Rookie in control on strength of 11 birdies
PGA Tour rookie Jake Knapp ran off 11 birdies Saturday and seized control of the Mexico Open at Vidanta with an 8-under-par 63, giving him a four-shot lead going into the final round.
Knapp began the third round in a four-way share of the lead and playing in front of the largest gallery while paired with Alvaro Ortiz of Mexico. Knapp, a 29-year-old from UCLA, stuffed his opening shot into 2 feet and the next one to 4 feet for a birdie-birdie start. Turns out he was just getting warmed up.
He closed out the front nine with five birdies over the last six holes for a 28, and no one got closer to him than three shots the rest of the way.
Sami Valimaki lost momentum until finishing with birdie from the collar of the green on the par-5 18th for a 67, leaving him four shots back.
Knapp was at 19-under 194, and only Valimaki was within six shots. Ben Silverman (63), Henrik Norlander (65), and Chan Kim (66) were seven shots behind. Of the leading five players going into the final round, none has won on the PGA Tour.
Matt Wallace, the other player who shared the 36-hole lead, had a 71 to fall eight behind.
LPGA — Local favorite Patty Tavatanakit shot a 6-under 66 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Thailand tournament.
Tavatanakit had a three-round total of 16-under 200 on the Siam Country Club Old Course at Chonburi southeast of Bangkok.
Madelene Sagstrom shot 69 and was in second place while Hye Jinchoi and Emily Kristine Pedersen shot 65 and were tied for third with Hyo Joo-kim, who had a 69 Saturday. European — Manuel Elvira moved into contention to join older brother Nacho as a European tour winner by taking a share of the lead at the Kenya Open after the third round in Nairobi. The younger Elvira shot 4under 67 and was tied for first place at 10-under overall with Darius Van Driel (68).
Champions — Ricardo Gonzalez ran off four straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 3-under 70 for a one-shot victory in the Trophy Hassan II in Rabat, Morocco, giving him membership on the PGA Champions Tour for the first time.
Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera, in his first Champions event since he was released from two years in prison for gender violence, shot 70 and tied for 27 th.