LIV Golf's Koepka grabs three-way share of Masters lead

AUGUSTA, Georgia: LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka used a closing birdie to move into a three-way share of the Masters clubhouse lead with Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland on Thursday while defending champion Scottie Scheffler went out late.

Koepka, one of 17 LIV Golf players left in the field after Kevin Na withdrew midway through his round, shot a seven-under-par 65 in ideal scoring conditions at humid Augusta National to join world number three Rahm and Norway's Hovland in the lead.

Cameron Young was two shots off the lead while world number seven Xander Schauffele and former majors champions Shane Lowry, Adam Scott and Gary Woodland were all a further shot back.

The only blemish on the scorecard for Koepka, who won last week's LIV Golf event in Orlando, was a bogey at the par-five 13th but the four-time major winner birdied 15 and 17 before draining an eight-foot birdie at the last.

Hovland, who stood out as much for his play as the bold floral pattern on his shirt, fired his lowest score in a major while Rahm caught fire after a four-putt, double-bogey at the first hole.

Hovland made his move early as he rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt at the par-five second and added three birdies across a four-hole span from the sixth to reach the turn at five under.

Playing in a group with Tiger Woods and Schauffele, Hovland made a sensational par save at the 10th after an errant approach left him with a tough chip without much green to work with and then padded his lead with a 37-foot birdie at the 11th.

Hovland picked up another birdie at the new-look par-five 13th, and then capped his day with a string of pars for his first sub-70 round at Augusta National.

"I don't care how good you hit it out here, you have to chip the ball. You have to have a