Golf: Rose wins Pebble Beach Pro-Am to end four-year drought

SAN FRANCISCO -- Justin Rose captured his first title in four years on Monday, making three morning birdies after a back-nine restart to win the US PGA Tour's Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Rose made long birdie putts at the 11th and 13th holes and birdied 14 -- all in response to birdies by his closest rivals -- to secure the triumph.

Former world number one Rose grabbed his 11th career PGA victory and his first since 2019 at Torrey Pines, another California oceanside course.

"Time flies by, doesn't it?" Rose said. "It's amazing how long it has been.

"Sometimes you just do need a result. You can believe you're making progress but there's nothing like lifting some hardware to give you that peace of mind and that little bit of confidence."

The 42-year-old Englishman finished on 18-under par 269 after going three-under on Monday to complete a final round of six-under par 66.

"This is just a moment to say thanks to people who believe in me than probably more than I do," Rose said. "My team have been incredible. My family at home... this one is for you guys.

"What a place to win a tournament... waves crashing up. It was just an epic scene. It makes me emotional almost to win here at Pebble."

Rose closed with four pars to become the first European champion at the event over the famed Monterey Peninsula layout, defeating Americans Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu by three strokes with US players Keith Mitchell, Peter Malnati and Denny McCarthy another stroke adrift.

The victory earned Rose berths at the Masters in April and PGA Championship in May.

"Just had an unbelievable week," Rose said. "Incredible week from start to finish with so much happening in my favor."

A high wind delay on Saturday had ensured a Monday finish, one of many distractions Rose navigated, including playing alongside amateurs in earlier rounds, something Rose said helped keep him calm.

"That's the beauty of this tournament," Rose said. "There is a lot going on. There are the amateurs. There's the odd bounce on the greens or wobbly putts or forecast that doesn't make sense. There's a lot that can be thrown at you."

Rose, ranked 71st, was on 15-under par when the final round was halted by darkness on Sunday -- two strokes ahead of Malnati, McCarthy and Todd.

- Rose sinks clutch putts -

Rose, whose lone major triumph came at the 2013 US Open, returned to the course in the 10th fairway and went on to par the hole.

Todd opened his Monday with a birdie at the 13th, a putt from just inside eight feet pulling him within one of the lead.

Rose, the 2016 Rio Olympic champion, responded by sinking a birdie putt from just inside 27 feet at the 11th to reach 16-under and restore his two-stroke margin.

"I wanted to stay on the front foot. I knew some guys were going to make a run," Rose said.

"Making that first five-footer of the day I felt was huge and then rolling in a 30-footer right on top of it at number 11 was exatly what I was looking for.

"I was able to build on that and make another couple of nice putts for momentum."

Todd sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th, but Rose struck back again by rolling in a 19-foot birdie putt at the 13th to reclaim a two-shot edge, a fist pump showing his excitement.

Malnati, playing alongside Rose, holed a 31-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th to grab third on 14-under.

But moments later, Rose again answered a challenge. The Englishman sank a seven-foot birdie putt at 14 -- his third birdie in four holes -- to reach 18-under and stretch his lead over Todd to three strokes, where it stayed to the finish.

"The birdies at 13 and 14 put me in great position. Then it was about keeping it clean," Rose said. "I got calmer and calmer."

Agence France-Presse

Golf: US PGA Tour reportedly exploring possibility of return without fans

The US PGA Tour is considering various scenarios to a return to competition in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including playing some events without fans, Golf Digest reported Friday.

The tour told players in a memo sent Thursday, and obtained by Golf Digest, that it was targeting a return for the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 21 at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

The tour suspended its season after the first round of the Players Championship last month and has since called off tournaments through the Byron Nelson Championship scheduled for May 7-10.

ESPN reported that the tour is expected to announce more cancellations next week.

Players were told in the tour memo that officials hope to "preserve the maximum number of events we can while giving us more time as the crisis evolves."

Officials told players they will rely on guidance from health and government authorities before deciding on a resumption of play.

If a May resumption of play is not possible as shelter-in-place directives remain in effect, a re-start at Colonial could be moved to June 11-14, taking the dates originally set for the Canadian Open, which is expected to be cancelled.

The tour told players they would have three to four weeks' notice before the season resumes.

"We understand many of you may be impacted by travel restrictions and/or the inability to practice in your area, thus we want to be able to give you as much time as possible to allow you to come back fully prepared," the memo said.

The tour announced on Monday that it was rescheduling its season finale, the Wyndham Championship, for August 13-16, with the season-ending tour playoffs to follow over the next three weeks.

