With a 9-under 62 on Saturday in Las Vegas, reigning champion Tom Kim felt the energy and found his rhythm, giving him a three-way share of the lead at the Shriners Children’s Open and the opportunity to defend his championship.
Kim had shot a 62 in the third round at the TPC Summerlin for the second year in a row. It resulted in an early-season playoff triumph over Patrick Cantlay the previous year. It resulted in an early-season playoff triumph over Patrick Cantlay the previous year. Now, the FedExCup Fall 2023 season is coming to a finish, and the PGA TOUR will resume its calendar year schedule.
Adam Hadwin shot bogey-free, finishing with more par-3 birdies than par-5 birdies to level up Kim with a 63. Adam Hadwin tied Kim with a 63 after shooting bogey-free and ending with more par-3 birdies than par-5 birdies.
That marked the beginning of three consecutive birdies over the next four holes, which helped Griffin tie the lead at 15-under 198 after he shot 68.
As we approached the last round, this was hardly a three-man race. Three players, including K.H. Lee (66), had one shot back. Fourteen players in all were three shots off the lead. That includes the RBC Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor and J.T. Poston, which is a tiny comfort to them both.
On the fifteenth hole, Poston tied the lead with a fantastic bunker shot to five feet for a birdie. On the 16th par-5, he was 209 yards away and looking good for a birdie at worst. After that, everything collapsed with a single blow and choice.
His shot bounced back into the water after landing on the green’s bank. Poston opted to drop in the right rough in order to get a better angle at the bank left pin, rather than proceeding to the drop zone, which is around 95 yards away in the fairway. But then his wedge came out heavy, caromed back into the water after twice bouncing against the rocks that framed the green.
He hit it to fifteen feet this time when he went to the drop zone.
Poston could be heard remarking, “Should have done that the first time.” He took triple bogey after missing the putt and giving it a mocking thumbs-up as it drifted straight off the hole.
He finished at 13 under, in the large group, and closed with a birdie for a 68.
When Taylor missed the opportunity to birdie the 16th par-5, he was within one stroke of the lead. He hung his head when he teed off on the 17th par-3 because he knew that anything that was hit too far left would catch a slope and roll into the water, which is exactly what happened. He had to settle for a 69 after taking double bogey, and he was among those at 12-under 201.
Last year, Kim, a 21-year-old South Korean who spent most of his upbringing in Australia, won twice. In order to recuperate from an ankle injury sustained during The Open Championship, he skipped his title defence at the Wyndham Championship. He is relishing his first PGA TOUR championship defence in Las Vegas as a result.
“It’s really not too bad at all. Simply put, it seems like you won this competition last year, and because of that, you seem to be feeling well and are kind of reliving your victory. At least I have a chance on Sunday to be able to return, especially now that I’m getting close to the leaderboard.” said Kim.
On the 17th hole, Hadwin polished off a 63 with a 30-footer, one of just 7 birdies he had made. For his first time playing since the BMW Championship in August, the Canadian claimed to feel more refreshed than rusty. He placed in the FedExCup top 50 and has already signed up for all of the Signature Events for the next year.
However, the Official World Golf Ranking has him ranked No. 56. The Masters is open to the top 50 players at the end of the season.
Griffin sees it as an opportunity to demonstrate his complete health following back surgery in July of last year and a rib injury sustained while attempting to play again. On Saturday, he arrived with the late birdies at precisely the perfect moment.
” On a course when everyone is going low and scoring birdies, it’s wonderful to make a couple early and kind of settle yourself down, and that didn’t happen today. Instead, I made a birdie at 13. However, it’s not the end of the world to make merely pars.” stated Griffin.
Telling Cameron Champ that is unnecessary. After a triple bogey early in the round that left him tied for the 36th hole, he shot 74 and tied for 24th.
