Jon Rahm continued to impress Saturday at Round 3 of the 2023 American Express. Shooting out of the gates on the Stadium Course, the 2018 champion rapidly made up the two-stroke deficit to 18 and 36-hole chief Davis Thompson. Playing his first 12 holes at 8 underneath, Rahm finally reached 24 underneath for the event earlier than a slowdown on the greens.
Carding one bogey and 5 pars over the course of his final six holes, Rahm will head into the final round at 23 underneath and in a share of the lead with Thompson. While the PGA Tour rookie was unable to match his par-5 prowess from the primary two days that included a complete of 5 eagles, the 23-year-old confirmed gumption and guts usually misplaced on a first-year participant.
Never wavering in the face of adversity, Thompson got here in with a good 5-under 67 to face alongside Rahm and 4 strokes forward of their nearest pursuers. While the potential for a match-play state of affairs between the final pairing is excessive, there are lots of hoping that won’t be the case as Tom Kim, Sam Burns and Taylor Montgomery sit 5 strokes adrift with Scottie Scheffler and Sungjae Im only one extra behind.
The leaders
T1. Davis Thompson, Jon Rahm (-23)
I would not essentially describe this as a David vs. Goliath state of affairs, however it’s actually in the neighborhood. This week marks Thompson’s twentieth begin on the PGA Tour whereas his enjoying competitor Sunday boasts accolades reminiscent of former world No. 1, main championship winner and eight-time PGA Tour winner. Rahm displayed some frustration with the flat stick late in his third round and if it have been to hold over into the final round may give option to a participant relishing the underdog position.
“A lot of people could have said that the first time Jordan Spieth won, the first time I won, the first time a lot of people won,” Rahm mentioned of his expertise being a bonus. “So do you have an advantage? I don’t know. I mean, I have the experience of being there, if it goes down to the wire. But he’s [Thompson’s] no slouch, obviously. He’s done what he’s done. At the end of the day it’s you against you. You can only control what you’re doing.”
Other contenders
3. J.T. Poston, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-19)
T5. Tom Kim, Harry Higgs, Sam Burns, Taylor Montgomery (-18)
T9. Dylan Wu, Chris Kirk, Patton Kizzire, Sungjae Im, Robby Shelton, Scottie Scheffler (-17)
While one rookie occupies the highest of the leaderboard, one other one in Montgomery is lurking but once more. The Las Vegas resident has made the minimize in every of his first eight begins in his inaugural stroll across the PGA Tour and has firmly put his title into the Rookie of the Year dialog. Collecting seven top-15 finishes throughout this stretch, Montgomery is on the cusp of including to this complete and bluntly summarized the motivation behind this constant effort.
“Somebody told me that my game wasn’t very consistent about a year and a half ago and it kind of pissed me off,” Montgomery mentioned. “So, I’ve been consistent.”
Is one other dramatic Sunday in retailer?
The first two weeks on the PGA Tour in 2023 have been nothing wanting jaw-dropping. With Rahm getting back from as many as 9 strokes on the Tournament of Champions and Si Woo Kim overcoming a three-stroke deficit on the Sony Open, it does make one marvel if one thing related may occur at The American Express.
Defending champion Hudson Swafford erased a three-stroke margin en path to his victory a 12 months in the past and two years prior, Patrick Cantlay almost achieved the unattainable. Making the 54-hole minimize on the quantity, Cantlay fired a final round 11-under 61 and fell only one stroke wanting eventual winner, Si Woo Kim. This is unquestionably not misplaced on the chasing pack that features a lot of PGA Tour winners together with Tom Kim, Burns, Im and Scheffler.
2023 American Express up to date odds and picks
- Jon Rahm: 4/7
- Davis Thompson: 3-1
- J.T. Poston: 25-1
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout: 30-1
- Tom Kim: 33-1
- Taylor Montgomery: 35-1
- Sam Burns: 35-1
- Scottie Scheffler: 45-1
- Sungjae Im: 75-1
This has basically turn into a head-to-head matchup between Rahm and Thompson except one thing biblical unfolds. While I might love nothing greater than to see Thompson take down the world beater that’s Rahm, it’s troublesome to ascertain that occuring.Â
There continues to be a smidge of worth in Rahm’s value at 4/7 given how cooperative the putter has been because the BMW Championship final summer season (he’s averaging roughly +1.50 strokes gained placing per round throughout this run). Because of this, and in conjunction together with his rock-solid tee to inexperienced sport, his second win of 2023 — and fourth in his final six begins — seems inevitable.