to a 75 to stand on 212.

American Justin Suh, the 36-hole leader, fired a 77 to finish on 213.

Reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm, the world number two from Spain, shot 74 to stand on 214. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler was on 215 after a 68.

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Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy birdied two of the last four holes to grab a share of the lead after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour Memorial Tournament.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy birdied two of the last four holes to grab a share of the lead after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour Memorial Tournament. World number three McIlroy, who won at Dubai in January but hasn't taken a US PGA title this year, fired a two-under par 70 to stand on six-under 210 after 54 holes at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. David Lipsky, an American chasing his first PGA title, closed with back-to-back bogeys and fell into sharing the lead with McIlroy and South Korean Kim Si-woo, who shot 71. Also Read: PSG confirm Lionel Messi exit after two seasons as Argentine star yet to decide on future One stroke back on 211 were Norway's Viktor Hovland and Americans Wyndham Clark, Mark Hubbard, Lee Hodges and Denny McCarthy. McIlroy, a 23-time PGA winner, had struggled after missing the cut at the Masters and sharing 47th at Quail Hollow, where he's a three-time champion. But he shared seventh at the PGA Championship two weeks ago at Oak Hill despite feeling uncomfortable over the ball and has found better form with the US Open two weeks away. "I'm feeling more comfortable than I felt at Oak Hill," McIlroy said. "I wouldn't say I'm 100%. But I'm battling and I'm hanging in there and the course is playing really tough." "It feels better. I did a lot of real good work last week. I feel like I'm not fighting the club face as much as I have been so I'm able to release it a little bit more and have a little more trust in it." "And with how tough it's playing this week, you need to trust it." McIlroy blasted out of a greenside bunker and sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 fourth, but made bogey at 10 after missing the fairway and taking four to find the green. He answered with a birdie putt from just outside 25 feet at the par-3 12th then sank a six-foot birdie putt at the par-5 15th and answered a bogey at 16 with a seven-foot birdie putt at 17. At 18, McIlroy knocked a 70-foot birdie putt almost nine feet past the hole but sank the comeback putt for par and pumped his right fist after booking his place in Sunday's final pairing with Kim and avoiding his first three-putt of the week. "This course is still very playable from the fairways. I've done a good job of keeping the ball in play, hitting a lot of 3-woods, a lot of irons off tees," McIlroy said. "What I need to do tomorrow is just stick to that game plan, not try to get ahead of myself, not get too aggressive. If I stick to the game plan I've had for the last three days, I'll be in with a great chance." Kim feels 'great' World number 38 Kim, who won his fourth PGA title in January at the Sony Open in Hawaii, made his second double bogey of the day at the par-5 11th then answered with birdies at 12, 13 and 15 to own a share of the lead. "I feel great," said Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner. "Making two doubles and shoot under par on this course, I'll take it." Lipsky, ranked 160th, led much of the day and wasn't unhappy despite his poor finish. "To find myself at the top of the leaderboard, I couldn't be happier," he said. "My short game has always been pretty good. I was able to lean on that today. I was able to hole a few nice par putts as well. Overall pretty happy." Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion and 2014 Memorial winner, made three straight bogeys starting at eight and a triple-bogey at the par-3 12th on the way to a 75 to stand on 212. American Justin Suh, the 36-hole leader, fired a 77 to finish on 213. Reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm, the world number two from Spain, shot 74 to stand on 214. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler was on 215 after a 68. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Golf: Rory McIlroy shares lead at PGA Memorial with two others after third round

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Golf: Rory McIlroy shares lead at PGA Memorial with two others after third round