Jason Day struggles on Saturday but leads BMW Championship by six
Monday 21 September 2015 11:31, UK
Jason Day found scoring much more difficult in the third round of the BMW Championship but still extended his lead to six shots with 18 holes left.
The PGA champion started the Conway Farms event with rounds of 61 and 63, but a series of sloppy mistakes in windier conditions meant Saturday's round was a less impressive two under 69.
Day continued to make birdies - six in total on the day - but unlike the first two rounds saw errors creep into his game with bogeys coming at the sixth and ninth in his outward 34.
The Australian birdied the 12th and 14th, and gave strokes back straight away at 13 and 15, but he made a long putt on the 18th for the second successive day, this time for a birdie, to add a further stroke to his lead.
Day's nearest challengers are Americans Scott Piercy and Daniel Berger, with Barbasol Championship winner Piercy enjoying the better third round.
Piercy was one over for the day after back-to-back bogeys at the fifth and sixth, but he made five birdies over the remainder of his round and goes into the final 18 on 14 under.
Berger was also forced to rally, making a double bogey six at the 10th to drop way out of contention, but he made birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th and was inches away from another at the last.
Fourth place is held by current world No 1 Rory McIlroy, who again admitted to being a little frustrated by his round of 67,
McIlroy missed a series of makeable putts over the first two days and that pattern continued on Saturday despite still making five birdies.
The Northern Irishman, who is being challenged by Day and Jordan Spieth for top spot in the world, missed a short putt to drop a shot at the 16th but battled back to birdie the last two holes and finish on 13 under.
One of the biggest moves of the day came from Rickie Fowler, who put himself in contention for a Sunday flourish with a five under 66, tied with Daniel Summerhays for the best score of the day.
Fowler had six birdies, with just one dropped shot coming at the 12th, but even that leaves him eight shots adrift of Day, who is looking for a fourth tournament win in his last six outings.
It was a day to forget for Spieth, who would have hoped to make ground on Day, and stay in touch with McIlroy, but could only stumble round in one over 72.
Spieth dropped shots at the second and ninth in his outward half of 36 and he could only make it home in level par 35, with two more bogeys blotting his card to go with a pair of birdies. The Masters and US Open champion is 10 shots behind Day.
