Farmers Insurance Open Round 3: Harris English Birdies His Way Into the Lead

Twenty-four hours after the wind turned Torrey Pines into a survival test, the South Course finally let people play golf. Harris English took the invitation and ran with it.

English shot a 6-under 66 on Friday to reach 9-under 207 and take a one-shot lead into Saturday's final round of the Farmers Insurance Open. His St. Simons Island neighbor Andrew Novak matched that 66, bogey-free, and sits alone in second at 8 under. Rookie Aldrich Potgieter is third at 7 under after a 67, and a four-man group of Joel Dahmen, Lanto Griffin, Matti Schmid and K.H. Lee is four back at 5 under.

A Finish Built on Birdies

English started the day three shots off the lead and finished it in front by stacking birdies at the right moments. He made three in a four-hole stretch before the turn, then caught fire again late, with four birdies over his last six holes. The capper came at the par-5 18th, where English hit a 131-yard third shot to inside 3 feet and tapped in for his third straight birdie to close.

The weather made it possible, and English said so. "Today was way easier condition-wise," English said, per the PGA TOUR, noting that players still had to manage their games.

English has history here. He lost a four-way playoff to Jason Day at the 2015 Farmers and finished third at the 2021 U.S. Open on this same South Course. He has four PGA TOUR wins, but none since the 2021 Travelers Championship, where he outlasted Kramer Hickok in a playoff.

"Winning in a place like this will be massive," English said, per the AP. "It's one of my favorite places, and the list of winners here is pretty incredible, so I love being in the mix."

Novak's Clean Card

Novak held the lead for a stretch on Friday and never gave a shot back. His bogey-free 66 ended with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th that kept him one behind. Novak is in his fourth season on TOUR and still chasing a first win, and he was refreshingly honest about what Saturday will feel like.

"There's going to be nerves," Novak said, per the PGA TOUR. He put it another way to the AP: "You want to win, and anytime you want something, you might put pressure on yourself."

The neighborly angle writes itself. English and Novak both live on St. Simons Island in Georgia, and they will walk the South Course together in the final group.

The 20-Year-Old With the Big Stick

Potgieter's round was the most entertaining on the board. The South African rookie, who leads the TOUR in driving distance, birdied three of the par 3s, which by his own admission is not the strongest part of his game.

"Par 3s probably aren't my strongest out of the pars, but I was hitting the ball a lot better today," Potgieter said, per the AP.

Then came the highlight of the day: an eagle on the par-4 12th, where Potgieter holed out from 173 yards with an 8-iron. That 67 is a 9-shot turnaround from the 76 Potgieter shot in Thursday's gusts, and it sets up a 20-year-old two shots off the lead in the final round of a TOUR event.

Åberg Fades

The 36-hole co-leader had a tough Friday. Ludvig Åberg, who looked visibly unwell during the round according to the AP, hit only eight greens in regulation and shot a 2-over 74. He slipped to 4-under 212, five back. For a player who opened with a 63 on Wednesday, it is a frustrating turn, though the gap is not insurmountable on a course that can swing quickly.

Griffin, Åberg's co-leader after 36 holes, shot 73 and slid into the group at 5 under. Sungjae Im (72) and Kris Ventura (71) are tied with Åberg at 4 under. Sam Stevens (71) and Hayden Springer (73) are part of the group at 3 under, as is Hideki Matsuyama after a 70.

Lee's 68 was one of the better rounds of the day and pushed him into a tie for fourth. Florida State amateur Luke Clanton shot 72 and is at 2 under.

One Day, One Course, Plenty of Questions

The Farmers finishes Saturday this year to stay clear of Sunday's NFL conference championship games, so the final round arrives a day early. English has the lead and the scar tissue from 2015. Novak has a clean card and no TOUR wins yet. Potgieter has the length to make the par 5s look small. Behind them, a pack of players at 4 and 5 under is close enough to matter if the leaders stall.

The AP noted that breezes were expected to pick up again Saturday, which would put the South back in charge. Friday was the scoring window. Saturday may ask a different question entirely.

Catch up on the week in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. Full scores are on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 3 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 3 recap and leaderboard), AP. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.