24-year-old Tigala Leads Second Day "Rookie Storm Continues"... Defending Champ Kepka Chases in 2nd Place

Phoenix Open Day 3: Canplay and Schauffele Tied for 3rd in Chase, Lee Kyoung-hoon and Kim Si-woo Hold Tied 44th

Saice Tigala is teeing off at the 16th hole on the third day of the Phoenix Open. Scottsdale, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is the ‘rookie storm’ of 24-year-old Sais Tigala.

On the 13th (Korean time), at the Scottsdale TPC in Arizona, USA (Par 71, 7,261 yards), the third day of the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open (total prize money $8.2 million) ended with Tigala adding 2 under par to maintain his position at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day (14 under par, 199 strokes). Defending champion Brooks Koepka is in second place, one stroke behind (13 under par, 200 strokes), while ‘Playoff (PO) champion’ Patrick Cantlay and ‘Tokyo Olympics gold medalist’ Xander Schauffele (both from the USA) are tied for third place (12 under par, 201 strokes) in pursuit.

Tigala started with a two-stroke lead and recorded five birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. It is interesting that he entered this tournament as an invitee. He succeeded in an early surge with 5 under par on the first day, and on the second day, he posted a daily best of 7 under par, led by an average of 1.58 putts per hole, drawing even more spotlight. If he can hold on just one more day, he has a great chance to immediately join the ranks of PGA Tour champions. “Today was very up and down,” he said, calming his mind.

Brooks Koepka is watching the ball right after his tee shot on the 11th hole on the third day of the Phoenix Open. Scottsdale, USA=Getty Images/Multibits

Koepka is the player to watch. He recalls the thrilling memory of making two eagles on the 3rd hole (par 5) and the 17th hole (par 4) on the final day last year. Including his 2015 victory, he has already claimed three wins and is uniquely strong in this ‘golf liberation zone’?the only place in the global golf world where drinking, loud voices, and booing are allowed. Scottie Scheffler (USA) surged with 9 under par, quickly joining the tie for third place. His nine birdies and 100% greens in regulation with ‘computer-like iron shots’ stood out.

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), who already secured two wins in the 2022 season, is tied for 7th place (11 under par, 202 strokes). World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain), on the other hand, remained tied for 20th place (8 under par, 205 strokes). Sam Ryder (USA) is tied for 29th place (6 under par, 207 strokes), adding news with a hole-in-one on the 16th hole (par 3). It is the first hole-in-one in seven years since Francesco Molinari (Italy) in 2015. From Korea, Lee Kyung-hoon (31) and Kim Si-woo (27) are tied for 44th place (4 under par, 209 strokes), and Kang Sung-hoon (35) is tied for 53rd place (2 under par, 211 strokes).

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