Those dates were worked out with the rescheduling of three of the year's four major championships, the US PGA Championship moving to September to be followed by the Ryder Cup and the US Open with the Masters to be held in November.

The British Open, originally scheduled for July, has been cancelled.

bb/gph

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Taiwan's Pan holds off rivals to win PGA Heritage title

WASHINGTON -- Taiwan's Pan Cheng-tsung held off Americans Matt Kuchar and Patrick Cantlay to win his first US PGA Tour title on Sunday, capturing the Heritage tournament by one stroke.

Pan fired a final-round four-under par 67 at Harbour Town in Hilton Head, South Carolina, to finish 72 holes on 12-under 272 with Kuchar second on 273 and Cantlay, American Scott Piercy and Ireland's Shane Lowry another stroke adrift.

"Dream come true," Pan said. "It's something when I was younger I always dreamed of. It just means everything to have a win on the PGA Tour.

"It means the world to me. I'm really happy I finally did it."

The victory brought Pan, ranked 113th in the world, tour status through the 2020-21 campaign as well as berths in his first Masters next year and his first PGA Championship next month at Bethpage Black.

Pan's breakthrough came in his 79th tour event after only seven prior top-10 finishes. He had twice been a runner-up, sharing second in 2017 at Torrey Pines and 2018 at Greensboro.

Pan, 27, played at the University of Washington and spent eight weeks in 2013 as the world's top-ranked amateur golfer.

In 2014, Pan won team and individual gold medals at the Incheon Asian Games.

Pan's wife Michelle was not with him, instead hosting junior golfers from his homeland at an event in Houston where college recruiters could see them play.

- Back-nine shootout -

Pan won a back-nine shootout after 54-hole leaders faded early.

After sinking a tense nine-footer for par at the opening hole, Pan dropped his approach inches from the cup at the par-5 fifth and tapped in for birdie to join a pack on 9-under.

Pan charged into the lead alone with a five-foot birdie putt to close the front nine, a 10-foot birdie putt to open the back nine and a seven-footer for birdie at the par-4 12th to reach 12-under.

When Lowry made double bogey moments later at the 12th, Pan had opened a two-stroke lead on Kuchar and a three-shot edge on everyone else.

Kuchar answered with a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-5 15th.

Pan then sent his tee shot at 15 into trees right of the fairway and his third into a greenside bunker on the way to a bogey that left him level for the lead with Kuchar.

"I hit four bad shots and I got away with a bogey," Pan said. "I knew I had to get more birdies coming in to make sure I had the W."

Kuchar made bogey at the par-3 17th, finding a bunker and missing an 11-foot par putt to leave Pan alone atop the leaderboard again.

Cantlay birdied the par-3 14th and 15 to match Pan for the lead, but Pan answered the challenge by dropping his approach at the 16th to eight feet and making the birdie putt to lead alone at 12-under.

Kuchar sank an eight-foot birdie at 18 to seize the clubhouse lead at 11-under 273.

Again Pan responded, blasting out of a bunker at the par-3 17th to three feet and sinking the tense par putt to remain on top heading to the 18th tee.

Pan put his approach 18 feet from the cup and lipped out on his birdie putt before tapping in for par to stay one ahead with Cantlay and Lowry yet to finish.

Cantlay missed the green with his approach at 18 and spun his birdie chip past the hole to doom his bid and Lowry missed a 30-foot birdie putt at 17 and with his approach at 18 to give Pan the victory.

"Congrats to C.T. Pan for finishing off strong like that. These were some tough holes here," Kuchar said. "It was a great run. I can't tell you how much fun it was to get into contention on that back nine."

World number one Dustin Johnson, who shared second last week at the Masters, led by a stroke when the day began but fired a 77 to share 28th on 280.

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Golf: Casey clings to one-shot PGA lead over No. 1 Johnson

MIAMI -- Defending champion Paul Casey clung to a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Dustin Johnson despite a closing bogey in Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour Valspar Championship.

The 41-year-old Englishman missed a 14-foot par putt at the par-4 18th and settled for a bogey and a three-under par 68.

Casey stood on nine-under 204 after 54 holes at the Innisbrook Resort Copperhead course in Palm Harbor, Florida.

"It feels really good," Casey said. "I was patient for the most part and aggressive when I had opportunities."

Johnson, a winner at last month's WGC Mexico Championship, was next on 205 after a 67 with fellow American Jason Kokrak third on 206 after a hole-in-one on his way to matching the week's low round on 66.

