Viktor Hovland has been stable amid a wild Saturday of charges and collapse at the Valspar Championship, leaving him in a three-way tie for a lead at Innisbrook, with 20 players still getting so many in the mix.
Jacob Bridgeman first showed many mettles as a 36-hole leader, falling behind four shots on the turn, collecting 1-under 70, sharing the lead with Hovland (69) and Nico Echavarria (66).
They were at 7 under, where everyone seemed to be on their heels. That includes Justin Thomas, who left Friday. He shot 30 on the back nine with a 65. I filmed his lowest round at Copperhead course in Innisbrook, delaying two.
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Adam Hadwin broke his club on the ground, which broke the hidden sprinkler in the Valsper Championship and set off.
Jordan Spieth was still fun, and he had to make two birdies out of the woods, missed a short par putt and settled on 67.
He still had only four shots to go on Sunday, with 23 players separated by four shots.
Byeong Hun was the only player to reach 9 under on a birdie on hole 11, and only made five bogeys on the final seven holes of 72.
“It’s fun to compete, but it’s a little more stressful if you don’t feel very comfortable with the ball,” Hofland said. “But man, it’s fun to see a few putts in and the ball ends near the hole and put some good scores there.”
Echavarria, who won Japan with her second PGA Tour title last fall, went far ahead of the final group, played bogey-free at 66 and made a noticeable birdie on all three of the back nine par-3s.
“This is on the golf course and you don’t have to start getting leaders and take the lead,” he said. “We’ve seen it being a hard golf course, and you have to drive the ball very well here, you have to hit the green, it’s tough around the green.
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Sam Ryder hit a spectacular hole on one of the 17th holes for 204 yards, making the crowd wild
Ricky Castillo enjoyed a 68 and was one shot behind. Thomas and Shane Lowry (70) were among five players at 5 under. Lucas Glover (69) was part of the group, with four people behind Spieth.
“The leaderboards are stacked. You can probably win this golf tournament, like 25 guys (30 guys),” said Germany’s Jeremy Paul. “I’m trying to put together a good round and see where it puts me.”
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