Protecting the lead: Justin Rose leads after Round 3 at BMW Championship

Justin Rose has experience holding a 54-hole lead at Aronimink Golf Club. The last one was a little larger, though. Rose held a four-shot lead entering the final round of the 2010 Quicken Loans National. He’d earned his first PGA TOUR win just two starts earlier, at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, then lost the Travelers Championship with a Sunday 75. Rose was back in front in his following start, shooting 69-64-67 to take a four-shot lead over Carl Pettersson and Charlie Wi. He led by five strokes after eagling the par-5 ninth hole with a 5-wood that stopped inches from the hole. Three-putts on the back nine’s first two holes put the title in tenuous position, though. He made par on the final seven holes to finish one shot ahead of Ryan Moore. Moore’s 65 matched Sunday’s low score. “I knew having not closed out last week, it was important for me to do it today,â€� Rose said after that win. Rose now has nine PGA TOUR victories, including two this season (World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions, Fort Worth Invitational). He trailed by eight shots entering the final round in Shanghai and held a four-shot lead in Texas, where he had to hold off a hard-charging Brooks Koepka. Rose is 4 for 14 with a 54-hole lead in his PGA TOUR career and 1 for 2 in the FedExCup Playoffs. He won the 2011 BMW Championship but finished second at the following year’s TOUR Championship. He may not have to defend this lead, though. Rain is forecast throughout Sunday, so there is a chance that the tournament could be called after 54 holes. The final tee time was pushed up to 8:50 a.m. in an attempt to beat the weather. Aronimink is already soaked after Friday’s overnight rains, which delayed the start of the third round. Rose will play alongside 2016 FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy and reigning Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele in Sunday’s final threesome. McIlroy and Schauffele are both one back. Rickie Fowler, who has shot three consecutive 65s, and Tommy Fleetwood, who fired back-to-back 62s, are two behind. “I don’t quite know how tomorrow is going to play out,â€� Rose said. “I don’t think anyone knows what to expect.â€� Rose knows what it takes to protect a lead at Aronimink, though. No one else in the field can say that. DRIVING IT HOME Twenty-eight third-round leaders/co-leaders have won on TOUR this season. Bryson DeChambeau was the most recent to do it, at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Seven leaders/co-leaders at the BMW Championship have gone on to win in the FedExCup era (since 2007). Last year’s winner, Marc Leishman, was the most recent.

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