Casey relishes the challenge of playing alongside the world number one in Sunday's last group.

"Playing with Dustin is going to be very exciting," Casey said. "Any time I've got a chance to go up against world number one I'm excited about that."

"I do what I do because I want to play against the best in the world. And obviously he's the prominent one in the group of guys near the lead.

"Who is the favorite tomorrow? Probably Dustin. So I actually feel very kind of little pressure... it's pretty simple. If I go out tomorrow and beat him I actually might win. Plain and simple. Great scenario."

Casey has struggled to defend titles and turn 54-hole leads into victories but he stands a chance of doing both on Sunday.

He has won only once in five tries, and never broken 70, when leading a US PGA event after 54 holes. The win came at the 2009 Houston Open with a bogey on the first playoff hole to beat American J.B. Holmes.

Casey, who edged Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed by a stroke for the 2018 Valspar crown, has never defended a professional title.

But the British star has taken back-to-back titles multiple times as an amateur. He won the 1999 and 2000 English Amateurs and three consecutive Pacific-12 Conference trophies while studying at Arizona State University.

"My mindset now is I've won it, I have nothing to lose," Casey said. "I'm feeling a good position, like I don't have really any pressure. Now I've got one of those trophies. Yeah, I want another one, but it's not as much urgency."

Casey opened birdie-bogey, added a six-foot birdie putt at the par-4 sixth and made back-to-back birdie putts from three feet at the par-5 11th and eight feet at the par-4 12th.

Casey made a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th, but at 18, Casey found a greenside bunker and blasted out before rolling his par putt just off the right edge of the cup.


- 'Big birdie' -

Johnson fired his 14th consecutive round in the 60s, the longest such run of his career or by any tour player this season.

The World No. 1 sank a 33-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th and curled in a tricky 10-footer for birdie at 18 to join Casey in the last pairing.

"It was a big birdie," Johnson said. "I'm in a good position going into the round tomorrow. I played a solid round. Missed a couple birdie opportunities but other than that I played really well."

Kokrak, seeking his first PGA crown after 197 starts over eight seasons, aced the par-3 15th with an 8-iron from 218 yards.

Kokrak delivered only the third ace in tournament history at 15 when his ball bounced twice and rolled 25 feet into the cup, briefly giving him a share of the lead at seven-under.

"We had 194 to carry it into the downgrain part," Kokrak said. "It was into the wind. We knew if we flushed it, it would go right in and it was perfect."

Britain's Luke Donald, a former world number one who has battled a back injury, began and ended with birdies in shooting 70 to share fourth on 207 with American Scott Stallings.

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Fujikawa becomes first openly gay male pro golfer

Tadd Fujikawa, the youngest American to make the cut in a US PGA Tour event, became the first openly gay male professional golfer, making the revelation in an Instagram post.

The 27-year-old from Honolulu said he had been pondering about going public for some time before telling the world he is gay.

"I thought that I didn't need to come out because it doesn't matter if anyone knows," Fujikawa wrote. "But I remember how much other's stories have helped me in my darkest times to have hope. I spent way too long pretending, hiding, and hating who I was.

"I was always afraid of what others would think/say. I've struggled with my mental health for many years because of that and it put me in a really bad place. 

"Now I'm standing up for myself and the rest of the LGBTQ community in hopes of being an inspiration and making a difference in someone's life."

Fujikawa made the cut in his hometown PGA event, the Sony Open in Hawaii, in 2006 as a 16-year-old amateur, shooting 66 in the second and third rounds on his way to sharing 20th.

Only China's 14-year-old Guan Tianlang, who was 58th at the 2013 Masters, and 15-year-old Canadian Bob Panasik, who shared 66th at the 1957 Canadian Open, made a PGA cut while younger than Fujikawa.

Fujikawa has competed in 17 US PGA events, the most recent of them last year as a Sony Open qualifier. He played five pro events last year in Canada and last year captured the Hawaii State Open, his first pro victory in seven years.

Fujikawa said he wanted to champion acceptance for gay children, teens and adults in society, saying, "I will continue to do my best to bring more awareness to this issue and to fight for equality. We must liberate and encourage each other to be our best selves, whatever that may be.

"It's the only way we can make this world a better place for future generations. Let's do our part to make this world a better place."

Fujikawa played his only major at the 2006 US Open at age 15, missing the cut. In 2009, he fired a third-round 62 at the Sony Open before finishing 32nd.

