Former champion Matt Kuchar surrendered the outright lead with a bogey on the tricky par-four 18th to conclude the third round of the weather-hit Memorial tournament on Saturday, setting up the prospect of a final-day shootout.
Kuchar had stormed a stroke clear of a tightly bunched leaderboard with a run of four birdies in five holes from the 11th but stumbled at the last after finding a bunker off the tee and the right rough with his second to card a two-under-par 70.
That left American Kuchar at 14-under 202, level at the top with compatriots William McGirt (64) and long-hitting Gary Woodland (69) after another intriguing day of fluctuating fortunes at Muirfield Village.
First-round leader Dustin Johnson (68) was a further shot back in a tie for fourth with fellow American Jon Curran (68), Canadian Adam Hadwin (67) and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (70), with another eight players no worse than three off the pace.
Among those was Australian world number one Jason Day, who mixed seven birdies with a bogey and a double at the last for a 68 to trail by three in the prestigious PGA Tour event hosted by Jack Nicklaus.
Kuchar had mixed feelings after bogeying the 18th, having lost his back nine momentum with just three holes left when play was suspended for just over two hours due to the threat of lightning in the area.
“It’s part of the deal,” the 37-year-old told reporters about the weather suspension. “We do it a lot during the year. It’s something that you kind of better get accustomed to. I came out and hit a not very good shot on 16, made a nice up-and-down. A couple of really good shots on 17. It’s never fun to bogey 18, but almost felt glad to bogey 18 at the same time.”
Kuchar, who won the 2013 Memorial tournament and has recorded four top-10s in his last five PGA Tour starts, relished the prospect of challenging for the title in the final round at one of his favourite venues.
“I love this golf course, this is the highlight for me of the year,” he said. “Certainly got great memories here. I’ve had a lot of success here... I’ll certainly be looking forward to tomorrow’s round of golf.”
Journeyman McGirt, bidding for his first PGA Tour victory in his 165th career start, put himself in contention with a strong finish as he birdied three of the last five holes.
“My biggest thing right now is I want to win a golf tournament,” he said. “Don’t really care which one it is. But to have a chance to win here at Jack’s place would be extra special.”
Day, who clinched his third PGA Tour victory of the season at the Players Championship last month, was also contemplating the prospect of a Memorial win.
“I did close the gap on that lead a little bit too, so that’s a positive, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to have some tough conditions tomorrow,” said the Ohio-based Australian. “If I can play some good golf tomorrow, that could shoot me back into contention and hopefully win the tournament.”

Level-headed Fitzpatrick on course
England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick kept his head to see off a triple challenge and extend his lead to five shots after three rounds of the Nordea Masters in Stockholm on Saturday. The overnight leader, who started the day three shots clear, had been pegged back by the midway point at the Bro Hof Slott Golf Club, but played a superb back nine to record a four-under-par 68 and move to 15 under par.
Defending champion Alex Noren of Sweden, who shot 67, and Nicolas Colsaerts (70) were Fitzpatrick’s closest challengers. Belgian Colsaerts had wiped out Fitzpatrick’s overnight advantage by the mid-point of his round, holing three birdies to match the Briton’s 11 under-par at the turn. But their fortunes changed on the first of the back nine, Colsaerts dropping a shot while his playing partner made birdie.
Then, at the par-five 13th, the 21-year-old Fitzpatrick, who claimed his first European Tour victory in the British Masters last October, conjured up a brilliant recovery while Colsaerts missed his par putt after finding the water.
England’s Lee Westwood, a former world number one, failed to make a move and remained five-under including a double-bogey in a round of 72. Swede Henrik Stenson, the world number six, picked up two shots to card a 70 and finish on four-under.
Sparkling 62 lifts Icher to LPGA lead
France’s Karine Icher tied a tournament record with a nine-under par 62 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA ShopRite Classic in Galloway, New Jersey. The 62 was also a career-low round for the 37-year old Icher, who had a 36-hole total of 12-under par 132.
She was one stroke in front of South Korea’s Choi Na-Yeon, who carded a 64 and Japan’s Haru Nomura, who signed for a 66. Defending champion Anna Nordqvist was a stroke back on 132 after a 68.
“I made a lot of second shots close to the hole, so made some birdies easier to do,” said Icher, who had nine birdies without a bogey, and reckoned her longest birdie putt of the day was 10 feet. The world number 58 said she didn’t know until the final hole that she had tied the single-round scoring record for the tournament achieved previously by Laura Davies, Kang Ji-Min and Jennifer Johnson.
“I just try to play easy and not look at the scoreboard, because it doesn’t serve me,” she said. “I try to play shot after shot, then it’s possible to become like a game to make as many birdies as possible.” She teed off on 10 and after four birdies in her first nine holes she birdied five coming in.
While Icher is seeking her first LPGA tour title, Nordqvist is chasing the first successful title defense of her career. She hasn’t won since her victory here last year, when she trailed Morgan Pressel by one shot heading into the final round.
“I feel like I hit a lot of good shots and a lot of good putts today,” Nordqvist said. “Greens were pretty bumpy and some of my putts even airborne. You’ve just got to stay patient and tomorrow we are just going to have more similar conditions. So I’m excited to go for it tomorrow.”
Nomura, who has won twice this season, said her experience winning in San Francisco in April may stand her in good stead if predicted stormy weather hits the course.
“Maybe tomorrow very bad weather, so like Swinging Skirts on last day,” she said. “So I keep my patience. Everybody is in the same conditions, so I’ll try to play.”