PGA Tour rookies tied for lead 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 (Riverside County).

“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.”

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.

Hodges, a 26-year-old former Alabama golfer, shot an 8-under-par 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 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 Country Club, playing in the second group off the first tee in the strongest wind of the day. Nelly Korda is just ahead of a stacked field going into final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando, the LPGA’s 2022 kickoff event.

Korda, 23, the world’s No. 1 and five-time winner in 2021, limited her mistakes for a 3-under 69, and is 13-under 203 overall.

Danielle Kang, the runner-up in the event 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. Scott Jamieson stayed on course for a wireto-wire win at the Abu Dhabi Championship by making a 6-foot birdie putt at the last hole to shoot 68 and retain his one-stroke lead over Shane Lowry and Thomas Pieters at the end of the third round.