LA QUINTA, Calif. — In three rounds at the American Express, Sepp Straka’s game was almost as clean as his mind.
Straka shot an 8-under 64 in his third straight bogey-free round on Saturday as the newly bald Austrian moved ahead of Charlie Hoffman in the Coachella Valley desert. , Jason Day, Justin Lore with four shots.
Straka had six birdies on the front nine at La Quinta Country Club, perhaps the easiest of the three courses at the American Express. He made two more birdies in the final stages of the tournament, shooting 193, 23 under par, which also made him the third person to remain bogey-free in 54 holes since the event implemented a three-hole rotation in 2016. players.
His fellow pros aren’t just talking about his sharp game, however: After breaking into the top 20 on tour last year, the 31-year-old Straka pulled out the razor and made a huge change in the offseason , which attracted widespread attention as he pursued his dream.
“I was kind of losing my hair, so I thought I’d be in front of it, so yeah, just (go ahead) and shave it off,” he said with a laugh.
Straka also shot a 64 on the Stadium Course after shooting a 65 on Friday at Nicklaus Course. He still needed a nice wedge shot and a 10-foot putt to save par on Saturday’s final hole after his tee shot missed the fairway.
Straka, the first Austrian-born player to earn a PGA Tour card and win on tour, knows his work is far from done as he prepares for the final round at PGA West Arena. His stress isn’t too great, though: He plans to watch the NFL Commanders’ playoff game against the Lions on Saturday night with friends.
“I think the stadium is the kind of stadium where you don’t have a lead that’s safe,” he said. “My first win was at the Honda[Classic]which is a very similar golf course, and I started the day five shots behind. So no lead is safe. You’ve got to keep hitting your shots. Position, you really have to hit the ball well, so that’s what I’m looking for tomorrow, is a good, solid hitting round.
Every player on the leaderboard is chasing big wins. Day is a former PGA Championship winner with just one victory on tour since 2018, while Hoffman, 48, is looking to add another trophy to the championship, having won his career back in 2007 The first of five wins.
“This is awesome,” Straka said. “This is a very interesting ranking. I played with Charlie last week (at the Sony Open). He said he felt good, so as long as his body feels good, he’s going to be a little bit dangerous. Yeah, it’s It’s a great ranking list.
Hoffman, who started the day tied for the lead, struggled early in the round despite shooting a bogey-free 69 on the course and despite seemingly firm greens. The San Diego native is looking for his first win since 2016 after finally getting healthy after struggling with his back.
“I didn’t start thinking until the back nine, and then I was able to make a couple putts,” Hoffman said. “Obviously, a clean card on the stadium pitch is something to be proud of.”
The day was even more exciting as the former PGA Championship winner had seven birdies and two bogeys while playing in front of an energetic crowd watching his match against two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas.
Day has recently become accustomed to starting his season in the Palm Springs area, and he feels comfortable in the California desert.
“It’s hard not to like this place,” the Australian veteran said. “You try to find[reasons not to go here]but I actually really look forward to coming out to the desert every winter. Right before the West Coast Swing starts, this is where I go, just because of the golf courses. It was great, the weather was obviously perfect and it was so easy to get to other golf tournaments from here.
Thomas shot a stunning 68.
Lore, who started the past two days with a one-shot deficit, shot 68 on the Stadium Course to stay in contention for his first win. He had back-to-back birdies on Saturday to reach 20 under, but also had bogeys on the 14th and 17th holes.
Lower has five top-five finishes in his career, including a runner-up finish last November in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Defending champion Nick Dunlap made the cut at 9-under 207, but 17-year-old Blades Brown shot a 74 in the third round to score his first career start. Failed to advance in the competition. Brown will try to qualify for Monday’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, last year’s runner-up, also didn’t make the cut, but she still received the championship bonus because Dunlap couldn’t earn it as an amateur.
