Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay set for Sunday showdown at the Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio – Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay will look to double down on their success at Muirfield Village. The two former winners here are tied atop the leaderboard, three clear of their nearest competitors, entering the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide.

Morikawa’s 6-under 66 and Cantlay’s 4-under 68 on Saturday left the pair tied at 12 under par. They’ve had success at Muirfield Village, but their position atop the leaderboard is still a surprise. Defending Memorial champion Jon Rahm had seemingly built a six-shot lead after shooting 64, but then was forced to withdraw from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.

Cantlay won the Memorial two years ago, while Morikawa claimed last year’s Workday Charity Open, which was also played at Muirfield Village, in a playoff with Justin Thomas.

South African Branden Grace (67) and Texan Scottie Scheffler (69) are 9 under and tied for third. Max Homa is in fifth place at 6 under after shooting 72.

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Morikawa produced eight birdies and just two bogeys on Saturday with a near ace on the par-3 fourth hole the highlight of the round. His shot from 208 yards actually dipped down inside the hole briefly before popping out. Ironically, the same thing happened a year ago at the Workday Charity Open on the same hole.

“I want to go see the replay right now. It looked pretty good from my end. It landed a lot closer than I thought, but I don't know speed-wise how hard it was going in because it was about a foot away from the hole. That would have been really cool, but what are you going to do?” Morikawa said.

“Today was really solid. The couple bogeys I had were just kind of poor bogeys. But it's going to happen out here, especially if you're missing the fairways. And overall, I was hitting some really quality shots.

“I stuck to my game and stuck to the game plan. Out here with these soft greens you can get a little aggressive with wedges and put yourself in bad spots, but I thought I played pretty smart and I’ve got to do that tomorrow.”

Cantlay’s round featured five birdies and just a lone bogey.

“I thought I played really well. I made a lot of clutch putts on the front and didn't make as many as I would have liked on the back but closed with a good one. My game's in a good spot. I hit a lot of solid shots today and played really well. So I'm pretty pleased,” Cantlay said.

“I really like this golf course and see the golf course really well, and so all the good memories I have here, it's just easier to stand up and visualize the shot that I want to hit. It's nice when you have that feeling around a place like I do here.”

Both players are also chasing a second victory of the season with Cantlay winning THE ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD last fall and Morikawa saluting at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession. They would be the fourth multiple winner this season, joining Bryson DeChambeau, Stewart Cink and Jason Kokrak.

Cantlay is currently 10th in the FedExCup and projects to take over the lead in the standings with a victory while Morikawa sits 23rd and projects inside the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 should he close the deal on Sunday.