South Korea's Sungjae Im maintains Valspar lead for third straight day

Field Level MediaSat, March 21, 2026 at 10:20 PM UTC

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Mar 21, 2026; Palm Harbor, Florida, USA; Sungjae Im putts on the sixth green during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images (Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images)

South Korea's Sungjae Im sank a 13-foot putt on the final hole to shoot 2-under-par 69 and stretch his lead to two strokes through the third round of the Valspar Championship on Saturday at Palm Harbor, Fla.

Im had gone nine holes without a birdie on Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club's Copperhead Course before sinking his last birdie attempt. He enters Sunday's final round at 11-under 202 in search of his first PGA Tour win since the 2021 Shriners Children's Open.

Brandt Snedeker posted 67 to pull into a share of second place with David Lipsky, who turned in an erratic 70.

Snedeker's bogey-free round -- beginning with three birdies on the first four holes -- gave him a score that matched the best rounds of the day.

England's Marco Penge and England's Matt Fitzpatrick shot matching 68s to hold a tie for fourth place at 8 under. That's two shots clear of South Korea's S.H. Kim and Belgium's Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a duo that shared the day's best round with Snedeker.

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Lipsky moved into a share of the lead with a birdie on No. 15 before giving it back with a bogey -- his third of the back nine -- on the next hole. His round included five birdies and four bogeys.

Im, who hadn't led through 36 holes of a PGA Tour event since 2021, finished at 69 for the second day in a row. He saved par on No. 16 after a tee shot settled on a cart path.

Penge was at 2 over for the round after a double-bogey 6 on No. 6, but he played the backside bogey-free at 4 under.

Fitzpatrick was steadier. He fashioned nothing but pars -- save a three-hole stretch of birdies on Nos. 10-12.

--Field Level Media

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Source: “AOL Sports”