LOS ANGELES — The grouping was grand, the spectacle stunning. Three unwavering golfers, not a bogey among them through 14 holes, bunched atop the leaderboard of the Genesis Invitational on Saturday.
Would one separate from the others ahead of Sunday's final round? One would, and it was Jon Rahm, who riveted Riviera with a six-under-par 65 that included a 24-foot birdie putt on No. 18 punctuated by raising his putter to the sky. Max Homa and Keith Mitchell lurked behind.
The No. 3 player in the world rankings, Rahm posted four birdies on the front nine, two more on the back and had zero bogeys to seize the lead by three strokes at 15-under 198. Rahm is in position to challenge the then-L.A. Open tournament record of a 20-under 264 set by Lanny Wadkins in 1985.
"Sometimes you can get a little blinded because everybody in the group was playing good, especially early on, the first 12, 13 holes," Rahm said. "We kept looking at the leaderboard and there was a reason why, right? It's not easy. I feel like we were the only three making putts out there, probably."
Homa, a rising star from Valencia, matched Rahm until missing par putts on Nos. 15 and 16 to trail by three shots at 201.
Mitchell, whose 64 on Thursday set the tone along with Homa, shot a steady 69 that ended with his only bogey. He's four shots behind Rahm and one behind Homa.
Behind those three are Patrick Cantlay at 10 under and Gary Woodland at nine under. Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, shot five under for the last eight holes to rise to fifth place.
Overshadowed was the stellar round turned in by Tiger Woods, who shot a four-under 67 in front of a substantial and appreciative gallery. He's nowhere near the trio at the top because he began the day one over par, barely making the cut.
Still, it was his lowest Saturday round since he won the 2019 Zozo Championship in Japan.
"I felt like I made some nice adjustments with my putting and that was the thing that held make back yesterday," Woods said. "I've driven it well the last three days, my iron play has been good. And the firm conditions I like, that's kind of right up my alley with iron play."
The low score of the day was turned in by Denny McCarthy, a seven-under 64 that included an eagle on his first hole at No. 10. He began the day at even par.
"To knock that in, make a two on that hole to start your day feels pretty good," McCarthy said. "I hit a few more fairways today. I was able to hit my numbers a little bit easier and just played really solid, just had really good commitment, hit some good iron shots, rolled it well, cleaned up well around the hole and did everything pretty solid."
In appreciation
Several players, including Woods and Homa, wore black ribbons on their caps to honor John Paramor, a well-liked longtime PGA rules official who died Friday.
"Even before I came on Tour, John was a beloved character within the game of golf," Rory McIlroy said. "He was always a friendly face to see out on Tour and I always loved my conversations with him. Yeah, it's a sad day, but he'll be very fondly remembered by the whole golf community."
