The China Mail - Norway's Hovland grabs six-shot lead at PGA Tour Championship

The 25-year-old Norwegian fired a four-under par 66 to stand on 20-under after 54 holes at East Lake in Atlanta with American Xander Schauffele a distant second.

Temperatures soared near 100 degrees (37.7 Celsuis) before a late-round storm stoppage, but neither weather nor rivals could slow fifth-ranked Hovland, who won last week's BMW Championship and became the man to beat for the $18 million top prize.

Americans Collin Morikawa and Keegan Bradley shared third on 13-under with Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain sharing fifth on 11-under with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and his US countryman Wyndham Clark, the US Open champion.

Starting scores in the FedEx Cup playoff finale were staggered based on season points, with top-ranked Scheffler at 10-under, Hovland next at 8-under and rivals at lesser levels.

Hovland shot 68 and 64 to share the lead after the first and second rounds, aided by the unique format.

Tokyo Olympic champion Schauffele, who has never fired an over-par round at East Lake, shot 68 while Hovland made five birdies against a lone bogey.

Hovland was about to tee off at the 12th with a four-stroke lead when a storm halted play for 75 minutes.

When he resumed, Hovland found the fairway and green then hit a 10-foot birdie putt and followed by sinking a 22-foot birdie putt at 13 to reach 20-under and lead Schauffele by six.

Hovland took his first bogey at 14, finding the left rough and pitching to the green then missing a 22-foot par putt from the fringe.

Schauffele answered a bogey at the par-3 15th with a 12-foot birdie putt at 16 to stay five adrift but Hovland responded with a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-3 15th, stretching the lead back to six.

Hovland lipped out on a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-5 18th but still matched the largest 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour this season.

It's also the same margin Rory McIlroy rallied from last year to defeat Scheffler and win the Tour Championship.

- First bogey a double -

Morikawa, who hadn't made a bogey all week, shared the lead with Hovland at 16-under until a double bogey at the par-4 fifth -- finding greenside rough, chipping into a bunker, blasting out and two putting.

Schauffele made a 14-foot birdie putt from the fringe at seven to pull within one but Hovland birdied the par-5 sixth from three feet and Schauffele made bogey at the par-4 eighth, taking four to reach the green, to leave Hovland three ahead.

Hovland sank a birdie putt at seven from just beyond 11 feet and kept a four-stroke edge at the turn after Schauffele holed an eight-foot birdie at 10 but made bogey at 12 after his tee shot landed behind a tree.

Morikawa, a two-time major winner who hasn't won since the 2021 DP World Tour Championship at Dubai, fired a 73 to fall back.

McIlroy, a four-time major champion battling a back injury, shot 71 and was 11 off the pace.

Scheffler, this year's Players champion and last year's Masters winner, fired a 73.

Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner, shot 70. Rahm fired a 71.

U.Chen--ThChM