BMW Championship 2014: Billy Horschel jumps into the lead, Rory McIlroy falls off

Billy Horschel began the third round tied for third place, but now holds a three-stroke lead following an excellent third round.

There are just five rounds to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs and it's Billy Horschel atop the standings heading into the final round of the BMW Championship. Horschel fired a 7-under round of 63 on Saturday to jump into the lead at Cherry Hills Country Club and vault to the top of the projected FedEx Cup standings.

Horschel began the day tied for third place. He carded a pair of birdies on the front nine to make the turn in a solid, but unspectacular 2-under. He made his charge on the back nine, recording five birdies coming in, including four on his final four holes. The finished the round with a birdie-birdie finish, moving him to 13-under on the round and three shots clear of the lead. If he's able to keep that lead and win on Sunday, he would take over the points lead heading into the final event. Not bad for a guy who opened the playoffs in 69th place and dropped even further back after missing the cut at the Barclays.

While many of the leaders posted red numbers in the third round, Rory McIlroy was one of the few contenders who did not. He stumbled from a tie for third to a tie for 10th with a 2-over round of 72. Although he made four birdies, he also carded three bogeys and a dreadful triple bogey. McIlroy had a nine-foot putt for par, only to four-putt for a triple bogey.

Ryan Palmer is alone in second place through 54 holes with Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson tied for third at 8-under. With the FedEx Cup points leaderboard set to re-order following the event, points and positioning will be at a premium on Sunday. Here is a complete look at the leaderboard following the third round:

Place	Player	Score	1st Round	2nd Round	3rd Round
1	Billy Horschel	-13	68	66	63
2	Ryan Palmer	-10	69	64	67
T3	Martin Kaymer	-8	68	70	64
T3	Bubba Watson	-8	70	66	66
5	Rickie Fowler	-7	71	66	66
6	Sergio Garcia	-6	68	64	72
T7	Jim Furyk	-5	70	68	67
T7	Jordan Spieth	-5	67	70	68
T7	Graham DeLaet	-5	68	68	69
T10	J.B. Holmes	-4	71	68	67
T10	Morgan Hoffmann	-4	72	72	62
T10	Chesson Hadley	-4	68	70	68
T10	Adam Scott	-4	71	66	69
T10	Rory McIlroy	-4	67	67	72
T15	Bill Haas	-3	72	68	67
T15	Hideki Matsuyama	-3	69	67	71
T17	Seung-yul Noh	-2	70	71	67
T17	Gary Woodland	-2	67	73	68
T17	Ben Crane	-2	70	70	68
T17	Jimmy Walker	-2	72	67	69
T17	Ernie Els	-2	70	69	69
T17	Charl Schwartzel	-2	72	66	70
T23	Harris English	-1	71	71	67
T23	Camilo Villegas	-1	70	71	68
T23	Angel Cabrera	-1	71	72	66
T23	George McNeill	-1	71	69	69
T23	John Senden	-1	73	66	70
T23	Henrik Stenson	-1	68	69	72
T29	Kevin Chappell	E	68	72	70
T29	Justin Rose	E	69	71	70
T29	Tim Clark	E	71	69	70
T29	Freddie Jacobson	E	73	71	66
T29	Jerry Kelly	E	71	73	66
T34	Geoff Ogilvy	1	73	69	69
T34	Chris Stroud	1	69	73	69
T34	Cameron Tringale	1	70	73	68
T34	Carl Pettersson	1	73	70	68
T34	Brian Stuard	1	71	69	71
T39	Stuart Appleby	2	71	71	70
T39	Chris Kirk	2	71	70	71
T39	Matt Every	2	68	73	71
T39	Charles Howell III	2	69	72	71
T39	Marc Leishman	2	74	69	69
T39	Kevin Na	2	74	69	69
T39	K.J. Choi	2	69	74	69
T39	Brendon Todd	2	73	67	72
T47	Zach Johnson	3	71	71	71
T47	Kevin Stadler	3	74	69	70
T49	Daniel Summerhays	4	75	68	71
T49	Matt Kuchar	4	71	73	70
T49	Graeme McDowell	4	73	72	69
T49	Webb Simpson	4	73	72	69
T53	Russell Knox	5	74	69	72
T53	Brian Harman	5	73	71	71
T55	Charley Hoffman	6	72	71	73
T55	Erik Compton	6	69	74	73
T55	Hunter Mahan	6	75	70	71
T55	Matt Jones	6	73	73	70
T55	Will MacKenzie	6	75	72	69
T60	William McGirt	8	71	71	76
T60	Russell Henley	8	68	74	76
T60	Patrick Reed	8	77	70	71
T60	Ryan Moore	8	80	69	69
64	Steven Bowditch	9	72	77	70
65	Jason Bohn	10	74	71	75
66	Kevin Streelman	11	75	70	76

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