Eyeing 1st major, Kim holds two-shot Women’s PGA lead
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Sei Young Kim has yet to splurge on the $1.5 million she won last year in the richest prize offered at a tournament in women’s golf.
“I’m just saving up for the future,” she said.
Winning the first major of her career just might be priceless. A 10-time LPGA Tour winner, the 27-year-old South Korean has the unwanted title of winningest active player without a major championship.
Kim went on another streaky run of birdies Saturday at Aronimink, shooting a 3-under 67 to hold the lead and positioning herself to put that label to rest at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Kim sits at 7-under 203, two strokes ahead of Brooke Henderson and Anna Nordqvist, and will try to win it Sunday on a rare early-morning tee time.
“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous, but I’m also excited about going into the final day,” Kim said.
The tournament was delayed three months because of the coronavirus pandemic, landing its final round smack on a packed sports Sunday. The PGA of America had to get creative with the tee times with NBC having other programming commitments on the weekend. Kim, Henderson and Nordqvist tee off at 8:49 a.m. and the last group goes off at 9:16 a.m. The TV window is noon to 2 p.m. on NBC.
“The only thing I have to keep in mind is that earlier tee times will be a little chillier temperaturewise, so I’ll make sure I have my hand warmers and be ready to play tomorrow,” Kim said.
Kim was runner-up at the 2015 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and tied for second at the Evian Championship in 2018. Kim held the 54-hole lead at a major once, at the 2015 ANA Inspiration, where she finished tied for fourth.
Cantlay, Laird share lead going into final round in Vegas
LAS VEGAS — Patrick Cantlay picked up enough birdies on the back nine to catch up to Martin Laird, and they each had a 6-under 65 to share the lead going into the final round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
It was another day of low scoring for just about everyone but U.S. Open champion Bryson Dechambeau. He had a pair of double bogeys through six holes and went from one shot behind to at barely inside the top 40.
Dechambeau was 5 over through a five-hole stretch on the front nine. On the TPC Summerlin, that feels much more over par. “About 12,” he said.
He rallied for an even-par 71, but that left him seven shots behind with 30 players ahead of him.
That starts with a pair of past champions.
Laird, the 37-year-old Scot who learned to play the ball in the air while at Colorado State, won in Las Vegas in 2009 for the first of his three PGA Tour victories. He also lost in a playoff the following year won by Jonathan Byrd with a hole-in-one.
Cantlay’s success is more pronounced and more recent.