Followers on the tenth inexperienced at Riviera Nation Membership started chanting Joaquin Niemann’s identify after the 23-year-old Chilean drained a 22-foot putt from the perimeter for an eagle, one other in a bagful of nice pictures Niemann has hit throughout his three-day assault on the long-lasting Pacific Palisades course.
“Nie-mann! Nie-mann!” the gallery cheered. “We aren't worthy!”
Many of the golfers within the Genesis Invitational area know precisely how these followers really feel. Niemann has been in a category of his personal for 3 rounds, taking pictures a three-under-par 68 on Saturday to set a 54-hole course report and take a three-stroke lead into Sunday’s remaining spherical.
After blistering the course with eight-under-par rounds of 63 on Thursday and Friday, Niemann stood at 19 beneath, his three-day rating of 194 breaking the 54-hole report of 196 set by Mike Weir (2004), Dustin Johnson (2017) and Justin Thomas (2019).
Solely three different golfers — 24-year-old PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young (16 beneath), 24-year-old Norwegian Viktor Hovland (13 beneath) and Thomas (12 beneath) — are inside eight pictures of Niemann, whose solely tour win was at The Greenbrier in 2020.
Collin Morikawa of La Cañada, who performed his remaining 16 holes in 5 beneath and not using a bogey, is fifth at 11 beneath. Santa Clarita’s Max Homa — the defending match champion who sank a 61-foot putt for eagle on the primary gap — Scottie Scheffler, Maverick McNealy and Marc Leishman are tied for sixth at 10 beneath.
“Yeah, I’m having the most effective time of my life proper now,” mentioned Niemann, who reached 21 beneath along with his eagle on No. 10. “I simply attempt to maintain it calm, however yeah, I’m having fun with it loads, and I simply can’t wait to have a very good day [Sunday].”
With a powerful remaining spherical, Niemann may break the Riviera match report, a 20-under-par 264 posted by Lanny Watkins in 1985. Among the many followers in attendance that weekend was a 9-year-old Tiger Woods.
Niemann, who may turn into the primary wire-to-wire winner at Riviera since Charlie Sifford in 1969, had just a few slips Saturday, failing to hit a fairway in his remaining eight holes, with two of his errant tee pictures resulting in bogeys on 12 and 15.
However he positioned himself for historical past with good iron play, stable restoration pictures and one other robust day on Riviera’s slick greens, hitting birdie putts of 7½ toes (No. 1), 10½ toes (No. 5), 25 toes (No. 7) and 12 toes (No. 8) to go along with his 22-footer for eagle.
“My velocity has simply been so good,” Niemann mentioned of his placing. “That helps loads on all these greens which are so quick that each putt can run away from the outlet.”
The 6-foot, 154-pound Niemann closed the day with a par on 18, and he displayed the sort of shot-making capability that has made him so formidable this weekend.
After his tee shot on the 472-yard par-four gap went into the tough to the fitting of the golf green, Niemann curved a pleasant fade round a number of big eucalyptus bushes to the tough on the again of the inexperienced, 52 toes away from the pin. Niemann chipped to inside 3½ toes and made the putt for par.
Younger, who began Saturday at 14 beneath, closed to inside one shot of Niemann with a birdie on No. 3 and was two strokes again at 17 beneath when catastrophe struck on the 152-yard, par-three sixteenth gap.
The previous Wake Forest star sailed his tee shot right into a greenside bunker that he was unable to blast out of on the primary attempt. His second slash along with his sand wedge — and third shot of the outlet — obtained him onto the inexperienced, six toes from the outlet, however he missed that putt and settled for a double bogey, dropping him to fifteen beneath.
However Younger rebounded with a birdie on 17 and a par on 18, placing him inside placing distance of his first PGA Tour win in his twelfth profession begin.
“Anytime you begin Sunday three again, whether or not you’re in tenth or second place, you could have an opportunity,” Younger mentioned. “Anyone out right here can shoot an eight or 9 beneath, and also you simply by no means know when it’s going to be you on a Sunday.
“I’m nonetheless proper there. I’ve obtained one man forward of me. He’s an incredible participant, and I do know he’s taking part in very well, however you simply by no means know what can occur. That three-shot lead may be gone in a gap … so we’ll simply need to see.”
Hovland, who began the day at seven beneath, hit 16 of 18 greens and had eight birdies in his six-under spherical of 65. For the third consecutive day, he took an unorthodox strategy on No. 15, a 474-yard, par-four that doglegs to the fitting.
As a substitute of hitting a fade to show the nook of the golf green, he drove a 311-yard tee shot into the golf green on 17, which runs to the fitting of 15, one tv announcer calling it the “HOV lane.”
The technique labored fantastically, as Hovland reached the inexperienced along with his 180-yard strategy, however he three-putted for a bogey.
“The [fairway] bunker on 15 is such a extreme penalty, so principally I’m taking that bunker out of play by going to the fitting,” Hovland mentioned. “That’s about it.”
Post a Comment