Lee, Koepka share lead in France

Stimpmeter · September 21, 2025, 6:00am

Min Woo Lee and Brooks Koepka head into the final round of the FedEx Open de France tied at 11 under par after a dramatic moving day at Le Golf National.

The pair reeled in long-time leader Marcus Armitage on the back nine on Saturday, with Koepka producing a stunning run of five straight birdies from the 13th on his way to a 65.

Lee carded a second consecutive 68 to join the American at the top, one clear of Armitage, who signed for a level-par 71.

On a crowded leaderboard, France’s Jeong weon Ko and Australia’s Elvis Smylie sit at nine under, with Freddy Schott and Darius van Driel another stroke back.

Mikael Lindberg, Todd Clements and home favourite Antoine Rozner are within four shots of the lead at seven under.

Jayden Schaper is the leading South African on five under (T16) after carding 70.

Armitage had stretched his overnight advantage to four shots early on after a birdie at the second, while both Lee and Jeff Winther bogeyed the 1st. But Lee quickly responded with a 37-foot birdie putt at the 3rd, and when Armitage dropped a shot there, the lead was back where it started.

The Englishman extended his cushion again with a birdie at the 4th and matched Lee’s three at the 5th, only for Lee to close the gap with birdies at the 6th and 10th. By then, Michael Kim and Guido Migliozzi had moved into contention, reaching nine under after impressive rounds of 66.

Koepka soon joined the chase, rolling in birdies to reach double figures before surging into the outright lead with a brilliant approach to three feet at the 17th for his fifth consecutive gain. Though he dropped a shot at the last, his charge was enough to secure a share of the 54-hole lead.

“Yeah, it was pretty good. Putted a lot better,” Koepka said. “I feel like my game has been trending the right way. The results just haven’t been there but I’ve put in the work and hopefully I’ve got a chance to win tomorrow.

“I’ve felt uncomfortable over the putts most of the year, just a little thing with my hand position. We’ve got it sorted now – I feel confident, and that’s half the battle.”

Lee was equally pleased with his effort: “Just pretty solid again. I didn’t do anything spectacular on the back nine, just hung in there. You’ve just got to keep hitting shots, stay mentally strong and keep going until the end.”

Despite fading after the turn, Armitage was satisfied to remain in the mix.

“I was probably at 50% of what I can do and I’ve still got a shout going into tomorrow,” he said. “It’s a shame I couldn’t pull off a few birdies on the back nine but I just wasn’t driving it well enough.

“You’ve got to keep grinding, even when it doesn’t feel like it’s happening. I’m a quality player and I’ve got to keep reminding myself of that.”

Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

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