Rickie Fowler turns back clock with 3rd-round lead at CJ Cup

There’s been a Rickie Fowler sighting connected the PGA Tour.

Fans of the ultra-popular subordinate person seen a batch of him lately connected a plethora of TV commercials but seldom connected leaderboards. On Sunday, he’ll commencement the CJ Cup with his archetypal 54-lead successful astir 2 years, looking to enactment a ton of caller struggles down him.

Fowler changeable a 9-under 63 connected Saturday astatine The Summit Club, taking him to 21 nether and a two-shot pb implicit different large name, Rory McIlory, whose 62 was the debased circular of the day.

Adam Scott, Abraham Ancer and Robert Streb are 3 back, and Tyrrell Hatton and Keith Mitchell are 4 behind.

Fowler has had conscionable 1 top-10 decorativeness successful the past 21 months and hasn’t won since the Phoenix Open astir 3 years ago. He hasn’t adjacent made a chopped since precocious July, including missing past week astatine the Shriners Children’s Open.

“It’s conscionable been a agelong clip coming,” Fowler said of seeing his sanction connected apical of a leaderboard again. “I haven’t been successful this presumption a full batch successful the past mates years, truthful to consciousness the emotions again connected the backmost 9 being astir and past successful the pb … it was large to spot that I was inactive executing and hitting the shots that I wanted to.”

A staple of the apical 20 successful the satellite rankings passim the past decade, Fowler got arsenic precocious arsenic No. 4 successful 2015. He entered the week astatine No. 128, needing a sponsor invitation to get into the field.

“It’s decidedly going to beryllium a situation tomorrow,” helium said. “It’s a choky leaderboard, and this is simply a play people wherever if you thrust it well, which I’ve been doing this week, you tin score. But arsenic soon arsenic you get a spot offline disconnected the tee, it becomes a full antithetic play course.”

Mitchell recovered that retired Saturday. He took a five-shot pb into the circular and discovered what tin hap astatine The Summit Club erstwhile your operator goes haywire.

After getting to 20 nether early, helium missed 7 consecutive fairways, including uncovering the godforsaken connected Nos. 8 and 9, starring to consecutive treble bogeys. He finished with a 73 and is present successful the ample battalion chasing Fowler.

McIlroy went retired successful the precocious morning, birdied six holes connected the beforehand 9 and capped his circular with an eagle connected the 18th. And arsenic debased arsenic helium went, it could person been better. He missed 4 different eagle attempts connected the day.

“After the beforehand nine, I did what I needed to bash connected the backmost nine,” helium said. “I astir apt felt similar I near a mates retired there, but I’m not going to complain.”

Playing with Ancer, the 2 combined to sprout 19 under, feeding disconnected each different each day.

“Man, this was a batch of fun,” Ancer said aft his 63. “Every clip that I’ve played with Rory, I’ve rolled the putter truthful good, and contiguous was the aforesaid case.”

He’ll get the accidental again Sunday, playing with McIlroy and Fowler successful the last group.

McIlroy, who has gone 37 consecutive holes without a bogey, conscionable wants to bash much of the aforesaid for 1 much day.

“I conscionable wanted to spell retired determination and play a bully circular of golf,” helium said. “Every spread fundamentally connected this people is simply a birdie chance, truthful you conscionable effort to enactment it successful play, springiness yourself a putt astatine it connected the greenish and spell from there.”

Greg Robertson covers play for the Review-Journal. He tin beryllium reached astatine grobertson@reviewjournal.com.