BLAINE, Minn. — Thorbjorn Olesen labored out of hassle greater than as soon as Friday on the TPC Twin Cities to take a one-stroke lead over Jake Knapp into the weekend within the 3M Open.
Olesen adopted a gap 9-under 62 on Thursday with a 66, hitting out of the tough to arrange a 5-foot birdie putt on his last gap — the par-4 ninth. The 35-year-old Danish participant additionally recovered from a double bogey on the par-4 fifteenth with consecutive birdies as he searches for his first PGA Tour victory.
“I believe each days, my iron play has been actually, actually good,” Olesen mentioned. “I hit a number of photographs actually near the pin and gave myself a number of good possibilities. In the present day, there was like two or three dangerous drives that costed me, however I nonetheless felt fairly good over the ball.”
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He had a 14-under 128 complete.
Knapp shot 65. Pierceson Coody (65) was one other stroke again with Sam Stevens (68). Stevens closed with a bogey on No. 9. Takumi Kanaya (64), Chris Kirk (67) and Matti Schmid (68) had been 11 beneath.
With two weeks left within the common season, Knapp (fifty fifth within the FedEx Cup standings), Schmid (68th) and Kirk (77th) remained in competition for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The highest 70 advance to the primary playoff occasion.
Olesen is a European tour common with 9 worldwide victories. He missed the lower final week within the British Open in Northern Eire.
“I take each week because it comes,” Olesen mentioned. “Each week is a chance to try to bounce again and do one thing particular.”
Knapp remained bogey-free by means of 36 holes for the primary time in his profession, beginning out with birdies on Nos. 10-12. He seeks his first PGA Tour win of the season after incomes the primary of his profession within the 2024 Mexico Open.
“I really feel prefer it’s been … type of mistake-free for probably the most half,” Knapp mentioned. “I have not actually needed to scramble an excessive amount of.”
Knapp had the bottom rating on the PGA Tour this 12 months, a 59 on the Cognizant Basic in February.
Adam Svensson almost matched Knapp with a course-record 11-under 60 on Thursday, however dropped 29 spots Friday with a 75.
Lacking the lower had been Byeong Hun An, 67th within the FedEx Cup standings, and Haotong Li, who was within the last pairing with winner Scottie Scheffler within the British Open and tied for fourth.
