Cinderella Sunday

It's time for our weekly article to highlight some of the stories that might fly under the radar from events around the golf world. This week is a Major week, but there are many other stories, including Nelly going for six of seven, a Monday Q leads on the KFT, a 59 on the Americas, and 18 birdies in 36 holes. 

PGA Championship

Robert MacIntyre- I know he’s thinking about winning, but a solid Sunday for the left goes a long way in locking up his PGA Tour card for next season. He is currently 106th in points and could move way up with a top-10. 

Dean Burmester- The South African has only one top-15 finish in a major in his career and will head into the final round with a chance to win. Burmester has ten career Sunshine Tour wins, 4 Euro Tour, and one LIV win. 

Zac Blair—Blair doesn’t have a chance to win, but he has had a solid week. He will head into the final round T24. A good final round will help in the season-long points race, as he is currently 145th. 

KFT

As always with the KFT (and why I love this tour so much), countless great stories are in contention. Former Tour winners, grinders, cult heroes, and Monday Q’s. With 21 players within three shots of the lead, there are too many to highlight, but I’ll touch on a few. 

Tanner Gore- Mondays!! This is why I love Mondays. Tanner Gore turned pro five years ago and has played just 11 career KFT events. His best career finish in those 11 starts is a T39 earlier this year. Today, he tees off with a two-stroke lead in the final round. Gore is a conditional member this year but finished way down at the final stage, so he has lived the Monday life most of the year. The last Monday Q to win on the KFT was The GOAT Spencer Levin, last season. 

Jeff Overton- The former Ryder Cupper nearly died after getting an infection in his spine following back surgery. The infection knocked him out of golf for years. Overton slowly made his way back with a start in 2022, nearly five years after his last start. Today, he starts the day just three back. What a story it would be if he won. 

Harry Higgs- The crowd favorite started off the KFT season with two top-16 finishes but missed three consecutive cuts coming into this week. A third-round 65 vaulted him into the log jam at T3. He will be one of 11 players teeing off today just three back of Gore. 

Cooper Dossey- Before Dossey got status a few years ago, I called him the “best player without status,” but it took some time for him to come into his own. The former All-American from Baylor has made just three of nine cuts this season and sits 94th in points. However, there is no mistaking his talent, and it would be no surprise to see him win. 

Braden Thornberry- The former number one AM in the world has struggled the last few years but, during Q-school season, seemed to find his groove. Thornberry made it through the first and second stages at PGA, LIV, and European Q-schools. However, he struggled at final stage of each and has had to rely on conditional status to get into events. Braden has always been open and honest about his career with me and never shied away from discussing his struggles. It would be great to see him pull it off today. 

RJ Manke- The former Pepperdine star and teammate of Sahith Theegala is T13 in his first KFT start of the season after Monday qualifying. A top-25 would get Manke into next week’s event, so a critical Sunday ahead. 

Leaderboard

LPGA

Nelly Korda shot a third-round 65 and, in a surprise to no one, takes a two-shot lead into the final round Sunday. 

Nelly- Do I really need to add anything? The best in the world is on a run, which we should all appreciate. 

Hannah Green- A nine-birdie 63 vaulted Green up the leaderboard and into the final pairing with Nelly. Green already has two wins this season and looks to take down the number one player in the world for win number three. 

Ayaka Furue—I watched her play on Thursday with Nelly and was really impressed by her game. She is tiny, and I mean tiny (generously listed at 5 feet even on the LPGA site), and doesn’t hit the ball very far. She had numerous three-woods and hybrids into greens, but she is so good with those clubs. She is just three back. 

So Mi Lee—On Thursday, Lee was the second alternate, and today, she tees off T8, looking for her best career LPGA finish. My full story on her week is here. 

Sophia Popov—The former Major winner has really struggled since returning from maternity leave. In fact, coming into this week, she hadn’t broken 70 since her return. Yesterday, she shot a 67 and will head into the final round T5. 

Leaderboard

Epson

Australian Fiona Xu birdied 18 of the final 36; yes, you read that right, finished 22-under (for 54 holes!!), and won by eight over Kaleigh Telfer. Longtime grinder Alena Sharp finished third. 

Leaderboard

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