Collin Morikawa close to victory in the Bahamas and first world No 1 ranking

• American shoots third-round 64 to take five-shot lead
• Morikawa: ‘Nothing’s going to be a gimme tomorrow’

Try telling Collin Morikawa that the Hero World Challenge is little more than an end-of-season cash-grab for invited stars of golf. Morikawa is just 18 holes from capping a wonderful year, in which he won his maiden Open championship and the European Tour’s order of merit, by reaching No 1 in the world rankings for the first time.

Morikawa arrived in the Bahamas knowing only victory would take him to this cherished position. He used round three to demonstrate his appetite for the challenge. A 64 afforded the 24-year-old a five-shot lead at 18 under par, with Brooks Koepka leading what for now at least looks a futile charge. Morikawa, who got engaged here earlier in tournament week, is of a mind to end 2021 on yet another high. He is not, however, even close to admitting victory is within his grasp.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3lAc0Jn