Korea’s Kim ready for final push at AmEx event as Dunlap scorches course
US amateur champion Nick Dunlap is the surprise leader at The American Express PGA Tour event but Korea’s Si Woo Kim lurks dangerously.
- Jan 21, 2024,
- Updated Jan 21, 2024 7:00 PM IST
Si Woo Kim fired a third round 6-under 66 at the PGA West Stadium Course on Saturday, keeping alive an outside chance of winning The American Express for the second time even as US amateur Nick Dunlap took centre stage in California.
US Amateur Championship winner Dunlap fired a 12-under par 60 at the La Quinta Country Club to lead the field by three strokes with Kim, the first Asian winner in 2021, was tied fifth seven shots behind the leader. Sam Burns of the US fired a 65 to hold second place with the final round to go.
Dunlap's 27-under 189 puts him in pole position to become the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in three decades after Phil Mickelson at the Northern Telecom Open in 1991, and also become second-youngest winner in the past 90 years, the tour said.
It was a challenging day for two-time tour winner K.H. Lee, who started the third round in joint third but he slid down the leaderboard after a 74 at the Stadium Course. Sungjae Im of Korea and Kevin Yu of Chinese Taipei impressed at La Quinta, posting a 66 and 65 respectively for T12 at 18-under.
Japanese rookie Ryo Hisatsune was a further two strokes back at T23 after a 68 at the Stadium Course. China's Yuxin Lin sits at T39 with a 68, bringing his tally to 14-under 202.
Playing on a sponsor exemption, Dunlap, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, found himself with a genuine chance of becoming the first amateur winner on the PGA TOUR since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
After impressive rounds of 64 and 65, it became apparent that Dunlap's best performance was yet to come. The Walker Cup player delivered a career-low round that included an eagle, 10 birdies, and no bogeys en route to matching Patrick Cantlay's record from the 2011 Travelers Championship.
“I’ve played four, I guess, PGA Tour-sanctioned events, counting the two US Opens, I think those are different, they’re kind of their own animal. But, no, I’m still trying to learn as much as I can and how some of these golf courses are different from college, but they're still similar," said Dunlap.
"Playing in front of the crowds, and, no, I've enjoyed it. I'm going to stick to what I've been doing, and that's just give myself as many birdie chances as possible."
At 20 years and 29 days, Dunlap could potentially become the youngest amateur to win on the tour since Chick Evans at the 1910 Western Open (20 years, 1 month, 15 days) if he secures the title on Sunday.
Kim's ball-striking accuracy continued to pay off as he has now gone bogey-free for two straight days. Aside from missing only one fairway out of 28, he hit 32 out of 36 greens in regulation.
Starting from the 10th tee on Saturday, Kim, winner of The American Express in 2021, also relied on a hot putter on several occasions, rolling in a 33-footer for eagle on the 16th hole. Moments earlier, he sank a birdie from 24 feet on the 15th. Additional shots gained by Kim were from holes 18, 4, and 8.
Despite his solid performance, he believes there were missed opportunities. “I played another solid round. I didn't make any bogeys, but had some disappointing holes," said Kim, who previously won the 2017 Players Championship amongst his four career tour titles.
"If only I could convert all those positive chances into birdies, I would have a good result tomorrow. I hope to prepare well and seize that chance tomorrow."
Si Woo Kim fired a third round 6-under 66 at the PGA West Stadium Course on Saturday, keeping alive an outside chance of winning The American Express for the second time even as US amateur Nick Dunlap took centre stage in California.
US Amateur Championship winner Dunlap fired a 12-under par 60 at the La Quinta Country Club to lead the field by three strokes with Kim, the first Asian winner in 2021, was tied fifth seven shots behind the leader. Sam Burns of the US fired a 65 to hold second place with the final round to go.
Dunlap's 27-under 189 puts him in pole position to become the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour in three decades after Phil Mickelson at the Northern Telecom Open in 1991, and also become second-youngest winner in the past 90 years, the tour said.
It was a challenging day for two-time tour winner K.H. Lee, who started the third round in joint third but he slid down the leaderboard after a 74 at the Stadium Course. Sungjae Im of Korea and Kevin Yu of Chinese Taipei impressed at La Quinta, posting a 66 and 65 respectively for T12 at 18-under.
Japanese rookie Ryo Hisatsune was a further two strokes back at T23 after a 68 at the Stadium Course. China's Yuxin Lin sits at T39 with a 68, bringing his tally to 14-under 202.
Playing on a sponsor exemption, Dunlap, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, found himself with a genuine chance of becoming the first amateur winner on the PGA TOUR since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
After impressive rounds of 64 and 65, it became apparent that Dunlap's best performance was yet to come. The Walker Cup player delivered a career-low round that included an eagle, 10 birdies, and no bogeys en route to matching Patrick Cantlay's record from the 2011 Travelers Championship.
“I’ve played four, I guess, PGA Tour-sanctioned events, counting the two US Opens, I think those are different, they’re kind of their own animal. But, no, I’m still trying to learn as much as I can and how some of these golf courses are different from college, but they're still similar," said Dunlap.
"Playing in front of the crowds, and, no, I've enjoyed it. I'm going to stick to what I've been doing, and that's just give myself as many birdie chances as possible."
At 20 years and 29 days, Dunlap could potentially become the youngest amateur to win on the tour since Chick Evans at the 1910 Western Open (20 years, 1 month, 15 days) if he secures the title on Sunday.
Kim's ball-striking accuracy continued to pay off as he has now gone bogey-free for two straight days. Aside from missing only one fairway out of 28, he hit 32 out of 36 greens in regulation.
Starting from the 10th tee on Saturday, Kim, winner of The American Express in 2021, also relied on a hot putter on several occasions, rolling in a 33-footer for eagle on the 16th hole. Moments earlier, he sank a birdie from 24 feet on the 15th. Additional shots gained by Kim were from holes 18, 4, and 8.
Despite his solid performance, he believes there were missed opportunities. “I played another solid round. I didn't make any bogeys, but had some disappointing holes," said Kim, who previously won the 2017 Players Championship amongst his four career tour titles.
"If only I could convert all those positive chances into birdies, I would have a good result tomorrow. I hope to prepare well and seize that chance tomorrow."