Valspar Championship Round 3: Hovland, Bridgeman and Echavarria Share a Crowded Lead

Saturday at Innisbrook was a demolition derby, and the three players still standing at the end are sharing the hood ornament. Viktor Hovland, Jacob Bridgeman and Nico Echavarria are tied at 7-under 206 heading into the final round of the Valspar Championship, and behind them sits a crowd so thick it barely qualifies as a chase pack.

Hovland shot 2-under 69, Bridgeman scrambled to a 1-under 70 and Echavarria posted a bogey-free 66 from well ahead of the final groups. Rookie Ricky Castillo is alone in fourth, one back after a 68. Five players are two back at 5 under, including Justin Thomas after a 65. By the AP's count, 23 players are within four shots of the lead.

Bridgeman Bends, Then Grinds

The 36-hole leader looked like he might be the day's casualty. Bridgeman missed a 3-foot par putt on his very first hole, then closed the front nine with two straight bogeys and made the turn four shots off the lead. For a player sleeping on a TOUR lead for the first time, that is the nightmare script.

He rewrote it at the 10th. A wedge to 3 feet set up birdie, and his caddie, G.W. Cable, gave him a slap on the backside and a "Let's go." From there it was chaos in the good sense, a run of seven straight holes without a par at one point, and a back nine that pulled him all the way back into a share of the top.

"I wasn't hitting it great. I wasn't flustered, I wasn't really freaking out," Bridgeman said, per the AP. "I was just head down and grind the best I could."

This is his first 54-hole lead or co-lead on TOUR, in his 40th start.

Hovland Keeps It Simple

Hovland's 69 was the steadiest round among the leaders: three birdies, one bogey and a 32-footer for birdie that the PGA TOUR clipped for highlights. The bogey came at the par-5 14th, where he went for the green in two and paid for it. Otherwise he kept the ball in front of him, which for a player who arrived this week openly unsure where his shots were going, counts as a win in itself.

"It's fun to be in contention, but it is a little bit more stressful when you don't feel super comfortable over the ball," Hovland said.

He also sounded like a player who likes the setup. "I think this type of golf course really fits me right now," Hovland said. History is on his side too. This is his fifth career 54-hole lead or co-lead, and he converted three of the first four into wins, according to the PGA TOUR.

Echavarria Goes Clean

Echavarria's 66 was the cleanest card on the board, one of only three bogey-free rounds Saturday, and it came a day after a Friday that included two double bogeys. He birdied all three par 3s on the back nine, which is how you go low on a course where the short holes usually do the damage.

"I think the birdie on 11 was huge for me," Echavarria said.

The Colombian has two PGA TOUR wins, at the 2023 Puerto Rico Open and in Japan last fall, and has turned two of his three previous 54-hole leads or co-leads into trophies.

Thomas Lights the Fuse

The loudest round of the day came hours before the leaders teed off. Thomas, paired with longtime friend Jordan Spieth, was grinding through a frustrating start until he rolled in an eagle putt from just inside 30 feet at the par-5 11th. He birdied the next three holes, shot 30 on the back nine and signed for 65, his lowest round ever on the Copperhead Course. At one point he was one shot off the lead.

"We got on a little four-hole run there and that can be the difference of sparking an entire week or not," Thomas said.

Spieth had his own wild ride to 67, making two birdies from deep in the woods and missing two short par putts, and sits four back with Lucas Glover.

The Snake Pit Is Waiting

Not everyone survived the day. Byeong Hun An was the only player to reach 9 under, getting there with a birdie at the 11th, then made five bogeys over his final seven holes to shoot 72 and slide three back. Shane Lowry (70), Kevin Yu, Davis Riley, Jeremy Paul and Ryo Hisatsune are all part of the group at 5 under with Thomas. Paul summed it up bluntly, figuring 25 to 30 players could still win this thing.

Paul is not exaggerating by much. Castillo, in his 10th TOUR start, is one shot from the lead. Thomas has a free-swinging 65 in the bank. Hovland has a pedigree for closing. Bridgeman and Echavarria have both shown they can wobble and recover. Sunday at Innisbrook ends with the Snake Pit, and with this many names in range, those three holes are going to decide a lot.

Catch up on the week in our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. Full scoring is 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, Golf Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.