Collin Morikawa will take a two shot lead into the final round of the WGC - Workday Championship at The Concession 2021 after a dramatic third day where he threatened to run away with it before being reeled in by a host of fellow Major champions.
The reigning US PGA Championship winner entered round three a shot off the lead but after making seven birdies in eight holes from the fifth, he led by five and looked set to cruise to a maiden World Golf Championships title.
A pair of bogeys dropped him back to 15 under after a 67, however, just two clear of fellow Americans Billy Horschel and Brooks Koepka.
Koepka has four Majors to his name and he was a shot clear of 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, with another four time Major winner in Rory McIlroy and 2018 Masters Tournament champion Patrick Reed at 11 under.
World Number Six Morikawa is playing in just his third WGC event but after winning the Wanamaker Trophy in just his second Major start, few would bet against him winning a second European Tour title in his ninth appearance.
"You want to make it boring, you want to make it simple," he said of his stunning run around the turn. "I was just hitting my shots, hitting the fairway and giving myself chances. The putter felt good so we were rolling some putts in.
"Everything still feels great about my game. It was a struggle coming down the last few holes but I still feel like I'm driving it well, still feel like I'm hitting my iron shots so, come tomorrow, I'll get some good rest and we'll be right there.
"Anything can happen. I know all the guys behind me, they're very capable of going low, if not having a start like I had today. That's why I've got to be ready from hole one and be ready all the way through the round tomorrow."
Overnight leader Koepka dropped a shot after finding a bush off the opening tee and surrendered another when he failed to get up and down from the sand on the next.
Playing partner Cameron Smith was the man to take advantage as he holed from 15 feet at the first and four feet at the third to briefly lead by two but he found the water twice on the fifth to card a triple bogey and it was soon Morikawa who had a two shot lead.
Anything can happen. I know all the guys behind me, they're very capable of going low
He had made the most of the par five third and, while he gave the shot straight back, he holed from 15 feet on the fifth, 25 feet on the next and then got up and down from just in front of the seventh green to move to 13 under.
Playing partner Horschel also birdied the par five seventh and trimmed the lead to one when he holed from 12 feet on the eighth, but Morikawa followed him in from half the distance.
The man who finished fifth on last season's Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex holed a 12 foot right to lefter to lead by three at the turn and while his birdie run ended on the tenth, he made it six in seven holes from ten feet on the 11th and added another from 12 feet on the 12th to extend his advantage further.
Morikawa three putted the 13th for a first bogey of the day but his lead stayed at five as Horschel also dropped a shot to fall alongside McIlroy, who set the clubhouse target.
The Northern Irishman recovered from a poor tee shot for an opening birdie but double bogeyed the next before gains on the seventh and eighth had him back in red numbers for the day at the turn.
A birdie on the tenth was followed by a bogey but McIlroy picked a shot up at the 12th before putting his second to 12 feet at the 13th for an eagle.
Another birdie followed at the 15th and a tap-in at the 17th moved him to 11 under.
Horschel followed his dropped shot on the 13th with another on the next but picked one back up on the 16th before putting his second to ten feet on the penultimate hole to sit just two behind Morikawa, who bogeyed the 17th after finding sand twice.
Koepka had regained a shot on the third but then made eight pars in a row before birdieing the 12th and 16th and holing a monster putt on the 17th in a 70.
Simpson carded five birdies and two bogeys in a 69, a score matched by Reed who made seven birdies, two bogeys and a double.
England's Matthew Fitzpatrick, Norwegian Viktor Hovland, Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and American Scottie Scheffler were at ten under.
