Rickie Fowler came home with a wet sail at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Saturday, birdieing six of his last eight holes to take the lead in Detroit.

The American picked up three shots on the front nine but a bogey after the turn threatened to derail his round.

He righted the ship quickly however, his late flurry propelling him to 20 under par and a one stroke lead ahead of Adam Hadwin.

Speaking after his round, Fowler said: “Whether it happens (Sunday) or not, it’s going to happen here soon.

“I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf and been putting myself in good positions.

“This definitely won’t be the last.”

The Canadian carded a stellar third round 63 to gain seven spots on the leaderboard and keep in close range of Fowler, who has not won an event on the PGA Tour in four years.

England’s Aaron Rai is tied for fourth on 17 under following a Saturday score of 66.

Rory McIlroy vowed he would never give up seeking more major titles after heading into the third round of the 123rd US Open just two shots off the lead.

McIlroy covered his last nine holes in five under par to card a second round of 67 at Los Angeles Country Club, where Rickie Fowler set the pace after a rollercoaster 68.

Fowler, whose opening 62 equalled the lowest score in any men’s major, made eight birdies, six bogeys and just four pars to post a 10-under-par halfway total of 130, equalling the lowest in a US Open set by Martin Kaymer in 2014.

Fowler’s 18 birdies over the first two days are also the most in championship history and kept the 34-year-old in pole position to claim a first major title.

McIlroy, who is seeking his fifth and a first since the US PGA Championship in August 2014, said: “No-one wants me to win another major more than I do.

“The desire is obviously there. I’ve been trying and I’ve come close over the past nine years and I keep coming back.

“I feel like I’ve showed a lot of resilience in my career, whether I get rewarded or punched in the gut I’ll always keep coming back.”

Quote of the day

Rickie Fowler responds to a fan’s query of ‘What are you doing?’ with a shrug, despite three-putting the seventh.

Shot of the day

Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick did not see it go one, but definitely DID make the third hole-in-one of the week on the short 15th.

Round of the day

Australia’s Min Woo Lee carded six birdies and a solitary bogey in a second round of 65.

Statistic of the day

Halfway leader Rickie Fowler’s mistakes have been offset by a record 18 birdies over the first 36 holes.

Easiest hole

The reachable par-four sixth hole played to an average of 3.670 as 68 of the 156-man field made birdie, although evidence suggested it was better to play the hole conventionally rather than attempt to drive the green.

Hardest hole

The easiest hole was immediately followed by the hardest as the 299-yard, par-three seventh played to an average of 3.510. Just seven players made birdie and 13 made a double bogey.

Weather forecast

Fog could greet the early starters on Saturday, but mostly sunny skies should take over before lunchtime with temperatures climbing well into the 70s. That will cause southwest winds to pick up to possible highs of 18mph.

Key tee times (all BST)

2307 Sam Bennett, Min Woo Lee
2318 Dustin Johnson, Harrish English
2329 Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy
2340 Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler

Fresh from revealing a potential investment in Leeds United, Rickie Fowler kicked off his bid for a first major title in impressive fashion in the 123rd US Open.

Fowler was among the early starters on day one at Los Angeles Country Club and covered his first 10 holes in four under par to set the early pace ahead of a four-strong group which included Olympic champion Xander Schauffele.

Starting on the back nine of the North Course, Fowler carded five birdies, two bogeys and just two pars to reach the turn in 32, before picking up another shot on the par-five first.

The world number 45 admitted on Wednesday that he and Ryder Cup team-mates Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were considering investing in Leeds as part of the imminent takeover by 49ers Enterprises.

The American investment group are set to take charge of the Championship club after agreeing a deal to buy out chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s controlling stake.

Fowler told Sky Sports News: “It’s cool to have these opportunities. I know we’re looking into it, and it would be fun if we get to be a part of it, if not we’ll continue to root for Leeds.

“Obviously they got relegated but to get to go to a Premier League game, a Champions League game, any of that (would be great). It’s a massive sport and I feel like it is continuing to get bigger in the (United) States.

“Since I haven’t been to a game, I don’t have the true appreciation until (I get to) be there and feel that energy.”

Fowler was playing alongside former US Open champion Justin Rose in the first two rounds, but Rose was enduring a miserable round on the 10th anniversary of his victory at Merion.

