San Diego (USA), Jan 25 Korea’s K.H. Lee has turned his bogey course into a hunting ground after charging into tied fourth place following a third round 4-under 68 at the Farmers Insurance Open on Friday.
The 33-year-old Lee put himself in a prime position to challenge for a third PGA TOUR victory at the South Course at Torrey Pines in San Diego, California as his 5-under total sees him trailing 54-hole leader Harris English (66) by four strokes.
Compatriot Sungjae Im birdied his last three holes for a battling 72 to lie a further shot back in the USD 9.3 million showpiece while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, an 11-time TOUR winner, fought to a 70 to sit on 3-under.
In four previous starts, Lee, winner of the CJ CUP
“The work that I’ve been putting into my game seems to be paying off slowly and I’m feeling good. It’s really nice to play well at Torrey Pines which is a good test of golf and I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” said Lee, who ranks third through three rounds for Strokes Gained: Approach the Green.
With his trademark straight driving where he missed only two fairways, Lee’s flat stick was also on point as he nailed six birdies against two bogeys. He holed lengthy putts of 24 feet and 26 feet on Hole Nos. 5 and 13, and was 4/6 for Scrambling. He missed the cut in his first two starts of the new season.
“I’m happy with my round. I drove ball nicely and putted really well and holed a couple of long ones for birdies. Overall, it felt pretty good shooting 4-under today. I’m only a few shots behind the leader and it’s a good position going into the final round. You’ve got to keep the ball in play here. I’m going to stick to my game plan and hopefully give myself a chance tomorrow,” said Lee.
Im, who has two top-10s at Torrey Pines, struggled early on with three bogeys through 15 holes before coming alive with a strong finish where he nearly aced the par-3 16th hole, and knocked in further birdies from around eight feet to stay within reach of the leader.
“I think it was not a good day overall. I made some mistakes and didn't make birdie opportunities. And then I didn't make par saves on the back nine, so it was a tough round. But I finished well with back-to-back birdies on the last three holes. That gave me something to look forward to tomorrow,” said Im, who is a two-time TOUR winner.
“I think the weather is going to be a little bit cold and windy tomorrow, so it's going to be tough for everyone. I'll just focus on my game and not be greedy. Then I will wait to see what will happen. The South Course is always difficult, but today it wasn't too windy.”
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