Erik van Rooyen started with a bogey on Saturday, but he followed that with a round filled with 13 pars and four birdies on his way to a three-under-par 68 in the third round of the PGA Tour’s Black Desert Championship in Ivins, Utah.
Van Rooyen rectified his mistake on the first, when he missed the green from the left rough, and then missed his par-putt from 11 feet, by making birdie on the ninth. He made the other three on the way in, on 12, 14 and 18.
At 11-under, Van Rooyen dropped two places on the leaderboard into a share of 20th. He was eight strokes behind the leader, Matt McCarty of the United States, playing in just his second PGA Tour event after promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour thanks to his three victories on that circuit this season. At 19-under, McCarty led by two from four players.
In this late-season chase for higher positions on the FedExCup list by players who either want to retain their status on the PGA Tour or want to be ranked high enough to get into the Signature Events for 2025, Van Rooyen is projected to stay at 63rd, so he will be looking for a strong finish this week.
