South Korea’s Si Woo Kim is seeking a second championship in The American Express, while teenager Blades Brown is aiming for a piece of history.
And Scottie Scheffler is doing his usual thing, so there are plenty of storyline lines going into Sunday’s final round.
Kim shot 6-under par 66 and claimed a one-shot lead through the third round at La Quinta, Calif. Kim is at 22-under 194.
A victory in the tournament would make Brown, 18, the second-youngest champion in a PGA Tour event.
“That to me is a lot of fun. I love environments like that, especially (No.) 17,” Brown said. “There’s so many people around it, it gets your adrenaline up. And that’s what you play and practice for, right?”
The trio of Kim, Brown and Scheffler will play in the final group for the last round. That was something that Brown identified as a goal at the tournament’s midway mark. He didn’t play with Scheffler on Saturday because of the tournament’s three-course set-up across the first three rounds.
Scheffler, the world No. 1, and Brown both shot 68s on the Pete Dye Stadium Course. They’re one shot behind Kim and tied for second place after sharing the second-round lead.
Scheffler, in his first tournament of the year, scrambled for par on the final hole, with his second shot into the greenside rough. He used a 25-foot par putt to salvage the hole and avoid his second bogey on the backside.
Brown posted birdies on his final three holes, including a 44-footer on the par-4 18th a day after recording 12-under-par 60 to set a course record on the Nicklaus Tournament Course.
“Another 18 holes, and we’re going to see what we can do,” Brown said.
Brown has been respectful in about every aspect, so he understands the other contenders have more experience.
“These guys out here, they’ve been playing for so many years, and I’m just getting started,” Brown said.
Kim’s round at LaQuinta Country Club included seven birdies with a bogey as he bids for his second championship in the tournament, which he won in 2021. He rolled in three straight birdie putts on his back nine.
“Just not thinking about trying to win or trying to finish, just enjoy the round,” Kim said. “That’s my goal.”
Eric Cole (66 on Saturday) and Wyndham Clark (66) are tied for fourth place at 20 under. Cole had the lead earlier in the round after a chip-in at La Quinta Country Club.
Tom Hoge (65), Matt McCarty (68) and Andrew Putnam (65) are within range at 19 under. Putnam, who had a 60 on Friday, followed that with a solid round on the Nicklaus Tournament Course.
Of the top 14 golfers on the leaderboard, the only score at 70 or higher for one round this week was the 72 turned in by Putnam in Thursday’s opening round at the Pete Dye Stadium Course.
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg withdrew prior to the third round. He was 7-under par after rounds of 68-67 and playing the Stadium Course at PGA West.
Defending champion Sepp Straka of Austria (2-under 214) isn’t playing Sunday after missing the cut of 11 under.
–Field Level Media
