Si Woo Kim of South Korea just missed a 50-foot birdie putt that would have given him an 11-under 59 at Sedgefield Country Club.
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They missed chances to become the second player this month to break 60 on the PGA Tour.
“The greens are brilliant and if you play well and give yourself chances, you will roll putts (in) and that’s what I am going to try to do tomorrow”, he said. Before Kim, Choi Kyung-joo, who is more popularly known as K.J. Choi, Yang Yong-eun, known as Y.E. Yang, Bae Sang-moon and Noh Seung-yul have won the US -based tour title. With three holes to play, Kim needed to play them in 2 under to crack 60.
Jim Furyk, Luke Donald and Kevin Na were 13 under. Billy Horschel also shot 64, Brandt Snedeker had a 65, and Hideki Matsuyama a 68.
Kim became the youngest victor on tour this season, and the second-youngest in tournament history; Seve Ballesteros was 20 when he won here in 1978.
Second-placed Rafa Cabrera Bello is coming off a fifth place finish in Rio and says he’s still on a high from representing Spain at the Olympics.
With a storm approaching as Kim went to the 17th tee, play was suspended for one hour and 21 minutes.
That only meant Kim had to wait a little while longer for his victory party.
In the final round, the Korean looked cool and composed, and made birdie on the first hole to get off on the right foot. I’m experienced before like Alabama in Barbasol, that’s good experience.
The Korean said he did not really think of a 59 until his birdie at the eighth had followed an eagle three at the fifth. He sank a 5-yard birdie putt on the 10th to kick-start his back-nine surge.
Carlson will face 20-year-old Australian Curtis Luck, a 2-up victor over Pepperdine sophomore Sahith Theegala of Chino Hills, Calif.
It was hard for the 20-year-old Australian to process.
“I made a big jump here”, he said. I can see guys hitting lot of wedges. “What an unbelievable thing to do while you’re out in the final of the U.S. Amateur Championship”.
U.S. AMATEUR: In Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Michigan sophomore Nick Carlson advanced to the U.S. Amateur semifinals in an unlikely hometown run at Oakland Hills.
VYSOKY UJEZD, Czech Republic – Defending champion Thomas Pieters is by himself at the top of the Czech Masters leaderboard after shooting a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s third round for a two-stroke lead. “This is the best feeling in the world”.
“My goal is winning one more time next two years”, he said, perhaps being overly modest.
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Patrick Reed had a 64 to move into a tie for 18th at 9 under.
