Graeme McDowell cards 64 thanks to great closing stretch

Irish golfer moves to 12 under and a share of sixth position at Wyndham Championship

Graeme McDowell carded a 64 in the third round of the Wyndham Championships. Photograph:  Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Graeme McDowell carded a 64 in the third round of the Wyndham Championships. Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Graeme McDowell closed with four straight birdies as he carded a six-under-par 64 to move to 12 under in the third round Wyndham Championship in North Carolina and move into the top 10.

McDowell was four under to the turn after birdies at the second, third, sixth and eighth holes, but back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th ended his momentum.

The 37-year-old finished in style with his run of four birdies from the 15th. It included a bizarre moment on the closing hole when McDowell’s approach shot from the rough rolled well past the flag, only to eventually roll back towards the hole long after it looked like it had come to a stop.

McDowell tapped in the birdie putt to move into a share of sixth position going into the final round.

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South Korean Kim Si-woo also carded a six-under 64 to take a four-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round.

Kim, who started the day with a two-shot cushion, birdied the first two holes and hardly put a foot wrong at the Sedgefield course.

The 21-year-old from Seoul put an exclamation mark on his day by stiffing his approach shot to three feet for a birdie at the last as he posted an 18-under 192 total.

Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello shot 65 to jump into second place on 14 under, a shot ahead of Americans Jim Furyk and Kevin Na and England's Luke Donald on 13 under.

Na shared the lead after 11 holes, but double-bogeyed the last to plunge from second place.

Shane Lowry shot a level-par 70 to remain on five under.