New Zealander Danny Lee yesterday hurled himself into title contention in the country of his birth as he capitalized on Justin Thomas’ final hole error to join the American in the lead heading into the final round of the CJ Cup.
Thomas hit his approach shot into the hazard and bogeyed the par-five 18th hole in his round of 2-under-par 70 for a 54-hole aggregate of 15-under-par 201.
“I just didn’t hit a lot of good putts that burned the edges and didn’t quite go in,” the 2017 winner said after his round, which included five birdies and three bogeys. “Today easily could have been a 65 or 66, but to not really get anything out of it and still have a share of the lead going into Sunday is a good thing. It’s not too frustrating since I’m tied for the lead.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
Incheon-born Lee sank a long eagle putt on the 18th hole in his 68 to grab his share of the lead at Nine Bridges Golf Club in Jeju, South Korea.
“It was a difficult round. Definitely more windy than yesterday, or the day before, so the scores were not quite as low,” Lee said. “I’ve never played exceptionally well in Korea, so I also felt I could play better in front of my Korean fans.”
“On top of that my parents and my wife are Korean and my granddad lives here so that would be great,” Lee added. “I am glad I had a strong showing this week and hopefully I can say the same tomorrow.”
Australian Cameron Smith shot an identical 68 to trail the leaders by three shots with Wyndham Clark (67) and Jordan Spieth (70) one shot behind.
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