After starting the day with five straight pars, Rose bogeyed the 15th, 16th and 17th before running up a double bogey on the 18th to reach the turn in 40.

Corey Conners won the Valero Texas Open for the second time on Sunday, carding a bogey-free four-under 68 for a one-stroke victory ahead of rookie Sam Stevens.

The Canadian world number 40, who won at TPC San Antonio in 2019, had headed into the final day in second place behind Patrick Rodgers, who had five bogeys on Sunday to slip out of contention.

Conners was faultless, with birdies on the par-five second, followed by the sixth, ninth and 15th holes, opening up a three-shot lead upon the latter.

But Stevens stormed into contention with an eagle on the par-four 17th with a brilliant approach off the tee from 299 yards, before missing a nine-foot birdie putt on the 18th that may have forced a playoff.

Conners held his nerve with a three-foot putt for par on the last to secure victory, his second on the PGA Tour, both in San Antonio. The Canadian's next-best PGA result was a third-place finish at last year's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The final day surge of 26-year-old Stevens came off a six-under 66 that included five birdies and two eagles to finish at 14-under overall.

Stevens' runner-up finish comes a week after coming third at the Corales Puntacana Championship.

Sam Ryder (66 on Sunday) and Matt Kuchar (68) were tied for third at 13 under, with Rodgers ending up with a one-over final day 73 to fall back to 11 under.

Chez Reavie carded a seven-under 65 to finish tied for sixth at 10-under overall, while Rickie Fowler had a final day six-under 66 to end up eight under.

Justin Lower leads the Valero Texas Open through nine holes with play suspended due to darkness as Padraig Harrington and Matt Kuchar joined the group one stroke behind on Thursday.

The opening round was called off early in fading light, with play having been delayed numerous times in the morning due to fog in South Texas.

Lower, 33, got through the first half of his round, managing an eagle on the par-five 14th hole along with three birdies for a five under start.

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, 51, wound back the clock in his 333rd start in his 28th season. The Irishman, playing in familiar conditions, carded a four-under 68 with six birdies.

Fellow veteran Matt Kuchar had a similar round with six birdies and two bogeys for a four-under 68 to be tied for second.

The 44-year-old American and Harrington are alongside South Africa's M.J. Daffue, Mexico's Roberto Diaz and USA's Patrick Rodgers.

Fresh from winning last week's Corales Puntacana Championship, Matt Wallace is in a group of eight players, including Canada's Corey Conners (through nine holes), one stroke behind at three under overall.

Pre-tournament favourite Tyrrell Hatton only got through 10 holes to be two under, while Rickie Fowler and defending champion J.J Spaun were both even after 11 holes.

Jon Rahm was the major casualty from the WGC Match Play on Friday as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay all advanced with perfect records.

The Spanish second seed was dumped out after losing 5 and 4 to 2021 WGC Match Play winner Billy Horschel in their final Group 2 match at the Austin Country Club in Texas.

Horschel went 1-up with a par on the second hole and never relinquished the lead, with Rahm failing to register a birdie throughout the day's play.

The 36-year-old American pulled away with birdies on the 10th and 11th holes followed by a 21-foot birdie putt on the 14th to clinch a spot in the round of 16 against Cameron Young.

Horschel progressed in a tight group with a 2-0-1 record ahead of Rickie Fowler (2-1-0), Rahm (1-2-0) and Keith Mitchell (0-2-1).

Top seed and reigning champion Scheffler advanced after beating Tom Kim 3 and 2 to round out a 3-0-0 group stage record.

Kim came out strong with birdies on the first two holes to go 2-up, but Scheffler rallied back immediately winning three of the next four holes.

Third seed McIlroy topped Group 3 unblemished after beating Keegan Bradley 3 and 2, while fourth seed Cantlay beat Brian Harman 2 and 1 to top Group 4 with a 3-0-0 record.

Kurt Kitayama won a three-way sudden death playoff over Tony Finau and Adrian Meronk to progress atop Group 10.

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes produced an upset to advance via Group 12 from Taylor Montgomery who he beat 6 and 4. Jordan Spieth, who beat Hughes on Thursday, missed out after losing to Shane Lowry 2 and 1.

J.J. Spaun also pulled off a surprise by topping Group 11 with a 3-0-0 record, downing Min Woo Lee 2 and 1 to seal his progress.

Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, Andrew Putnam, Matt Kuchar, Sam Burns, Lucas Herbert, J.T. Poston, Jason Day and Young also all progressed into Saturday's last 16 knockout stage.

Jon Rahm was the star of the show on Friday at the CJ Cup, shooting a nine-under 62 to jump all the way up into a share for first place at 11 under with Kurt Kitayama.

Rahm's 62 came after an opening 69, raising his birdie count from six to 10, while cutting his bogeys from four to one as he figured out the Congaree Golf Club course.

Kitayama has been a much steadier presence this week, posting rounds of 66 and 65, with his second round highlighted by an impressive eagle on the par-five 12th hole.

Those two players lead the pack by one stroke, with Australia's Cam Davis and America's Aaron Wise tied for third at 10 under with back-to-back 66s.

Rory McIlroy is alone in fifth at nine under after following a front-nine score of 37 with an impressive 30 on the back-nine, and he is two strokes clear of a logjam tied for sixth at seven under.

The group includes young phenom Tom Kim, as well as former major champion Shane Lowry and England's Tyrrell Hatton, while Masters champion Danny Willett is a further shot back at six under.

Presidents Cup representatives Max Homa and Im Sung-jae enter the weekend six strokes off the pace at five under, with former world number one Jason Day at four under and current world number one Scottie Scheffler at three under.

Being an invitational event with no cut, Collin Morikawa (three under), Rickie Fowler (two under), Justin Thomas (one under) and Hideki Matsuyama (even par) will all get to stick around and play two more rounds.

Rickie Fowler is hoping to put on a show over the weekend at the Zozo Championship after moving into a share of the lead.

The American shot a blemish-free 63 at the Narashino Country Club on Friday to sit level with Andrew Putnam on 10 under. Putnam went one better than Fowler with a 62.

Keegan Bradley, one stroke back, provides the closest competition to the leading pair while first-round leader Brendan Steele's 73 saw him fall seven shots off the pace.

Fowler, who missed the cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open last time out, is having a ball in Japan and looking forward to wowing the crowd in pursuit of a sixth PGA Tour title.

"I definitely enjoy myself over here and the people are awesome. It is really cool to play in front of the Japanese fans," he said.

"I'm hoping we can give them more good golf over the weekend.

"I'm very happy with where we're at. Obviously didn't have the week we wanted last week, drove it poorly, but with some of the changes we've made and to have the finish that we did at Napa [T6 at the Fortinet Championship] and kind of seeing a lot of good things, I'm definitely happy about it and excited to be here and off to a good start."

John Huh's 61 was the best round of the day and saw him climb to eight under, one stroke ahead of Japanese home hope Keita Nakajima.

Headline act and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is not likely to figure in the battle for silverware but did move back to even par with a 69.

Justin Lower shot a three-under 69 in his third round at the Fortinet Championship to earn a one-stroke lead heading into Sunday's final trip around Silverado Resort.

Lower led by two strokes after the opening round, before a Friday 71 allowed both Max Homa and Danny Willett to overtake him. With Homa and Willett both shooting even-par 72s on Saturday, Lower capitalised and re-established his position at the head of the field at 13 under.

Kicking off his second PGA Tour season after collecting two top-10 finishes in his first campaign, Lower's 69 was the best score from the leading quartet, with five birdies and two bogeys.

Homa and Willett will enter Sunday's play trailing by one at 12 under, with South Korea's An Byeong-hun alone in fourth at 11 under.

The tie for fifth at 10 under includes Matt Kuchar, Paul Haley II, Adam Svensson, and one of the two players to shoot the round of the day, Davis Thompson, who posted eight birdies and one bogey for his seven-under 65.

Australian Harrison Endycott was the only other player to shoot 65, and with it he climbed 50 places up to a tie for ninth at nine under.

Joining Endycott in rounding out the top-10 is rising talent Sahith Theegala, while Rickie Fowler is one shot further back at eight under.

It was a day to forget for major champion Hideki Matsuyama, with only one player shooting worse than his three-over 75.

Justin Lower has kicked off the new PGA Tour season in style, shooting a nine-under 63 in the opening round of the Fortinet Championship to lead by two strokes.

