CJ Cup 2022 standings, scores: Rory McIlroy leads alone after Round 3 as Jon Rahm poses biggest threat
The seesaw third round at the 2022 CJ Cup in South Carolina saw Rory McIlroy climb to the top of the leaderboard at Congaree Golf Club. McIlroy will top the Official World Golf Rankings for the ninth time in his career if he can hold onto Sunday’s win, but it won’t be easy as the Northern Irishman has plenty of mirror-following followers. his rearview.
Sitting at the age of 13 under, McIlroy shot out of the gate on Saturday with a bird and an eagle in his first four holes. Quickly replacing overnight leaders Jon Rahm and Kurt Kitayama, McIlroy continued to hold the gas as an unlikely opportunity from the green zone at par-5 12 found the bottom of the cup.
Playing three par 5s of 5 under in his third round, McIlroy was able to give himself room for mistakes when two bogeys in his last six holes caused him to retreat forward a bit. Awaiting him were Rahm and Kitayama, as well as KH Lee, who finished the day’s lowest round with 5-under 66 and sat at 12 under.
Right behind them on the chart are a number of successful young stars including Cam Davis, Aaron Wise and Tom Kim. Quiet about his business on Saturday, the 20-year-old remained in touch with his sidekick for the first two days at the age of 9, and will be looking for his third win in six tournaments his most recent.
Leader
1. Rory McIlroy (-13)
There may not be enough words to describe exactly what McIlroy has accomplished in world golf over the past year. Without many adjectives, the 33-year-old has continued to impress this week with his PGA Tour season debut and set to successfully defend his CJ Cup crown from Las Vegas in 2021.
Ranked 14 in the world earlier that week, McIlroy going to the top of the game was simply unbelievable. His 2021-22 season has seen him tee off 22 times around the world while scoring three wins, 19 finishes in the top 20 and 11 finishes in the top 5 as well as top 10. finish in all four major championships. He’s clearly the best player in the world right now, and has a chance on Sunday to officially claim his 23rd title on the PGA Tour.
Other candidates
T2. Jon Rahm, KH Lee and Kurt Kitayama (-12)
T5. Aaron Wise and Taylor Moore (-10)
T7. Tom Kim and Brendon Todd (-9)
T9. Cam Davis, Tom Hoge, Maverick McNealy and Tommy Fleetwood (-8)
Saturday’s round could easily outshine the 36-hole leader as Rahm enjoyed a sublime day. After playing the first seven holes on 1 under, the 27-year-old lost contact on the grass and hit three bogeys from 8-11, two of which were the result of three shots.
Despite the storms and visible anger, Rahm kept a cool head and was rewarded for his patience. Playing the last seven of the under three, he remains in touch with McIlroy and will pose the biggest threat to the Northern Irishman on his final day at the Congaree.
What else is on the line on Sunday?
McIlroy is in control of his own destiny, and with a win that will not only secure 23rd place on the PGA Tour but also reclaim world number 1. However, if he falters, all is not lost. If he can finish his second solo, McIlroy still has a chance to be world No. 1 should Scottie Scheffler end up worse than solo 34. The world No. 1 is currently at 47th as he continues to struggle. with the ball in hand.
Scenes of the day
With Congaree’s solid and agile play, hitting close-range shots almost becomes more difficult. Don’t tell Wyndham Clark that after the 28-year-old hit the league’s shot in his third round. Making a hole-in-one in the 10th par-3, Clark used a 7 iron to finish from 181 metres.
2022 CJ Cup updated odds, picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Rory McIlroy: 5/4
- Jon Rahm: 5/2
- KH Lee: 8-1
- Kurt Kitayama: February 17
- Aaron Wise: 20-1
- Tom Kim: 35-1
- Taylor Moore: 35-1
Only the seven players listed lower than 100-1 advance to the final round as the top of the odds table is filled with two of the game’s elites. The emotions shared on Friday will be the same as those shared on Saturday: I’ll hang out on a big limb and say that Rahm or Rory will prove themselves victorious on Sunday night at the Congaree.
The name of tomorrow’s match between these two Ryder Cup teammates will be iron. While McIlroy has improved day by day from an achieved reach perspective, Rahm has indeed struggled. If McIlroy continues this trend, he will be virtually unbeatable, but what is encouraging for Rahm fans is that he can only make a one-hit comeback with no ironclad play. world. In the end, I think the Spaniard worked things out with his scoring clubs and robbed McIlroy’s successful defence.
