Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat battled swirly conditions to post a 2-under 70 on Saturday and stay on the fringe of contention following the third round of the Puerto Rico Open.
The 32-year-old has continued to show glimpses of his old form where he was once a world top-30 golfer by snaring four birdies against two bogeys at Grand Reserve Golf Club for tied seventh place. He is five back of leader Ryan Bhrem, who shot a 68 for a three-shot lead over Michael Kim as he searches for a maiden PGA TOUR win.
Leaderboard entering the final round @PuertoRicoOpen:
1. Ryan Brehm -15
2. @Mike_Kim714 -12
T3. Chad Ramey -11
T3. @AndrewNovakGolf
T3. @TwoGlovesGolf
T3. @MaxMcGreevy
T7. @BWu97 -10
T7. @Kiradech
T7. @ChrisGotterup
T7. @CallumTarren— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 6, 2022
“I was quite comfortable playing in the wind and rain and it was blowing quite a bit out there. There were some mistakes but overall, this round was quite acceptable. I made a couple of good birdies on nine and 11 which I was happy about,” said Kiradech, who holds three wins on the DP World Tour but is seeking a first on the PGA Tour.
Related: With 67 in Puerto Rico, Kiradech says ‘mindset, attitude in right place’
Kiradech’s form has taken a sharp dip over the last few years where his last top-10 on Tour was a tied eighth finish at the 2019 CJ CUP in Korea. In six starts this season, the Thai has made only two cuts, with a best of T39 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Ryan Brehm is playing on the final start of his Minor Medical Extension, needing a solo second to stay on TOUR for the remainder of the season.
A win would earn full status for the rest of this season, and the next two seasons.
He leads by 3 @PuertoRicoOpen. pic.twitter.com/pRNHmJIRer
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 5, 2022
He had to play on the Korn Ferry Tour Finals last fall to regain his PGA Tour card after finishing outside the top-125 of the FedExCup ranking, and subsequently finished tied second at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth on the DP World Tour. He also won a domestic Thai event at the end of the year when he was back home and is now itching to start producing his best golf on the PGA Tour again.
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While Bhrem is five ahead of him, Kiradech knows the key on Sunday is to keep himself in contention during the final round. “It’s good to have the opportunity to try and win this championship but the goal will be to stay near the top of the leaderboard. I’ll have to control my game in the wind again and try to make the least mistakes,” he said.
PGA Tour
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