Marc Leishman has carried his white hot form into a third consecutive day of the BMW Championship, putting him on the cusp of the biggest win of his burgeoning career.
Leishman leads the US PGA Tour’s penultimate playoff event, worth $US8.75 million, by a whopping five shots after a three-under par 68 in round three at Conway Farms today, following rounds of 62 and 64 in rounds one and two.
It means that for a second consecutive time, he will begin the final round of a big event with the lead and the best players in the world chasing him.
Last time, at the Dell Technologies Championhip, he was hunted down by Justin Thomas and finished third.
But on this occasion his lead is a decent buffer to work with at an overall 19-under par.
Leishman’s nearest pursuers are another Australian, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler at 14-under par after Day’s one-under par 70 today.
Queenslander Cameron Smith is tied-12th after a 69, and still in with a good chance of reaching next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta. He needs a top-four finish to do so.
But the 33-year-old Leishman is sitting on a gold mine. Already at a career-high No. 22 in the world rankings, he would soar further up that list if he were to win tomorrow. He is projected to leap from No. 7 to No. 4 in the Fedex Cup standings, meaning that he would go to Atlanta next week with a good chance of winning the $US10 million bonus prize, becoming the first Australian to do so.