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DeChambeau leads by one, Woods in the hunt at Memorial

DUBLIN -- Bryson DeChambeau birdied four of his last six holes to surge to a one-shot lead on Saturday going into the final round of the US PGA Tour's Memorial tournament.

DeChambeau, 24 signed for a bogey-free 66 to move to 14-under 202 as the Californian looks to secure a second PGA Tour victory after capturing last year’s John Deere Classic.

Red-hot Chilean sensation Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Cantlay and Kyle Stanley were a stroke back on 203. Overnight co-leaders Niemann and Stanley both carded 70 while Cantlay's 66 included two eagles, one of them a hole-in-one at the par-three eighth.

A further six players were within five shots of DeChambeau's lead -- including 14-time major champion Tiger Woods.

Woods briefly grabbed a share of the lead before stumbling with two bogeys in his last three holes.

South Korea's An Byeong-hun was alone in fifth after a 69 for 204 and England's Justin Rose carded a 69 for 206.

Woods posted a 68 to head a group on 207 that also included Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (71).

DeChambeau, ranked 38th in the world, kick-started his push to the top of the board with birdies at the fifth and seventh holes. He posted back-to-back birdie "threes" at 13 and 14 and picked up a stroke at 16 before landing his 145-yard approach at the last five feet from the pin en route to a birdie.

"I just want to birdie every hole," he said. "That's all we're trying to do out there.

"No matter if you're one back or tied for the lead every hole is an opportunity to make a birdie and that's just what I'm going to try and do every single day."

DeChambeau said his brilliant putting display was his best since he captured the 2015 US Amateur title.

"I would say I'm putting the best I have in my life," he said.

- Woods 'played beautifully' -

Niemann, 19, highlighted his round with a 50-foot eagle putt at the par-five seventh.

He is contesting just a fifth US PGA Tour event since turning pro straight after the Masters in April, and the Santiago-born teenager said he will draw on his amateur successes as he tries to win on Sunday, when the field will tee off early from the first and 10th tee as organizers try to beat expected inclement weather.

"It's a strong field on the leader-board and I think everybody's going to go out there and try to make the most birdies possible," Niemann said. "So I think that I have to go low tomorrow to have a chance."

Woods rolled in a 14-foot eagle putt at the par-five fifth and was five-under for the day through nine.

The five-time Memorial winner missed a short birdie on 14 but gained a share of the lead at 11-under with a birdie at 15.

Three-putt bogeys at 16 and 18 quelled his momentum and Woods was left to wonder what could have been.

"I shot 68 today but, again, that's probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today," he said. "I played really, really well. I played beautifully, actually, had total control of what I was doing out there and just didn't finish it off."

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Day hopes shorter swing leads to long spell of success

LOS ANGELES -- Jason Day kicks off 2017 at the US PGA Tour tournament of champions on Thursday ranked number one in the world, and the Filipino-Aussie is hoping his painstaking rehab of a back injury keeps him at the top.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at Kapalua, Hawaii, where the elite tournament tees off on Thursday, Day said he was "cautiously optimistic" he could avoid a repeat of his injury-plagued 2016.

“I'm just trying to get stuck back into the process, trying to get better," said Day, who said he spent the three months since back pain forced him out of the Tour Championship in September working to recover.

"I feel better about my body, feel better about my game, feel better about my swing," Day said. "I feel better mentally than I did the second half of last year, so I'm hoping for very good things this year.”


Day said he has worked on shortening his backswing in a bid to alleviate pressure on his back.

He hopes the new approach will see him end a seven-month title drought.

“Seven months, it really is a long time,” he said.

Health issues weren't the only that Day felt threw him off track last year, and in 2017 he said he would stop worrying about being thought a slow player and return to the methodical ways that helped him put together a sparkling run of seven wins in 17 starts.

That included three USPGA titles last year -- but none after the Players Championship in May.

Day admitted that he let concerns about his pace of play pull him out of his normal game plan.

"I wasn't as deliberate going into a golf shot. Gathering the information, I wasn't as deliberate," he said. "Obviously, everyone wants to speed up the game. Obviously, that's a big subject in golf, to speed up the game.

"You don’t want to be classed as a slower guy, but thinking about it now, when I was playing and competing really well I forgot about that stuff," he said.

"I just have to make sure I am deliberate but still respect other players."

While the USPGA Tour's 2016-17 season officially got under way in October, this week's event marks a return to action for many top golfers.

Jordan Spieth was coming off a stellar 2015 that lifted him to number one in the world when he won the trophy last year. The 23-year-old Texan returns this year ranked fifth in the world.

