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Jon Rahm, Davis Thompson tied for lead at 23 under

Jon Rahm, Davis Thompson tied for lead at 23 under

LA QUINTA, Cali. — Jon Rahm has never met PGA Tour rookie Davis Thompson, but they should get to know each other a little bit Sunday.

That’s because Rahm and Thompson will be in the same final pairing fighting for the title at the American Express.

The veteran and the rookie continued to play strong golf in the third round of the desert’s 64th annual tournament and are tied for the lead at 23-under 193 heading into Sunday’s final round on the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West. The pair have a four-shot cushion over J.T. Poston, who will be in the final threesome with Rahm and Thompson, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Thompson, the leader at the end of the first and second rounds, fell behind Rahm on Saturday but rallied for a 67 on the Stadium Course. Rahm, playing earlier on the same course, shot a 65, his highest round of the week after opening with consecutive 64s. Poston shot 66 on the Stadium Course on Saturday, while Bezuidenhout sizzled to a 62 on La Quinta Country Club.

“I’m excited to play with Jon. He’s obviously a top-5 player in the world,” Thompson said after finishing his round with missed birdie putts on the 17th and 18th holes that could have given him the outright lead. “He’s very good. But I’m excited about the challenge and just looking forward to tomorrow.”

Rahm may not have met Thompson yet, but that doesn’t mean Rahm isn’t an admirer of Thompson’s game, including a PGA Tour record-tying five eagles so far in the tournament.

“He’s doing a phenomenal job and he’s playing amazing golf and showing it,” Rahm said. “I always tell people when they ask me the difference between what you would think is the greatest players in the world and the rest skill-wise is not that big. It really isn’t that big. It’s a few moments here and there that make a difference. One-stroke difference on scoring average for the whole year, it truly doesn’t boil down to that much. That’s usually the difference.”

Rahm was the chaser over the first two days, with Thompson entering the third round at 18-under and Rahm at 16-under. But teeing off more than an hour ahead of Thompson on Saturday, Rahm was able to flip the leaderboard for most of the day. Birdies at the third and fourth holes were followed by a 17-foot eagle putt just off the green on the par-5 fifth. Birdies at the eighth and ninth gave Rahm a front-nine 6-under 30 and a 22-under total, ahead of Thompson.

Rahm built the lead to three shots at times on…

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