Im Sung-jae (28, CJ) surrendered the lead and dropped to a tie for fourth on the third day of the PGA Tour's Truist Championship, which carries a total purse of $20 million.
Im shot a 1-under 70 in the third round held Saturday at Quail Hollow Club (par 71) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Having started the day as the solo leader, he posted a 54-hole total of 10-under 203, heading into the final round in a tie for fourth, four strokes behind solo leader Alex Fitzpatrick of England, who carded a 7-under to move to 14-under.
Im finished the front nine with one bogey and one birdie before gaining momentum on the back nine. At the par-5 10th hole, he drained an eagle putt from about 13 meters to shave two strokes at once. At the par-4 14th, he pulled off a "barefoot shot" reminiscent of Pak Se-ri at the 1998 U.S. Women's Open, converting it into a stunning birdie. After his tee shot came to rest in the rough next to the lakeside green, he played his second shot with his right foot in the water, landing the ball within 2.8 meters of the hole and sinking the putt to turn crisis into birdie.
Two bogeys that followed, however, proved costly. At the par-5 15th, his third shot from a greenside bunker struck the wall of the grandstand across the green and rolled back into the same bunker — a rare sight. At the par-3 17th, he missed a 2-meter par putt.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who earned his PGA Tour card by winning the Zurich Classic two weeks ago alongside his brother Matt Fitzpatrick, surged into the lead with a 7-under round. Kristoffer Reitan of Norway, who also shot a 7-under, sits one stroke back in second at 13-under, while Cameron Young of the United States, last week's Cadillac Championship winner, is third at 12-under.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, a four-time winner of this event, dropped four strokes and tumbled from a tie for eighth to a tie for 37th at 1-under. Kim Si-woo failed to gain any ground and fell to a tie for 54th at 1-over.
