On January 19, Beijing time, in the third round of the Grand Exuma Bahamas Classic, China's Yuan Yichun scored a 6-under-par result, pushing himself to second place. He will fight for his first victory on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The 24-year-old from Dalian caught three birdies in the opening four holes and then four birds in a row from the 14th hole to the 17th hole. At the end of the penultimate round, he trailed only one stroke behind leader Corey Sean, who rushed to the top of the leading table with a brilliant 64.
Yuan Yechun's steady play in the first game of the new year will give him the opportunity to make up for his sacrifice last year because he puts the country above himself. In June last year, he shortened the trip to the Korn Ferry Tour, returned to China for intensive training, and finally represented China at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. He knew it would weaken his hopes of qualifying for the PGA Tour. He was 27th in the standings at the time, and at the end of the regular season, the top 25 could earn PGA Tour entry cards.
If he picks up the cup here on Wednesday, he will also be the second Chinese player to win in the Bahamas, as compatriot Dou Zecheng won here in 2019.
"Overall, I was very satisfied, and there was a more obvious improvement in the kick-off and the hardcore tackle green than the previous two days. The direction of the hardcore and kick-off aim a few days ago was not very good, there were many balls that were easy to pull left, and I practiced after playing yesterday. Today the putter had a few lucky, pushing a few birds quite far. Yuan said he was runners-up three times on the Korn Ferry Tour.
(Yuan Yechun is expected to compete for the championship)
Yuan, who finished tied for 38th at the Olympics, stuck to his game plan throughout the week, choosing holes he was free to attack. He knows that if he wants to win his first game on the Korn Ferry Tour, keeping his pace will be key.
"I feel like I'm in good shape. I am confident and have a good strategy. I try to concentrate and only think about the goals I choose, and I'm doing a great job. I played very aggressively today. Yuan yechun said his current total score is a 207 under par of 9.
Compatriot Zhang Xinjun started the round with a tie for third, but after a disappointing 77, he slid out of the competition and dropped to a tie for 38th with a total score of 215, while Dou Zecheng shot 75, ranking 60th.
Sean, 25, shot 31 on the first nine holes, 5-under-par, before catching birdies on the 12th, 14th and 18th holes, missing the chance to set a record for the lowest score on the pitch with one shot. He narrowly failed to play this week's tournament because of injury and he withdrew from the Korn Ferry Tour qualifiers last year.
"I had to take a break for about five weeks, and before this game, I was still in pain, and the day before the official practice match, I couldn't even play," Sean said. I thought, if I hit 9 holes, I would have a problem with my back. I don't know what's going on now, but painkillers or adrenaline are helping me. ”