World number three Dustin Johnson, who won the US Open on his way to USPGA Player of the Year honors, is a strong contender, having lifted the trophy at Kapalua in 2013.

And sixth-ranked Japanese Hideki Matsuyama arrives in Hawaii on a hot streak that includes four victories in late 2016, including the Japan Open and World Golf Championships HSBC Champions in China in October, the Taiheiyo Masters in November and the Tiger Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge in the first week of December.

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Rose and Stenson, Day and Fowler to unite at revamped PGA event

NEW YORK -- Rio Olympic champion Justin Rose and runner-up Henrik Stenson will partner for next year's US PGA Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which announced Monday it will switch to a two-man team format starting next year.

The event has been won in the past by such stars as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Byron Nelson, Lee Westwood, K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh and Rose in 2015.

"The Zurich Classic is already a special tournament for me," Rose said. "The addition of a team format adds a new, incredibly exciting element to the event. Henrik and I are very excited to tee it up together in April, and hopefully we can continue our longstanding chemistry and success in team formats."

Both have been stalwarts for Europe in the Ryder Cup and their exciting last-day duel for gold in August electrified the first Olympic men's golf competition since 1904.

The US PGA Tour policy board changed the event format to two rounds of foursomes and two of four-ball starting with the 2017 edition of the tournament, set for April 27-30 at TPC Louisiana in New Orleans.

Among the duos to defeat will be the Rose-Stenson pairing and world number one Jason Day of Australia teaming with US star Rickie Fowler.

"I've loved being a part of team events throughout my amateur, collegiate and now professional career," said Fowler. "I'm so excited that the tour and Zurich are making this part of our schedule and can't wait to tee it up with Jason in April."

American Brian Stuard defeated compatriot Jamie Lovemark and South Korean An Byeong-Hun in a playoff last May for the final solo title.

The new 72-hole stroke-play format will feature foursomes (alternate shot) in the first and third rounds and four-ball (best ball) during the second and fourth rounds.

A field of 80 teams will be cut to the low 35 pairs and ties after two rounds. A sudden-death four-ball playoff will be used as a playoff to decide the champions.

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No McIlroy but Spieth in spotlight at Open

ST. ANDREWS -- Rory McIlroy's "kickabout" may have deprived the British Open of having the world number one defend his title, but the potential storylines next week at St Andrews are still strong, starting with golf's new golden boy Jordan Spieth.

The 21-year-old Texan has dominated the sport during the first half of this year, becoming the second-youngest winner of the Masters after Tiger Woods in April and last month becoming the youngest winner of the US Open since Bobby Jones in 1923.

That brings him to St Andrews with a shot at becoming just the second man - after Ben Hogan in 1953 - to win the first three majors of the year, setting up the mouthwatering prospect of him pulling off the Grand Slam at the PGA Championship next month.

Spieth raised a few eyebrows by electing not to travel to Scotland early to acquaint himself better with links golf. He has only ever played St Andrews once, four years ago ahead of a Walker Cup match in Aberdeen.

Instead, he stayed at home to compete in the relatively low-key John Deere Classic in Illinois for which he has a special affection, having won his first pro tournament there two years ago as a teenager.

His decision was vindicated after a 10-under 61 in the third round, the best round of his US PGA Tour career, set up his second victory in the event via a play-off on Sunday and continued his incredible run of 2015 success.

He made it clear that he had no regrets about opting to stay in the United States and travel to Scotland only on Monday.

"I committed to this event well ahead of time, never really crossed my mind to drop out," he said.

"I felt like I've played well in the Open Championship the last couple years having played at the John Deere right before and competed.

"When I get over there, whether I play well or don't play well has nothing to do with what I did the week before.

- High energy Spieth -
"I will certainly have enough energy. I will certainly have enough rest, and I will be as prepared as can be, as I am for any other event, by the time I tee it up at St Andrews. I'm not worried about any of that."

Spieth will be taking part in just his third Open having tied for 44th place at Muirfield two years ago and tied for 36th last year at Hoylake.

But his superb touch and finesse on and around the greens allied to his excellent course management skills make him a natural for links golf courses where imaginative shot-making is key.

What he won't be able to do at St Andrews, much to the dismay of the golfing world, is go up against McIlroy, with the two holding all four of golf's major titles and touted to be embarking on a rivalry that will fire up golf over the next two decades.

The 26-year-old Northern Irishman, winner of the Open and PGA Championship last year, sustained a bad ankle injury in a football "kickabout" with some friends, ruling him out of St Andrews and possibly also Whistling Straits, host venue for the PGA Championship.

