Golf

Zurich Classic set up for cracking finale

Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler shot a 10-under 62 in better-ball play Saturday to take care of a one-shot lead by means of three rounds on the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

“It’s going to be a cool environment and a unique experience frankly to have a chance to win a golf tournament with a partner,” Hossler said. “So, it will be a nice little Sunday for us.”

Zurich Classic leaders stay in management

Clark and Hossler have completed every of the primary three rounds atop the leaderboard on the energy of regular and largely mistake-free play. While they haven’t accounted for any of the 25 eagles in the course of the match, they haven’t posted a single bogey in 54 holes, both.

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They birdied 10 holes within the third spherical to place them at 26 beneath — a stroke forward of Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell — heading into the ultimate spherical.

Clark made two birdie putts from past 20 toes — a 26-footer on par-4 twelfth and a 21-footer on the par-3 third.

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“I hope tomorrow we’re light and loose like we’ve been all three days,” Clark mentioned after the Zurich Classic. “If the momentum goes in our direction, I hope we just keep riding it.”

While the 29-year-old Clark and 28-year-old Hossler shouldn’t have a PGA Tour victory between them, each have a number of top-20 finishes this season. Clark completed fifth on the Valspar Championship. Hossler tied for eleventh on the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

“Frankly, getting yourself in position to win a golf tournament is difficult, and closing the deal is really hard,” Hossler mentioned. “The more opportunities you get, the more comfortable you get, and hopefully we can lean on that tomorrow.”

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Im and Mitchell additionally went bogey free with 10 birdies to stay one shot again at 25-under. Their highlights included Im’s 23-foot birdie putt on No. 3.

Tied for third had been Vincent Norman and Matthias Schwab, Taylor Moore and Matthew NeSmith, and Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, three photographs again.

All 35 groups to made the lower started the third spherical inside six photographs of each other. But simply 12 groups had been inside six photographs of the lead heading into Sunday.

Fitzpatrick brothers chasing

Brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick posted their second 10-under spherical in three days. Both got here within the Four-ball format which, theoretically, would have allowed the extra completed Matt Fitzpatrick — the defending U.S. Open champion and winner of the RBC Heritage final week — to hold the workforce.

But in each Four-ball rounds, Alex had as many or extra birdies. They every had 5 within the first and Alex had six of their 11 birdies on Saturday. They would have had the day’s finest spherical if not for a bogey on the par-4 sixth.

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They enter the ultimate spherical of the Zurich Classic — which will probably be performed within the Foursomes format — 5 photographs again.

The stakes are far larger for Alex Fitzpatrick, who may earn his PGA TOUR card with a victory, or may qualify for an extra PGA TOUR occasion with a excessive end. But the elder Fitzpatrick dismissed the notion that he’s feeling strain to spice up his youthful brother’s profession.

“I’m not worried about this week for Alex,” Matt Fitzpatrick mentioned. “He can hold his own. … I just want him to enjoy this week, and I think by enjoying it, you’re going to give yourself a better chance.”

Likewise, Alex Fitzpatrick mentioned, “There are stakes, but at the same time, we’ve got nothing to lose. … If we play well, great. If we don’t, it’s not the end of the world. I get to spend time with my brother, spend time with my family and stuff.”

After making a major transfer up the leaderboard Friday with a match report 9-under for a Foursomes spherical, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele shot a 6-under 66 — seven birdies and a bogey on 16 — and had been six again at 20-under.

Billy Horschel and former LSU participant Sam Burns shot a 63 to enhance to 20-under. Burns highlighted the spherical by chipping in for birdie on the par-4 thirteenth, then waving his arm Clarupward to encourage the gallery because it chanted L-S-U!”

The tees had been up and there was a serving to wind on the sixteenth, a 332-yard par 4, motivating many gamers to attempt to drive the inexperienced — even it lacking left meant going within the water. No workforce managed an eagle on the opening however 19 groups birdied it. Nicolai Hojgaard’s drive landed simply in entrance of the inexperienced and hit the pin, however bounded 10 toes away, his teammate Thorbjorn Olesen, wound up making birdie and Hojgaard picked up after lacking his eagle putt.

Charlie Hoffman, who teamed up with Nick Watney, made the primary hole-in-one of this 12 months’s match on the 210-yard, par-3 ninth. It was the third of his profession.

Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell having fun with themselves. Image: PGA TOUR

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