Hodges, Barjon lead by one shot at La Quinta
Lee Hodges and Paul Barjon took advantage of a late tee time Saturday to miss the worst of a windy day and share the thirdround lead in The American Express in La Quinta, California.
“It was tough early and it kind of died on our back nine a little bit,” Hodges said. “It was off and on, but it was a good wind. The easy holes were playing a little easier, but the hard holes were hard. So you just had to make a couple pars and then get to those downwind holes.”
Playing together in the final group off the 10th tee on PGA West’s Stadium Course, the PGA Tour rookies and close friends each birdied the par-5 fifth, par-4 seventh and par-5 eighth and closed with a par.
“We’re just best buddies and we have a great time out there,” Hodges said. “We keep it really light and it’s easy to compete when your friends are playing well.”
Hodges, a 26-year-old former Alabama golfer, shot an 8-under 64. Barjon, the 29-year-old Frenchman who played at Texas Christian, had a 65.
“We just kind of feed off each other, so it’s been fun,” Barjon said.
Hodges opened Thursday with a 62 at La Quinta Country Club for a share of the first-round lead with defending FedEx
Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, then shot a 72 on Friday on PGA West’s
Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course.
Hodges and Barjon, both making their 14th PGA Tour start, were at 18-under 198.
Tom Hoge was a stroke back after a 68 at La Quinta, playing in the second group off the first tee in the strongest wind of the day.
“Generally, I would say it’s better to be here,” Hoge said about tree-lined La Quinta. “It’s a little more protected from the trees and a little bit shorter golf course, so you could play a little more conservatively off the tee, get the ball in play and go from there.”
Hoge opened with his lone bogey of the week. He holed out from a greenside bunker on the par-4 fourth for the first of three straight birdies, added a birdie on the par-5 11th and parred the last seven.
Seamus Power, also at La Quinta, was 16 under after a 66. The Irishman played a five-hole stretch on the front nine in 6under, capping the run with an eagle on the par-5 sixth. Hudson Swafford, the 2017 champion, was at 15-under with Harry Higgs and Lanto Griffin.
LPGA TOUR
Nelly Korda is just ahead of a stacked field going into final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions — the LPGA’s 2022 kickoff event in Orlando. Four women who have won majors are among the top five players.
Korda, the world’s No. 1 and five-time winner in 2021 (including an Olympic gold medal), limited her mistakes in challenging, chilly conditions for a 3-under 69 with four birdies and a bogey, and is 13-under 203 overall. Korda, 23, won the 2021 Gainbridge LPGA on the same course, Lake Nona Golf and Country Club.
Danielle Kang, the runner-up at this tournament a year ago, and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, the 2020 TOC champion, each went bogey-free in matching Korda’s 69, and will begin the final round one shot back. Canada’s
Brooke Henderson and Japan’s Yuka Saso matched the day’s low score of 68 and will begin Sunday two and three strokes behind Korda, respectively.
Kang, Henderson and Saso all have won major championships.
Korda is seeking her eighth career LPGA title. The more she gets in the hunt, the more poised she appears to be.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Scott Jamieson stayed on course for a wire-towire win at the Abu Dhabi Championship in United Arab Emirates by making a 6-foot birdie putt at the last hole to retain his one-stroke lead at the end of the third round.
The Scottish player, ranked No. 336 and seeking his first title since 2012, shot 4-under 68 and was on 11 under overall in the first European tour event of 2022 after breaking free of a tie for the lead with Shane Lowry
and Thomas Pieters
(both 67s).
Jamieson has led by one stroke after all three rounds.
Lowry was bogey-free around Yas Links as he looks to win in Abu Dhabi for the second time, after his 2019 victory that was topped later that year by winning the British Open. The strong winds this week have been reminiscent of those at British Opens and Lowry has looked at home in the conditions.
Pieters also made five birdies and no bogeys to leave himself with a great chance of a sixth European tour title.
Viktor Hovland, the No. 7-ranked Norwegian seeking his third title in his last four events, missed a par putt from inside 2 feet at the 18th hole to shoot 70 and drop into a share of fourth place with Shubhankar Sharma (67).