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3M Open 2020: Michael Thompson, Richy Werenski Share Lead After Round 3
July 25, 2020
The final round of the 3M Open 2020 on Sunday is shaping up to be a doozy.
A total of 17 players are within five strokes of leaders Michael Thompson and Richy Werenski (-15), who each shot a three-under 68 on Saturday to remain atop the leaderboard after coming into the day tied for first.
They took different paths to meet in the same place. Thompson was the picture of consistency, with four birdies and one bogey. Werenski was a bit more unpredictable, finishing with five birdies and two bogeys.
"I'm pretty happy with the round," Thompson told reporters. "The game doesn't need to be more complicated than it is. If I keep it simple [Sunday], I'm going to have a good day."
Things did get interesting for Thompson on the 18th, though he rather brilliantly managed to save par after a poor tee shot:
Werenski caught up to him after chasing him for much of the round following his bogeys on Nos. 5 and 11, finishing with a birdie on the 18th:
"Definitely good to have a strong finish like that," Werenski said. "It just kind of clicked in, and I gave myself a chance going into tomorrow."
That set up what should be quite the battle Sunday.
Charl Schwartzel (-13), Tony Finau (-13) and Max Homa (-12) round out the top five.
"I know my game feels very, very good," Homa told reporters after posting a 64 on Saturday, one of the best rounds of the day. "It has for a couple weeks, despite some of the scores, but now that I'm making a few putts, it feels quite a bit easier."
While the field is tight near the top, one thing the final day won't have is much in the way of star power. World No. 4 Dustin Johnson and No. 6 Brooks Koepka didn't even make the cut heading into the weekend. At No. 17, Finau is the top-ranked player left in the tournament.
So all eyes will be on the potential battle between Thompson and Werenski.
"I did a good job of just hanging in there, grinding along," Werenski said. "I feel really good this week. Everything feels solid. I just want to keep hanging around and hopefully something happens."