Kurt Kitayama will admit it – he thought 59. But can you blame him? On the 3M open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn., There is no US Open-like 70 the job.
Jhonattan Vegas won last year at the age of 17. The year before Lee Hodges won at 24 hours. In the six years of the existence of the tournament, the highly Winning score has been 15.
So you can understand why Kitayama, who had an early tee -was not afraid of that sacred number on Saturday.
But he should settle for 60.
Kitayama shot the round of the day on Saturday, ended up at 11 am and jumped up the leaderboard to be in force on Sunday. At the age of 17 he is only one back of 54-hole leaders Akshay Bhatia and Thorbjorn Oesen.
Three others – Takumi Kanaya, Sam Stevens and Jake Knapp – are at the age of 17 and 13 players in total within four shots of the leaders at 18 below.
Kitayamas 60 was not only a career-best tour, but a personal best. He shot a seven-under 28 on the front, including five straight birdies on nrs. 3-7. Fifty-nine was in reach when he had to play 15 and 16 Birdied-de Last two in one, with 18 as a par-5 but he could not go up and down from the sand on the par-3 17th and made Bogey. He almost kept his approach at 18 for Eagle, but had to settle for a kick-in Birdie.
“Yesterday’s round felt like I had no control,” said Kitayama, whose 60 tied the course record Adam Svensson on Thursday. “I hit some balls after that, spoke with my coach, Chris Como, and worked a bit through a number of things on the range. The feeling had something I could go with. And warming up today, felt pretty good and it showed a bit on the course. Yes, was happy that I could find that.”
Kitayama said that working with Como has improved his driving (he is in 12th place in success: off the tee), but also says that he is a better ball striker and more complete player than he was two years ago, when he took his only PGA Tour victory on the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The most popular player in Golf, Not Scottie Scheffler, Chris Gotterup, the head of a group of players at the age of 16. Gotterup won the Genesis Scottish Open two weeks ago and finished Solo third at the Open Championship last week. He is now a stellar round away from closing an epic piece of three weeks.
“Everyone shoots low all week, so you have to put together a few birdies,” said Gotterup. “I’m just ready for another day – and then a week off.”
Saturday was a shootout. There will also be one on Sunday.
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