Tiger Woods needed a low number, and he got it during the third round of the BMW Championship thanks to a five-under-par 67.
After Woods, a two-time FedEx Cup champion, shot 71 in each of the first two rounds of the tournament, he was languishing towards the bottom of the pack.
At a time of the year when FedEx Cup points can make or break a season, Woods was in need of an improved performance on Saturday.
And at Medinah Course number three, Woods was finally able to put together a bogey-free round highlighted by five birdies.
Woods was hitting the ball as well as he could have, recording his ninth career bogey-free round in the FedExCup Play-offs.
When Woods entered the clubhouse, he was in the top 20 in strokes gained on approach shots, driving, from tee to green and with his putter — a massive improvement from earlier in the week.
He just missed breaking into the top 25 by the time he finished his round, with Woods sat tied for 31st place when he finished.
Woods will need another low round to move further up the leaderboard if he hopes to continue playing.
But he will have to place no worse than 11th to move into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup Standings and defend his Tour Championship title next week.
Thomas shatters course record for BMW Championship lead
Justin Thomas set a new course record in the third round as he stormed to the top of the BMW Championship leaderboard.
Thomas carded an 11-under-par 61 to shatter the record at Medinah Country Club for a commanding six-stroke lead on Saturday.
Hideki Matsuyama had set the record on Friday, but his feat was eclipsed by 2017 FedEx Cup champion Thomas – who stole the show with two eagles and eight birdies.
Thomas birdied his opening five holes and had six through his first eight, before adding another two and a pair of eagles on the back nine.
The American is set to move top of the FedEx Cup standings as things stand, with Thomas 21 under after three rounds – ahead of Tony Finau (68) and Patrick Cantlay (68).
"I just hope the trend doesn't [continue] and someone else breaks [the course record] tomorrow," he said after his stellar round.
"It's just one of those freaky days where you get in the zone. I hit the ball pretty unbelievable. I didn't really — it's not like I made any long putts, I just hit it close to the hole and took advantage of some opportunities when I had them and got a couple good breaks."
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