Mitchell leads; Hoey just four shots behind
Keith Mitchell overcame three bogeys on the front nine to fire a five-under-par 66 and take a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Valspar Championship on Saturday in Palm Harbor in Florida, where the Philippines’ Rico Hoey silently kept himself in the mix after a 69 left him just four shots back.
Mitchell carded his three bogeys in four holes going out, but rebounded with a 29 on the back nine, matching an Innisbrook Resort record with four birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole. He became the first golfer in the history of the event to play the Snake Pit (Nos. 16-18) at four-under. Mitchell holed his second shot on the par-4 18th.
“Obviously, some luck involved in that, but the good thing is I executed all the shots I wanted to. That’s really all I could do,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell sits at 10-under 203 for the tournament, two strokes ahead of Ireland’s Seamus Power (68), Peter Malnati (68) and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (69).
Hoey, a 28-year-old who was born in Manila and represented the Philippines in the Putra Cup in 2013, sits in a five-way tie for eighth spot and has a solid chance at notching a dream Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour win.
Hoey has been a professional since 2017. —Reuters
