Patrick Cantlay falls just shy of 59, settles for share of Shriners Children's Open lead with Tom Kim

LAS VEGAS — Patrick Cantlay came within one putt of a 59 on Saturday, instead matching his low score on the PGA Tour for a share of the lead with 20-year-old Tom Kim going into the final round of the Shriners Children's Open.

If the third round was any indication, anything goes on the TPC Summerlin high above the Las Vegas Strip.

Cantlay had five birdies in his opening six holes, and then poured it on again down the stretch with five birdies in a six-hole stretch that put him on the cusp of his first sub-60 round.

He had a birdie putt from just inside 25 feet that broke sharply to the right, and Cantlay played it a little too high of the cup.

It was his first 60 on tour as a pro — his other 60 was at the 2011 Travelers Championship as a 19-year-old amateur after Cantlay finished his freshman year at UCLA.

Cantlay has never shot 59 even at his home course of Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, California, and he smiled when asked about the stress of his final putt.

«I would have liked to have made it, yeah,» he said.

And then his thoughts turned to a final round, which shaped up as a dandy. Kim is a budding star, having won the Wyndham Championship and delivering big moments in his debut at the Presidents Cup.

He birdied five of his last six holes, sticking a wedge to 2 feet on the 18th, for a 62 that put him in a tie with Cantlay at 19-under 194.

They were three shots clear of a Mito Pereira (67) and Matthew Ne Smith (63), with defending champion Sungjae Im (63) another shot behind.

For Cantlay, a good performance in Las Vegas is familiar.

He picked up his first PGA Tour victory in a playoff at the TPC Summerlin in 2017. He twice was a runner-up in Las Vegas. His worst result was a tie for eighth in 2020 when he had a