PGA Tour rookie Pierceson Coody made three birdies and three bogeys for an even-par front nine before carding an eagle at the par-5 11 and two more birdies for a 68 to reach 20-under and take a one-shot lead at the ISCO Championship.
“The front nine, just a few things didn’t go my way,” said the American. “Didn’t quite hit it the way I wanted to, left myself in some tough spots. But every hole feels like out here you can have a chance at birdie with one good shot, so I just tried to stick with that mindset and luckily some good bounces and some good putts on the back nine got me back in it.
“[I was] obviously frustrated, but the more I kind of dwell on it and let myself fall into that frustration, I don’t think I would have bounced back the way I did. On a scale of 1 to 10 I was around a 3 or 4, but knowing that I still had a lot of golf to get myself back in the tournament.”
At 196, Coody tops his previous-low 54-hole score of 201 at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge where he finished T5. He holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the first time (previous best position: T3/2024 Charles Schwab Challenge).
England’s Harry Hall shot a bogey-free 64 to move into a share of second place at 19-under alongside the Philippines’ Rico Hoey whose 67 featured an eagle at the par-5 15th as well as his first bogey of the tournament at the par-4 18th after taking a penalty drop for an unplayable lie, the longest bogey-free
stretch of any player this week.
England’s Sam Bairstow made six consecutive birdies from the 10th to close with a bogey-free 62 and a share of fourth place at 18-under alongside American Johannes Veerman who shot a 67 featuring an eagle at the par-5 8th.
Neal Shipley, the low amateur at the Masters Tournament and US Open who finished T9 in his professional debut on PGA Tour Americas in June and is making his third start on the PGA Tour as a professional, closed with a 66 for his share of fourth place.
Related: Home favourite Robert MacIntyre in contention ahead of Scottish Open final day
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