- Woods seeks inspiration -

Spieth, though, said that with or without McIlroy, for him the challenge remains the same.

For Tiger Woods, the last golfer prior to Spieth to win the Masters and the US Open in the same year in 2002, the challenge of St Andrews is on an altogether different plane.

Unlike Spieth he knows the Old Course like the back of his hand, having won his first Open title there by eight strokes in 2000 and then again, by five strokes, in 2005.

It's his favourite course anywhere and if there is one place that can inspire him to revive his flagging fortunes - alongside Augusta National - it is St Andrews.

The former world number one is currently ranked 226th after a nightmare season featuring career-worst scores on the PGA Tour and in the US Open and a best finish of tied 17th in the Masters.

However, the 14-time major winner did card three sub-par rounds to finish joint 32nd in the Greenbrier Classic in his last start, including a bogey-free closing 67.

"I feel good," the 39-year-old said on Saturday after getting reacquainted with the Old Course at St Andrews.

"Sunday at Greenbrier is probably the best I hit it in two years. That was fun. It sounds crazy when I told everyone at Greenbrier that I felt close, after the scores I shot at the Memorial (85) and the US Open (80).

"I put it together at Greenbrier and hit it really good. (Instructor) Chris (Como) told me it was the first time I led the field in proximity to the hole with my iron game."

Spieth and Woods apart, the Open has numerous sub-plots worth keeping an eye on.

Phil Mickelson will seek a second Open crown in Scotland after his Muirfield triumph of two years ago, Louis Oosthuizen will try to resurrect his form of five years ago when he won by seven strokes at St Andrews and Justin Rose will spearhead the quest for a first English winner since Nick Faldo in 1992.

Faldo will play the Open for the last time as will five-time Open champion Tom Watson.

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McIlroy shoots stunning 61 for Quail Hollow lead

CHARLOTTE - World number one Rory McIlroy fired an electrifying 11-under par 61 in Saturday's third round to vault into a four-shot lead at the US PGA Tour Wells Fargo Championship.

The 26-year-old from Northern Ireland had 11 birdies with no bogeys to break his own Quail Hollow course record of 62.

"I feel like the best player in the world and I wanted to go out there and prove that," McIlroy said.

McIlroy's effort gave him an 18-under total of 198 and a four-shot lead over American Webb Simpson who shot a 68 and was alone at a 14-under 202.

McIlroy's hopes of reaching golf's magical number of 59 ended with pars at 17 and 18.

But the finish didn't mar a spectacular round that included streaks of four birdies in a row from the seventh through 10th holes and five birdies on the trot from the 12th through 16th.

Robert Streb (71) was in third, seven shots adrift while Brendan Steele (68) and Patrick Rodgers (70) were tied for fourth on 10-under 206.

Justin Thomas (65), Carlos Ortiz (66) and Will Mackenzie (70) were a further stroke back on 207.

The Quail Hollow course record of 62 was established by McIlroy in the final round in 2010 -- when he captured his first US PGA Tour title.

Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge matched the mark in the second round last year.

McIlroy said he knew from watching the morning scores that the course record was "gettable".

"But you never think that you're going to go out and do something like that," said McIlroy, who also set the tournament's 54-hole scoring record.

- Thinking '59' -

After opening his day with back-to-back pars, McIlroy birdied 11 of the next 14 holes.

Highlights included driving the green at the 346-yard par-four 14th en route to a birdie.

"I was thinking 59 from the 14th tee box," McIlroy admitted. Only six players have broken 60 on the US PGA Tour, but the idea seemed anything but farfetched after he rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at 15 and a 14-footer at 16.

McIlroy said he was a tad disappointed with his seven-iron at the par-three 17th, where his tee shot left him 40 feet for birdie and he settled for a par.

"Obviously I'm delighted with the score, and it's nice to break your own course record as well."

McIlroy said he now needs to turn his attention to Sunday's final round when he will be seeking his 11th PGA Tour title.

"I guess I just have to forget about today. It's a whole new challenge tomorrow," said McIlroy, who has no plans to start playing it safe.

"Even though I've got a lead there's no reason why I shouldn't go out there and be aggressive and try and make as many birdies as I can," he said.

Five-time major champion Phil Mickelson, the 2010 runner-up, had climbed within one stroke of the lead thanks to four front-nine birdies.

But closed with a triple bogey at 18 to fall into a group of five players tied for ninth at eight-under.

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