Sungjae Im Maintains Lead at Valspar Championship as Hovland Fails to Make Cut

Sungjae Im preserved his lead at the Valspar Championship, bouncing back on the back nine to narrowly outpace David Lipsky. Following two consecutive missed cuts after recovering from a wrist injury, Im carded a two-under 69 to reach nine under par, one stroke ahead of Lipsky in challenging conditions on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook. Im's round was marked by three bogeys and two birdies on the front nine, before birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. A decisive seven-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole secured his lead. The 27-year-old South Korean has two PGA Tour victories under his belt, including the 2020 Honda Classic and the 2021 Shriners Children's Open. Lipsky, seeking his first PGA Tour win, shot a 65, starting his day in the first group off the first tee. He began strongly with birdies on the first two holes and four of the first six, adding two more on the 10th and 11th, before paring the final seven holes. "My game was excellent today. I executed well, missed shots in the right spots, and made crucial putts early on to build momentum. The finishing stretch is tough, but I managed to save pars on 16 and 18, which was key to my round," Lipsky reflected. Chandler Blanchet and Doug Ghim trailed at seven under. Blanchet closed with a bogey for a 66, while Ghim shot 67, highlighted by an eagle on the 11th, but undone by bogeys on the 15th and 16th. "While I wish I had finished stronger, two poor holes don't necessarily ruin a good day," Ghim noted. Snedeker carded a 72 to drop to five under, having received a sponsor exemption. "The positive is that the course is playing tough, which makes my performance somewhat more acceptable. I hung in there despite things not going as planned," Snedeker said. England's Matt Fitzpatrick, who finished second last week in The Players Championship, was five under alongside Jordan Smith and Marco Penge. Brooks Koepka, in his return to Innisbrook, was tied for 10th at four under after a 67, narrowly missing a three-foot birdie putt on his final hole. Defending champion Viktor Hovland missed the cut with rounds of 70 and 75. The third round of the Valspar Championship will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf from 11:45 am on Saturday, available for streaming without a contract.