Smith and Ram Share Lead: "So Close to Dream 59" ... Im Sungjae Tied for 17th

'PO Round 1' The Northern Trust Day 3 '11 Birdies Only', Thomas Tied 4th, Schauffele Tied 11th

Cameron Smith (right) is shaking hands with his caddie after setting the course record on the third day of the 'PO Round 1' The Northern Trust. Jersey City, USA = Getty Images/Multivitz

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is Cameron Smith's (Australia) surge.

On the 22nd (Korean time), at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA (par 71, 7,410 yards), during the third day of the PGA Tour Playoffs (PO) first round, The Northern Trust (total prize money $9.5 million), Smith set a course record with an '11-under 60,' instantly taking the top spot on the leaderboard (16-under 197). World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) is also in this group. The final round was postponed to the 24th due to the forecast of Hurricane Henry.

Smith boasted perfect play with 11 birdies and no bogeys. He started with three consecutive birdies on holes 1 to 3, then made 'four pairs of consecutive birdies' on holes 5-6, 9-10, 13-14, and 16-17. It was a pity that he missed a 3.38m birdie putt on the final 18th hole (par 4), failing to complete the 'dream 59.' His precise shots stood out with a fairway hit rate of 78.57% and a greens in regulation rate of 83.33%. His putting average per hole was an outstanding 1.533.

Leading jointly by one stroke, Smith seized the chance for his second win of the season and fourth career victory, four months after winning the Zurich Classic in April in a two-man team format. Rahm reduced four strokes, maintaining his position at the top of the leaderboard for the third consecutive day. Justin Thomas (USA) is watching for a comeback from joint 4th place, two strokes behind (14-under 199). Xander Schauffele (USA), the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, faltered with 1-under, tied for 11th place (11-under 202).

Im Sung-jae is teeing off at the 3rd hole on the third day of the Northern Trust Playoff Round 1. Jersey City, USA = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

From Korea, Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) recorded five birdies and one bogey. After a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 3) was canceled out by a bogey on the 3rd hole (par 4), he added four more birdies on holes 6, 9, 11, and 12. Although a come-from-behind victory is difficult, he is tied for 17th place (10-under 203), just two strokes behind the group tied for 9th, making a 'top 10' finish possible. Lee Kyung-hoon (30, CJ Logistics), the AT&T Byron Nelson champion, made two birdies and is tied for 50th place (5-under 208).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.