Taiwan’s C.T. Pan on Saturday slipped out of the No. 1 spot in the third round of the PGA Tour John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, but still tied for fourth thanks to a stellar performance on Friday and despite his focus being on the Olympics.
Pan, warming up for the Paris Games, where he would be aiming to improve on the bronze medal he won in Tokyo, fired off four birdies on Saturday, but a bogey on the 18th hole left him just three-under par for a 68.
That dropped to 17-under par for the first three round and placed him fourth with Hayden Springer of the US, who fired a commanding 59 on Thursday.
Photo: AFP
On Friday, Pan defied tough, gusty winds to card an eight-under-par 63 and share the lead with Englishman Aaron Rai, who remains tied for second after the third round.
Pan’s highlight in the second round was a pitch-in eagle at the par-four 14th hole.
“I’m actually impressed by myself,” he said of the shot. “It’s pretty tough out there when the wind picks up to 15, 20mph [24-32kph].”
“It’s totally opposite wind direction as well, so hitting different tee shot, different clubs and have different numbers for the approach shots,” he said. “I was able to hit a lot of good iron shots to give myself birdie chances out there.”
Pan, who claimed his only PGA Tour win to date at the 2019 RBC Heritage, has just one top 10 finish this year — a tie for third at the Mexico Open.
A solid week is just what he was looking for with the Olympics starting later this month.
“I always want to get my conditioning, get my mental state ready for the Olympics,” he said. “That’s the biggest event for my country and for myself also. And it would be really cool to play well at an event that only happens once every four years.”
Even with the Games on his mind, he performed well at TPC Deere Run.
“I had terrible sleep last night,” Pan said. “Had a really serious conversation with my Olympic committee back home just trying to figure out all the arrangements before I go there. So didn’t go well, I can tell that you. I did not sleep well. So [this low round was] quite a surprise.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
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