Farmers Insurance Open Day 3: 3 Under Par, Reed Faces "Conscience Question" Controversy, Ortiz Joins Co-Leaders
Im Sung-jae is teeing off at the 5th hole on the third day of the Farmers Insurance Open. San Diego, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Getty Images
[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is the resilience of Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics), ranked 17th in the world.
On the 31st (Korean time), at the Torrey Pines Golf Course South Course (par 72, 7,765 yards) in San Diego, California, USA, during the third day of the PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open (total prize money $7.5 million), he recorded 3-under par and jumped 34 places. He is tied for 20th place (4-under par 212 strokes). He is 6 strokes behind the co-leaders Patrick Reed (USA) and Carlos Ortiz (Mexico), who are at 10-under par 206 strokes, and depending on his final day performance, entering the ‘top 10’ is very possible.
It is welcome news that Im Sung-jae has made a comeback. After smoothly starting with 3-under par on the relatively easier North Course (par 72, 7,258 yards) on the first day, he faced a setback with 2-over par on the South Course on the second day. On this day, he combined 5 birdies and 2 bogeys. Starting at the 10th hole (par 5), he opened the scoring with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5), and although he had consecutive bogeys on the 1st and 2nd holes in the back nine, he recovered with birdies on the 3rd and 6th holes. Notably, his late birdies included an 11-meter putt on the 7th hole (par 4) and a 9-meter putt on the 9th hole (par 5).
Patrick Reed is preparing for his tee shot on the 16th hole during the third day of the Farmers Insurance Open. San Diego, California, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits
Reed added 2-under par. Another newsworthy issue was the ‘rule violation’ controversy on the 10th hole (par 4). He attempted his second shot from a fairway bunker, and the ball curved sharply to the left, landing in deep rough. Before the official arrived, he marked and picked up the ball, which caused the problem. Although it was explained as a “no-penalty drop due to the ball being embedded,” TV replays showed the ball bouncing, which reduced the credibility of the explanation. This incident even recalled a dark moment from December 2019 at the Hero World Challenge, where Reed received a 2-stroke penalty for improving his lie on the 11th hole (par 5) during the third round.
Ortiz joined the co-leaders with a daily best 6-under par. ‘Number 2’ Jon Rahm (Spain), Adam Scott (Australia), and Viktor Hovland (Norway) are tied for 3rd place (8-under par 208 strokes), while Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is tied for 8th place (7-under par 209 strokes), all competing for the championship. From Korea, An Byeong-hun (30, CJ Logistics) is tied for 63rd place (2-over par 218 strokes). ‘Tank’ Choi Kyung-ju (51) disappointed with 5 bogeys, tied for 67th place (3-over par 219 strokes).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
