LIV Golf Indianapolis Rd. 3 recap
WESTFIELD, Ind. – LIV Golf Indianapolis is set up for an incredible finish, with 15 players within three shots of the individual lead and just five shots separating the top five teams heading into the final round at The Club at Chatham Hills. Twenty-two-year-old Michael La Sasso sits alone atop the individual leaderboard at 13-under after a 4-under 66, while Legion XIII leads the Team Championship at 34-under, just one shot ahead of HyFlyers GC. La Sasso and HyFlyers are chasing history Sunday, with the young American seeking his first professional victory and HyFlyers looking for their first-ever LIV Golf team title.
La Sasso, who won an NCAA individual title before turning professional, backed up his record-tying 60 in Rd. 2 with Saturday's 66. A victory Sunday would be his first at any level as a pro.
He's not the only one chasing a breakthrough at Chatham Hills. Richard Bland, who shared the round of the day with a 5-under 65, moved into a four-way tie for second at 12-under alongside Laurie Canter, Cameron Smith and Thomas Detry. Bland, Canter and Detry are also still in search of a first individual LIV Golf title.
Canter, who opened the week with his career-best 62, said he's encouraged by the state of his game after a stretch of strong finishes at LIV Golf UK and LIV Golf New York, but acknowledged just how crowded the leaderboard is heading into Sunday.
"It's absolutely stacked, isn't it," Canter said. "I think sort of 10-under par, there's probably 12, 15 guys. There's absolutely no chance anyone can let off tomorrow." Canter added that he'll need something close to his Rd. 1 62 to close the deal, and that he plans to keep an eye on the leaderboard throughout the final round while focusing on playing his own game.
Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Josele Ballester and Younghan Song sit tied for sixth at 11-under, while a group of six – including Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, Thomas Pieters, Scott Vincent, Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, Matthew Wolff and Dean Burmester – are tied for 10th at 10-under, rounding out the group of 15 within three shots of La Sasso.
Legion XIII's one-shot edge over HyFlyers GC comes with Rahm, Tom McKibbin, Tyrrell Hatton and Caleb Surratt all inside the top 15 individually. Ripper GC sits third at 31-under, led by Cameron Smith's 12-under total, while 4Aces GC rounds out the top four at 30-under.
The Indianapolis finale now has everything at stake: an individual title that could belong to a 22-year-old seeking his first professional win, a Team Championship that could deliver HyFlyers their first-ever LIV Golf team victory as well as a team championship, and established stars from Legion XIII, Ripper GC and 4Aces trying to spoil both storylines. Sunday's final round is poised to produce one of the most intense finishes in LIV Golf history.
