PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Despite the unpredictable nature of Saturday’s gameplay at the Valspar Championship, Viktor Hovland maintained his composure. This kept him tied for first place alongside two others, as more than twenty competitors remained strongly positioned within striking distance.
Jacob Bridgeman demonstrated considerable resilience during his initial experience as the 36-hole leader, dropping four strokes behind after nine holes but then recovering with an under-par score of 70 to tie for the top spot alongside Hovland (who scored 69) and Nico Echavarria (with a 66).
At 7-under par 206, they found themselves comfortably ahead as most players seemed unable to keep pace. This was true even for Justin Thomas, who had entered Friday’s play hoping merely to secure a place in the final rounds. However, he managed an impressive 30 on the back nine, finishing with a career-best 65 at the Copperhead course of Innisbrook, just two strokes shy of catching up.
Jordan Spieth provided plenty of excitement, managing birdies after finding himself deeply embedded in the rough not once but twice. Despite missing a couple of makeable par putts and finishing with a score of 67, he remained just four strokes off the lead heading into what promised to be an action-packed final round where 23 competitors were bunched up within a span of four shots.
Byeong Hun An was the sole player to hit 9 under par after scoring a birdie at the 11th hole but ended up with five bogeys across his last seven holes, finishing with a score of 72. Nonetheless, he remained within striking distance, just three strokes behind.
Hovland entered the week looking for his stroke, opting to work with yet another coach and ready to dedicate however long necessary to understand the trajectory of the ball. So far, this approach has been beneficial for him.
It’s enjoyable being competitive, but it gets somewhat nerve-wracking when you aren’t entirely at ease with your swing,” Hovland stated. “However, it’s really exciting to watch those putts drop and still have the ball finish near the cup, leading to some solid scores.
Echavarria, who claimed victory in Japan last autumn for his second PGA Tour win, distanced himself from the final groups with an impressive performance. He completed his round without dropping a shot, scoring a 66, and notably made birdies on each of the three par-3 holes on the latter part of the course.
The Colombian was not anticipating sharing the lead when he completed his performance; however, he was aware that he would still have an opportunity.
This is a golf course where even those not among the frontrunners at the start can still end up with the leaders,” he stated. “It’s clear this is a challenging course. You must play accurate drives out here. Hitting the green consistently is crucial as well. The area surrounding the greens poses difficulties too. Therefore, we will have an opportunity to put together a strong performance tomorrow.
The most notable performance came from Bridgeman, a sophomore who started the third round with a missed 3-foot par putt. He followed this up with consecutive bogeys on the front nine, putting him at a disadvantage. However, he rebounded by hitting a wedge shot within 3 feet for a birdie on the 10th hole and steadily climbed back into contention. During his run, Bridgeman managed to avoid recording pars over an extended stretch of seven consecutive holes.
I kept my head down and did my best to push through,” Bridgeman stated. “My swings weren’t perfect, but I remained calm and didn’t panic. However, I realized that if I could keep the ball on the fairway, everything would work out.
After making the birdie on hole number 10, his caddy G.W. Cable patted him on the backside and encouraged him with “Let’s move forward.”
“And I continued,” Bridgeman stated.
Thomas and Spieth began their round approximately five hours after the lead players, two close acquaintances taking turns scoring birdies. Thomas felt disheartened as he failed to gain significant ground until he sank an eagle putt from roughly 30 feet away on the par-5 11th hole, which turned things around for him. Following this, Thomas managed to score birdies consecutively over the next three holes and found himself only trailing by a single stroke at one stage.
We had a short four-hole streak there, and that could make all the difference for igniting an entire week or not,” Thomas stated. “Hopefully, this will kick-start our week.
Ricky Castillo posted a score of 68 and trailed by just one stroke. Thomas and Shane Lowry (both with scores of 70) were tied along with three others at 5-under par for a total of 208 strokes. An and Billy Horschel (who scored 69 each) also found themselves in the sizable pack but were two shots off from the lead. Lucas Glover (scoring 69) formed part of the cluster where he stood four back alongside Spieth.
The leaderboard is really competitive. There could be around 25, possibly even 30 players, who still have a chance to win this golf tournament,” stated Jeremy Paul from Germany, who scored 70 and was part of a group trailing by two strokes. “I’m aiming to play a strong round and then check my position.
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