SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Martin Laird retained his second-round lead at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday and will take a three-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.
Laird, who had a two-shot lead through 36 holes, carded a 3-under 68 on Saturday and is 13-under. Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama and Zach Johnson are all in second place at 10-under.
By far the best story on the leaderboard is Jon Rahm, an amateur who is a freshman at Arizona State and got a sponsor’s exemption into the field. He’s is 9-under and four shots out of the lead.
Rahm is trying to duplicate the feat Phil Mickelson pulled off in 1991 when he won the Northern Telcom Open in Tucson at age 20 while still a student at Arizona State in the field on a sponsor’s exemption.
Rahm, a junior, shot 66 Saturday. His round included a holed flop shot on the par-4 eighth hole.
Rahm played alongside Keegan Bradley and Brandt Snedeker on Saturday and beat them both. Bradley shot 71 and Snedeker fired 70.
“I’ve got to say I started really, really nervous because I was playing with two great players,” said Rahm, the world’s No. 3 ranked amateur. “But after I hit the first shot on the fairway, I was absolutely satisfied with that. It kind of got me going, hitting the shots I hit on the first hole.
After that I got a boost of confidence and I started playing great golf.”
Rahm again wore a jersey of Arizona State alum Pat Tillman, the NFL player who died while serving in the U.S. military in Afghanistan, while playing No. 16.
Ryan Palmer and Justin Thomas are tied with Rahm at 9-under.
Laird, who is seeking his fourth PGA Tour win, joked that he felt like the old man in Saturday’s final group. The 32-year-old Laird played alongside two 21-year-olds — Thomas and Daniel Berger.
On Sunday he will play alongside Matsuyama, who is 22, and Koepka, who is 24.
Francesco Molinari carded a hole-in-one on the 16th hole Saturday, drawing a loud celebration from the fans in the stadium that encircles the hole. He hit pitching wedge from 133 yards. The roar was so loud Zach Johnson said he heard it from the fourth tee.
“We all looked at each other and went, ‘Yep, there’s one.’ It was pretty obvious,” he said.