Thorbjorn Olesen and Akshay Bhatia lead the 3M Open after an exciting day
In an exciting third round of the 3M Open, Thorbjorn Olesen and Akshay Bhatia shared the lead, promising a tournament finish full of expectations. Olesen, with an outstanding performance, achieved an impressive “ace” on the 8th hole and signed a card of 67 strokes, four under par. Olesen, a 35-year-old Danish player who led after the second round, demonstrated his skill with a 6-iron shot on the 8th hole, 209 yards, at TPC Twin Cities.For his part, Bhatia turned in a card of 63 strokes, reaching a total of 18 under par, which allowed him to share the top of the leaderboard.“The pin was back. I felt I couldn’t get there with a 7, so we went for a soft 6-iron. Obviously, it took the slope perfectly, a great bonus to see it go in. It’s been a long time since I had one,” Olesen commented.
Thorbjorn Olesen
Kurt Kitayama also stood out by matching the tournament and course record with an impressive round of 60 strokes, finishing before Olesen and Jake Knapp began their round. This positioned him at 17 under par. Takumi Kanaya, with a round of 65 strokes, also reached 17 under par, joining Knapp (67) and Sam Stevens (66) in the standings. Olesen, after his “hole-in-one”, had a bogey on the 9th hole. In the second half of the course, he achieved birdies on holes 13 and 14, a bogey on the 15th, a birdie on the 16th, and pars on the last two holes. The winner of eight European Tour titles is seeking his first PGA Tour title.“I made two chip-ins, holing a lot of putts. A lot of putts went in the hole, which was very good to see. Overall, a pretty solid round. I felt like I did a good job playing from the rough today. I didn’t hit it particularly well off the tee, but fortunately the greens are soft enough that you can do that,” Bhatia expressed.
Akshay Bhatia
Bhatia, a 23-year-old Californian player with two PGA Tour victories, made a birdie from 42 feet on the 5th hole and another from 55 feet on the 11th hole.“Obviously, it’s different and it’s a great opportunity. I’m not going to lie, there will be a lot of pressure, but I feel that in my career I have dealt with pressure quite well. Obviously, the victories on the DP World Tour, but also in the Ryder Cups”, added Olesen.
Thorbjorn Olesen
Kitayama tied the tournament record set by Adam Svensson in the first round. Paul Goydos also shares the course record, with a round of 60 strokes at the 2017 3M Championship on the PGA Tour Champions. Kitayama accumulated 12 birdies and a bogey, completing the first half of the course with 7 under par (28 strokes).“I’m just trying to play solid golf and hope the cards play in my favor tomorrow,” Bhatia affirmed.
Akshay Bhatia
Knapp suffered a blow on the 17th hole, which meant his only bogey of the week. Michael La Sasso, from Mississippi, an NCAA winner, placed 16th with 13 under par after a round of 63. The amateur did not make the cut last week at the Barracuda Championship.“I just went out there. I don’t think you really have a number going out in any round, you just take what you can get,” Kitayama explained.
Kurt Kitayama
