Thorbjorn Olesen and Akshay Bhatia Lead the 3M Open After Thrilling Round
In an emotional day at the 3M Open, Thorbjorn Olesen and Akshay Bhatia shared the lead after the third round. Olesen achieved an impressive hole-in-one on the 8th hole and signed a card of 67 strokes, four under par. Bhatia, for his part, delivered an outstanding round of 63 strokes. Olesen, the 35-year-old Danish player, who was leading after the second round, used a 6-iron on the 8th hole, a 209-yard par 3. “It was a shot with a pin behind. I felt I couldn’t reach with a 7, so we opted for a soft 6-iron,” commented Olesen. “Fortunately, the ball took the perfect slope, it was a great advantage to see it go in. It’s been a long time since I made one.”Bhatia, with his outstanding performance, placed in first position with a total of 18 under par, adding a 63. “I made two chip-ins, sinking many putts,” said Bhatia. “A lot of putts went in, which was very good. Overall, it was a pretty solid round. I feel like I did a good job playing from the rough today. I didn’t hit particularly well off the tee, but fortunately the greens are soft enough to be able to do that.” Kurt Kitayama tied the tournament and course record with an impressive round of 60 strokes, finishing his participation before Olesen and Jake Knapp began their game. Kitayama finished at 17 under par. Takumi Kanaya also reached 17 under par, like Knapp and Sam Stevens. Olesen, after his hole-in-one, suffered a bogey on the 9th hole. In the second half of the course, he achieved birdies on holes 13 and 14, but had a bogey on the 15th. He finished with a birdie on the 16th hole and pars on the last two holes. The winner of eight European Tour titles is seeking his first title on the PGA Tour.I just tried to play solid golf and hopefully things will go well tomorrow.
Akshay Bhatia
Bhatia, the 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. Kitayama tied the tournament record set by Adam Svensson in the first round. Kitayama achieved 12 birdies and one bogey, playing the first nine holes in 7 under par (28 strokes). Knapp had a bogey on the 17th hole, the only one of the week.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 the Ryder Cups.
Thorbjorn Olesen
