Updated

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - World No. 1 Rory McIlroy posted a 3-under 67 on Saturday and moved into a share of the lead after three rounds of the Tour Championship.

McIlroy was joined at 9-under-par 201 by second-round leader Billy Horschel, who managed a 1-under 69 in round three. McIlroy won the Open Championship and PGA Championship among his three wins this season. Horschel, who is second on the FedExCup points list, claimed his second tour title last week at the BMW Championship.

Jim Furyk, the 2010 champion at East Lake, matched McIlroy's 67 and he moved into third place at minus-7.

Justin Rose (66), Jason Day (70) and Rickie Fowler (67) are tied for fourth place at 6-under 204.

FedExCup leader Chris Kirk, who shared the first-round lead with Horschel, tripped to a 1-over 71 to slide into a share of seventh at minus-5. He was joined there by Ryan Palmer (69) and Russell Henley (67).

Any of the current top-5 players on the points list would capture the FedExCup title with a win this week, while anyone outside the top five will need a win and some help.

McIlroy started the day two behind Horschel, but trimmed that margin to one with a 5-foot birdie putt on the first. However, there was a 2-stroke swing at the second.

Horschel poured in a 50-footer for birdie, while McIlroy 3-putted for bogey from a foot farther out. Horschel was three clear, but McIlroy bounced back with a birdie from 21 feet out on the third.

After five pars in a row, Horschel rolled in a 6-foot birdie chance at eight to push his lead back to three. Both players 2-putted for birdie on the par-5 ninth as Horschel made the turn at 11-under, and three clear of his playing partner.

Horschel missed the green with his approach at the 10th and that led to a bogey. However, he remained three clear as McIlroy 3-putted for bogey from 30 feet out. Horschel stumbled to another bogey on the 13th as he failed to save par from a buried lie in a greenside bunker.

McIlroy carded four pars in a row from the 11th before pouring in a 27-foot eagle try on the par-5 15th. That gave him a share of the lead at minus-9, and he closed his round with three pars.

"I guess when you look at the scores, 67 is a good score in the circumstances, but it wasn't really much to look at out there. I haven't played my best golf by any stretch this week," admitted McIlroy, who finished 10th here in 2012, which was his lone previous appearance at this event. "I'm just sort of grinding out scores and trying to keep myself at the top of the leaderboard."

Horschel followed his bogey on 13 with a par from the trees on the 14th. That was the first of five consecutive pars to close out his round.

"It was like two different nines. I played really good on the front side, hit some really good shots and drove it really good actually. And then I went to 10, and made a bad iron swing on that hole and made bogey unfortunately," said Horschel. "I was holding on to the reins pretty tight (coming in). The driver was getting a little quick at the top, and I wasn't putting the ball in the fairway. I was able to keep it together, battle and turn in a number that I can be somewhat happy with."

Furyk birdied the opening hole, but gave that shot back when he bogeyed the seventh. He dropped in back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13. Another birdie at the 16th got Furyk within two of the lead, and that is where he ended after making par on the final two holes.

NOTES: McIlroy has a piece of the 54-hole lead for the eighth time on the PGA Tour, and he has won five of the last six ... Horschel had the 54-hole lead last week, and he won, and he also had the third-round lead at the 2013 Texas Open, but failed to hold on for the win ... Furyk has 16 PGA Tour wins, but his last was at this event in 2010.