PGA TOUR: Yu maintains his championship chances at the Cognizant Classic thanks to a birdie finish

Kevin Yu, the emerging star from Chinese Taipei, shot a 1-under 70 to tie for fourth place at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, but he showed composure and patience to stay in the running for the championship.

As he pursues his first-ever PGA TOUR victory, Yu is chasing co-leaders Shane Lowry of Ireland (66), David Skinns of England (66), and American Austin Eckroat of the United States (68). Yu gained his only additional point of the day on Saturday when he birdied the final hole in his third round at PGA National Resort (The Champion). Korea’s K.H. Lee shot a 70 to tie for 11th on 8-under, while fellow countryman C.T. Pan overcame a double bogey to also shoot a 70 and lie on 9-under, continuing his excellent run after a T3 in Mexico last weekend, the PGA stated in a post on its official website.

His motivation comes from the possibility of earning a coveted berth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard the following week. He qualified for both the Genesis Invitational and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am via the Aon Swing 5, and he finished two places above of the cut in January.

“I’m definitely listening for a short while. Though I’ve been keeping an eye on it, I’m definitely out there trying to play golf without giving it any thought. “I’m hoping for a strong outcome tomorrow as we move into next week,” said Yu, who had a fantastic amateur career at Arizona State University before becoming pro.

Tom Kim of Korea finished in T26 position with a score of 70, while Byeong Hun An and S.H. Kim fell to T48 and T63, respectively, with scores of 71 and 75. Following victories at the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the 2019 Open Championship, Lowry is vying for his third PGA TOUR title. He has been in the top five in his past two outings at the event. “Even though the scoring is pretty good this year, I like playing tough golf,” said Lowry. “I enjoy it most when there is a lot on the line. On this golf course, you’re standing over a lot of strokes, and it means a lot since one poor swing might result in a high number. I feel as though all I have to do is play golf. I think I’ve got it figured out,” he said.