Carl Yuan’s three hole-outs vault him into a tie for fourth

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An exceedingly difficult game on a challenging course is made easier when the hole starts getting in the way, as it did on Sunday for Carl Yuan. He holed out from off the green three times in the Valspar Championship on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla.

It began at the par-5 fifth hole when he holed out for eagle from 35 yards. Then on the par-3 eighth hole, from long and left of the green, he pitched in from 57 feet for birdie. He completed the trifecta from left of the green at the par-4 12thhole, holing a chip from 37 feet.

Yuan played those three holes in four-under par, while playing the other 15 holes in one-over par for a round of three-under 68 that enabled him to finish tied for fourth, his second top 10 of the season.

“It was challenging and definitely played tough,” Yuan said. “I really hung in there, just really trying to commit shot by shot. Don’t really let one bad shot or one poor result take my mind off it, just keep trusting it, committing it. Yeah, fortunately enough, I had a couple chip-ins today, and that was very exciting.”

Yuan, 27, a Chinese native who played collegiately at Washington, also tied for fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii to start the season.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com