PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Sungjae Im was in place for a wire-to-wire victory in the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook after a gradual begin in his return from a wrist harm.
Brandt Snedeker was proper beside him in the final pairing — with a sizzling new putter in the bag.
Im holed a sweeping 13-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th gap Saturday for a 2-under 69 and a two-stroke lead over Snedeker, the 45-year-old U.S. Presidents Cup captain taking part in on a sponsor exemption, and David Lipsky.
Snedeker birdied three of the primary 4 holes in a 67, and Lipsky had a 70 on the sunny afternoon with a excessive in the low-70s and wind gusting to fifteen mph.
After lacking two straight cuts in his return, Im led by a stroke after every of the primary two rounds in agency and quick circumstances on the Copperhead course, taking pictures 64-69.
“I wasn’t able to practice for two months,” Im mentioned. “So I think a lot of my shots that I didn’t like from last year I was able to, once I started practicing, I was able to correct and it’s just been consistently getting better.”
On Saturday, Im performed the entrance 9 in 3 below, with birdies on Nos. 1, 7 and eight. He bogeyed the par-4 twelfth and par-3 thirteenth, and obtained the left-to-right putt to fall on 18 to get to 11-under 202.
“I was really happy that my play was good on the finishing stretch, 16 through 18,” Im mentioned. “And I’m really thrilled about the birdie on the final hole, and to have a two-shot lead going into tomorrow.”
The 27-year-old South Korean participant has two PGA Tour victories, the 2020 Honda Classic and 2021 Shriners Children’s Open.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been in the lead like this,” Im mentioned. “I’m sure I will be nervous, but the best I can do is just to play my own game.”
Snedeker gained the final of his 9 PGA Tour titles in 2018 and had solely two prime 10s in the final yr. He switched to a mallet putter just a few weeks in the past, and has been on a tear on and across the greens this week.
“I finished strong, made some good swings coming down the stretch,” Snedeker mentioned. “Rolling the ball so good, chipping the ball so good, if I can kind of get my long game under control a little bit we’re going to have a good chance tomorrow.”
Lipsky had 5 birdies and 4 bogeys. He’s winless on the PGA Tour.
“It was up-and-down,” Lipsky mentioned. “I didn’t hit it as many fairways as I wanted to, nor greens. But overall the short game and the putter really saved me and kept me in it.”
Matt Fitzpatrick, second final week in the Players Championship, was 8 below together with Marco Penge. They every shot 68.
Brooks Koepka was tied for sixteenth at 3 below after a 71.
