Rain forced play to be abandoned early on the third day of the Memorial Tournament after the leaders had completed just five holes. Second-round pace-setter JT Poston and Ryan Gerard had a one-stroke advantage on nine under at Muirfield Village when play did not resume after a second weather-related stoppage on Saturday. Sam Burns was third on eight under, while Tommy Fleetwood was tied for fifth place on four under having played his first six holes in level par. Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who began
the day at one over, was one under after 16 holes – the same score as Shane Lowry, who had played nine, and world number one Scottie Scheffler, who had completed 14. Play was due to restart at 7.30am local time on Sunday morning in Dublin, Ohio, with the fourth round scheduled to begin at 11am with players going out in groups of three from two tees. McIlroy, playing only his sixth regular PGA Tour event of the year, had only just teed off at
the first when play was suspended for the first time. Following a delay of around one hour and 45 minutes, he regrouped to sink a birdie on the first and then picked up another shot with a 15-foot putt at the par-three fourth. Bogeys at the par-five seventh and then the ninth checked his progress heading to the turn, but he made two more birdies at the 13th and 15th before play was again halted. Scheffler had been struggling to break par in his bid
to win the event for a third successive year and his third round saw him start with a bogey. He recovered to make two successive birdies and then an eagle on the par-five seventh. A birdie at the 10th lifted him to four under for the round, but dropped shots at the 12th and 14th saw him fall back. At the head of the field, Poston had gone through his first five holes in level par after a birdie at the second was cancelled out
by a bogey on the fourth. Gerard had drawn level after two birdies were offset by a bogey five on the third. Justin Rose repaired some of the damage following Friday’s 76 as he climbed into a tie for ninth on two under. He was three under for his third round having played 15 holes. US PGA champion Aaron Rai (eight holes) and Alex Fitzpatrick (eight) were also on one under.
Memorial Tournament, rain delay, Muirfield Village, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, JT Poston, Ryan Gerard, Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, Tommy Fleetwood