Lower posted nine birdies and nine pars in his bogey-free round, bookending his day with birdies on the first and last holes.

Coming into his second year on the PGA Tour, Lower has two top-10 finishes to his name, making the cut in 16 of his 28 events this past campaign.

Alone in second place at seven under is Max Homa, who was part of the late starters able to finish their rounds right before play was halted due to darkness, with some competitors still not completing the 14th hole.

Tied for third place is J.J. Spaun along with two South Koreans, An Byeong-hun and Kim Seong-hyeon, with the trio shooting 66s.

There is a nine-man logjam at five under, which includes veteran Rickie Fowler as he tries to rediscover some form this season, as well as rising talent Sahith Theegala and Argentina's top player Emiliano Grillo.

Also at five under is Robby Shelton, who will resume play with six holes to play with a chance to climb the leaderboard even further before starting his second round.

One shot further back at four under is a group that includes Matt Kuchar and Canada's Adam Svensson, with major champions Hideki Matsuyama and Danny Willett at three under.

South Korea's Kim Si-woo and American J.J. Spaun are the co-leaders at eight under after one round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind.

Being the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the field is made up of the top-125 from this season's FedEx Cup standings, minus LIV Golf signees Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford, who failed to have their exclusions overturned by a judge earlier this week.

Spaun shot a bogey-free 62 with eight birdies, while Kim posted seven birdies, an eagle and a solitary bogey on the par-three fourth hole.

Speaking on the broadcast after his round, Spaun said he hopes his performance during the playoffs will book his place at The Masters next year.

"It will be nice to punch another ticket there and be able to plan it out and get down Sunday, maybe even Saturday the week before, take my time and enjoy all the little things that come along with that great tradition," he said. "Hopefully keep playing well this week and the next couple weeks, and I'll be there."

In outright third place is Sahith Theegala at seven under, while one further shot back tied for fourth are Austria's Sepp Straka, South Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon, American J.T. Poston and the red-hot Tony Finau, fresh off back-to-back PGA Tour wins for the first time in his career. Finau has shot no worse than 68 from his past 10 rounds.

The logjam in a tie for eighth at five under includes England's Tyrrell Hatton, Australia's former world number one Jason Day, and Rickie Fowler, who barely squeezed into the final field. Last week's 20-year-old first-time winner Joo-hyung 'Tom' Kim highlights the group at four under, along with Adam Scott.

Many of the serious contenders are at three under, including Cam Smith, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and reigning FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, and they are one stroke ahead of major winners Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry at two under.

Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy shot even-par 70s, and the pair of Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris have plenty of work to do after finishing at one over.

Scheffler was responsible for arguably the round's most viral moment as he caught a side-eye from playing partner Smith when he walked right in front of the Australian while he was lining up a putt, with many speculating it was an intentional slight due to reports Smith has signed on with LIV Golf for next season.

A chip-in on the 15th hole propelled Jason Day to the outright lead on his way to a seven-under 63 in the opening round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

After a solid front nine, where he birdied three of his first five holes, it was an action-packed second nine. He birdied 10, 12, 14, 15 and 16, with his sole bogey coming on the 13th.

Only posting three top-10 finishes from 22 events last season – with a best result of tied-seventh – Day is already in search of his third top-10 result this season in his 11th event, seemingly rediscovering some of the form that has seen him spend 51 weeks as the world number one.

Speaking to the media after stepping off the 18th green, Day was careful to not get ahead of himself, but emphasised his focus on creativity as opposed to just technique.

"I'm obviously, I think, a long way away from being that confident in myself in regards to my game," he said.

"But I feel like [with what I've worked on with my swing] I'm a little bit more creative on the golf course, because at some point you have to get out of the technical aspect and go more creative.

"I feel like things are progressing nicely, and I just have to keep my head down and keep going.

"It is actually very encouraging [to be healthy and confident in his body] because typically if I play well, then people ask me how my back is, and that's probably not something you want to always constantly want to be talking about.

"I've done a lot of work, and been very diligent and disciplined in my approach to staying healthy. I get hiccups every now and then, but for the most part – touch wood – I've been really good."

There was a spectacular start to the day for American Joel Dahmen, who was six under through eight holes, including four consecutive birdies starting on the fifth, before cooling off and finishing at six under for outright second.

