PGA TOUR: Birdie finish keeps Yu in title contention at Cognizant Classic

Chinese Taipei's rising star Kevin Yu displayed poise and patience to remain in title contention at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches after shooting a 1-under 70 for tied fourth place.

Yu birdied the final hole in his third round at PGA National Resort (The Champion) on Saturday for his only second gain of the day, which left him on 10-under and three back of co-leaders, Ireland's Shane Lowry (66), England's David Skinns (66) and American Austin Eckroat (68), as he chases a maiden PGA TOUR victory. Compatriot C.T. Pan overcame a double bogey to also card a 70 and lie on 9-under as he continued his fine form following a T3 in Mexico last weekend while Korea’s K.H. Lee returned a 70 for tied 11th on 8-under, the PGA said in a report on its official website.

The 25-year-old Yu knows his putter will need to get hot on Sunday if he is to challenge the leaders for his career breakthrough. Although he hit 15 greens in regulation, he failed to capitalise on several opportunities, taking 33 putts despite starting strongly with a 60-foot birdie conversion on the fifth. "It was a solid day today. Obviously, I didn't make a lot of putts. Just hitting the ball pretty nicely. I just missed a lot of putts," said Yu, who dropped his lone bogey on the 14th before making a two-putt birdie on the par-5 18th hole. I'll work on my putting right now and hopefully get it going tomorrow," he was quoted as saying by PGA TOUR.

He is driven by the prospect of securing a coveted spot at next week's Signature Event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, after qualifying for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational through the Aon Swing 5 after notching two top-10s in January. "Definitely paying attention a little bit. Definitely out there not thinking that much, just trying to play my golf, but that's a thing that I've been keeping an eye on. Hopefully, have a good result tomorrow heading into next week," said Yu, who enjoyed a stellar amateur career at Arizona State University before turning professional.

Korea’s Tom Kim posted a score of 70, placing him at T26, while Byeong Hun An and S.H. Kim dropped to T48 and T63, respectively, after rounds of 71 and 75. Lowry, who finished top-5 in his last two starts at the event, is seeking his third PGA TOUR victory following wins at the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and 2019 Open Championship.

“Even though the scoring is pretty good this year, I like playing tough golf,” said Lowry. “I like it when everything is on the line a lot out there. You’re standing there over a lot of shots on this golf course, a lot that means a lot, as one bad swing can lead to a big number. I feel like I just know how to play the golf course. I feel like I’ve figured it out,” he added.