PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Sungjae Im held on to the lead at the Valspar Championship on a breezy Friday afternoon at the Copperhead course in Innisbrook, fighting hard on the back nine to pull away from David Lipsky at a steady and fast pace.
After making two straight cuts while returning from a wrist injury, Lin shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 9-under 133 — one shot ahead of Lipsky. Lin notched a pair of eagles with a 64 Thursday morning to take a one-stroke lead over Brandt Snedeker.
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“The most important thing is that I can hit the ball in the fairway,” the 27-year-old South Korean player said through a translator. “If I do that then I will be able to give myself a good chance. There are a lot of dangers on the pitch.”
Lin shot 37 on the front nine on Friday with three bogeys and two birdies, then birdied the par-5 11th and par-4 12th holes. He broke a tie for the lead with a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.
“I want to really focus and be patient because I have a chance this weekend,” I said. “This weekend, I think the wind will pick up and the greens will be a little firmer.”
He has two PGA Tour wins: the 2020 Honda Classic and the 2021 Shriners Children’s Open.
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Lipsky shot a 65 on the first tee of the first set of the day. Winless on the PGA Tour, he birdied four of his first two holes and six, added two more on Nos. 10 and 11, and parred the last seven holes.
“It’s awesome. I’m doing everything right,” Lipsky said. “Missed the right spot, holed the putt early to get some momentum. The stretch at the end was obviously tough, so was able to save a couple pars on 16 and 18 and really keep the round going.”
Chandler Blanchet and Doug Ghim were at 7 under. Blanchett ended up with a bogey and a 66. Jim eagled the par-5 11th for a 67, then fought back with bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes.
“Obviously, I wish I could have done a little better,” Jim said. “Two bad holes don’t have to ruin a great day.”
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Snedeker shot 72 to drop to 5 under. The 45-year-old U.S. Presidents Cup captain received a sponsor exemption.
“The good news is it’s a very tough and tricky game this afternoon,” Snedeker said. “Try to make a positive out of it. When things don’t go your way, persevere.”
Jordan Smith (68) and Matt Fitzpatrick (69), Marco Penge (68) and Alex Smalley (69) were also at 5 under.
“I definitely played better yesterday and putted better today,” Spieth said. “So, try to get them both together on the weekends.”
Fitzpatrick finished second at The Players Championship last week.
Brooks Koepka returned to Innsbruck and shot a 67 to finish at 4 under and tied for 10th. He missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
“Keep doing what I’m doing,” Koepka said. “Hitting it well, the way I hit it.”
Defending champion Viktor Hovland missed the cut with rounds of 70 and 75.