TORONTO: The big guns moved to the top of the leaderboard at the RBC Canadian Open as Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and American Tony Finau shared a two-stroke lead after third-round at St. George's Golf and Country Club here on Saturday.
Defending champion McIlroy, playing in the second-to-last group, carded a five-under 65 to catch Finau who shot a 62, tying his career best round on the PGA Tour. Both were on 11-under 199 at the 8.7 million U.S. dollars tournament.
Justin Thomas, winner of last month's PGA Championship, improved to seven-under 63 to sit equal third in a group that included fellow Americans Sam Burns (65), Alex Smalley (67) and Wyndham Clark, the leader through the first two rounds who shot 68.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was eight shots off the pace after a one-over 71.
McIlroy started his round one shot behind Clark. Following birdies at the fourth and seventh holes to get eight-under, he bogeyed the eighth hole before rebounding for birdie four at the 541-yard ninth. After picking up more strokes at the 11th, 12th and 15th holes in a see-saw battle for the lead with Finau, he missed a six-footer for birdie at the last that would have given him the outright lead.
The four-time Major winner said that he was happy just to have given himself a chance to be in the final group on Sunday.
"I feel like all aspects of my game are in pretty good shape. I just need to go out there and try and post a number and see if that's good enough," said McIlroy who will be one of the favourites going into next week's U.S. Open at Brookline.
"I can't worry too much about what the other guys around me are doing. I just have to go out there, set a target number in my head and just try to go for that."
Finau put on what was largely a putting exhibition that resulted in seven birdies, including a 25-footer at the last, an eagle three on the ninth hole, and a bogey at the 12th hole. IANS
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