One shot further back in the group tied for third were England's Aaron Rai and Callum Tarren, who had just one bogey between them.

Rickie Fowler highlighted the next group at four under after coming back from one over through eight holes, with four birdies, one eagle and one bogey in the last 10. 

Fowler sat one stroke ahead of a logjam at three under, which included defending champion Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Max Homa and Matt Kuchar, with England's Matt Fitzpatrick and India's Anirban Lahiri at two under.

Russell Henley carded his first bogey of the tournament but still managed to double his lead at the Wyndham Championship on Friday. 

Seeking his first PGA Tour win in four years, Henley shot 64 in the second round and sits at 14 under par for the tournament. 

That left him four strokes up on Rory Sabbatini (64), Webb Simpson (65) and Scott Piercy (66) heading into the weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

Starting on the back nine at the Sedgefield Country Club, Henley bogeyed number 12, his third hole of the day, before reeling off four consecutive birdies from 14 through 17.

Three more birdies coming home after the turn solidified his edge as he eyes his first win since the 2017 Houston Open. 

Henley's 126 matches the lowest 36-hole score posted on tour this season along with Stewart Cink at the RBC Heritage. 

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Sabbatini had a bogey-free day to match Henley's round, while Simpson remained near the top of the leaderboard thanks in part to an eagle at the fifth. 

Simpson's success is no surprise, as he has finished in the top three at the Wyndham the last four years after winning it in 2011. 

Tyler Duncan had the best round of the day with a 62 that left him five shots back at nine under along with Justin Rose (65) and Brian Stuard (66). 

Among other notables, Bubba Watson (69) and Adam Scott are 10 strokes back at four under, one shot better than the cut line. 

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama (69) missed the cut by a stroke, while former world number one Luke Donald (67) finished at one under and two-time major winner Zach Johnson fell short at even par along with defending tournament champion Jim Herman. 

Also finished for the week-end are Padraig Harrington (76) at two over, Rickie Fowler (72) at three over and Charl Schwartzel (73) at seven over. 

Fowler's missed cut means his season is over, as he will not make the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in his career. 

Two players who were tied for second after Thursday's opening round, Michael Thompson and Ted Potter Jr., also missed the cut after slumping to 74 and 77, respectively. 

Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Ricky Skerritt, has paid tribute to Desmond Haynes and the late Sir Learie Constantine, who are to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame later this month. The two are among 10 cricketers from across five eras who will be inducted.

Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka both shot 70 Saturday to set up a mouth-watering final pairing at the US PGA Championship. 

At seven under par for the tournament, Mickelson holds a one-stroke lead over his countryman entering the final round at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course after saving par on 18 while Koepka bogeyed the last. 

The 50-year-old Mickelson is the fourth player aged 50 or older to lead a major after three rounds in the modern era, which began in 1934. 

The others were Tom Watson at the 2009 Open Championship, Greg Norman at the 2008 Open, and Julius Boros at the 1973 US Open -- none of whom ended up holding on for the win. 

Mickelson has been resilient this week in South Carolina, though, steadying himself Saturday after going bogey-double bogey on 12 and 13 to make par on the final five holes. 

While Mickelson's resurgence has excited the fans, Koepka remains a model of consistency at the PGA.

He has finished at least tied for fourth in 12 of the last 13 rounds at the major, and he could become the first player to win the same major three times in a four-year stretch since Watson won the Open in 1980, 1982 and 1983.

Mickelson will be shooting for his sixth major title and first since the 2013 Open, while Koepka seeks his fifth. 

Louis Oosthuizen, who shared the lead with Mickelson entering play Saturday, managed just three birdies on the day on the way to an even-par 72 that left him five under for the tournament. 

American Kevin Streelman (70) is at four under, while Oosthuizen's South African countrymen Branden Grace and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are at three under after even-par rounds of their own. 

Bryson DeChambeau (71) was unable to gain ground on the leaders and enters Sunday five back of Mickelson along with Gary Woodland (72) and Joaquin Niemann (71). 

Jordan Spieth matched Billy Horschel for the low round of the day with a 68, and he sits at even par for the tournament along with Rickie Fowler (69) and Keegan Bradley (72).

Reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama fell from contention with a 76, putting him at one over with the likes of Shane Lowry (73), Padraig Harrington (73) and Ian Poulter (73).