Johnson and Matsuyama share BMW Championship lead as McIlroy falls

FedEx Cup leader Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama are tied for the BMW Championship lead following Saturday's third round.

American star Johnson and Japan's Matsuyama both carded 69s to top the leaderboard at one under through 54 holes in Illinois, where the pair hold a two-stroke advantage.

Johnson cruised to victory at last week's opening FedEx Cup play-off event – The Northern Trust – and he has maintained his form at the Olympia Fields Country Club.

Projected to retain his position atop the FedEx Cup standings ahead of Matsuyama, two-time BMW Championship winner Johnson had three birdies and two bogeys to rise two positions on day three.

Leaderboard heading into the final round @BMWChamps: T1. @DJohnsonPGA, -1 T1. Hideki Matsuyama T3. @JoacoNiemann, +1 T3. @MacHughesGolf T3. @AdamScott T6. @JonRahmPGA, +2 T6. @JSMunozGolf T6. @K_Kisner T6. @BubbaWatson T6. Brendon Todd T6. @McIlroyRory pic.twitter.com/qsYoP7yuGD

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 29, 2020

Matsuyama – a five-time PGA Tour champion but without a title since 2017 – enjoyed a mixed day, with an eagle, two birdies and three bogeys in tough scoring conditions.

Joaquin Niemann (68), Mackenzie Hughes (69) and Adam Scott (70) are tied for third at one over heading into Sunday's final round.

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy is among six players a shot further back following his three-over-par 73.

McIlroy was co-leader heading into the penultimate round but the former world number one struggled – five bogeys and just two birdies seeing the 2012 winner slide down the leaderboard.

Jon Rahm (66), Sebastian Munoz (67), Kevin Kisner (70), Bubba Watson (70) and Brendon Todd (71) are also two over.

Defending champion Justin Thomas (71), meanwhile, is eight over following his third consecutive round in the 70s.

Tiger Woods' struggles continued as the 15-time major champion looks set to miss out on the Tour Championship ahead of the U.S. Open.

Back-to-back birdies for @TigerWoods. He needs a top-5 finish to qualify for the @PlayoffFinale. He's currently 7 shots off the lead (T39).#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/FzMCNQNtQ7

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 29, 2020

With the top 30 qualifying for the Tour Championship, where Woods is a three-time champion, the 44-year-old is projected to be 65th in the FedEx Cup standings.