Out of the third-to-last threesome, World No. 249 Francesco Molinari walked off with bogey for a 4-under-par 35-33=68 in R4 of The American Express, dipping one place to a season-best T6 on 19-under 269, four adrift of champion Hudson Swafford (64).
This is the Italian’s 28th career top 10 in 168 events, first since T8 at last season’s Genesis Invitational 12 starts ago. It’s his third at the AmEx in six tries, second straight after T8 last year, and in fact, his most recent four top 10s have all come in his adopted home state of California. After opening with trip 67s (LQ-NT-SC), the Los Angeles resident began in a six-way T5, three back of rookie co-leaders Lee Hodges and Paul Barjon, and found 10 (of 14) fairways and 13 greens in regulation. He sandwiched seven birdies at holes 4, 6 (fringe-shot from 21'11"), 7, 11, 12, 15 (hole-out from 14'5" away) and 16, with three bogey-5s at 2, 3, and 18 (failed scrambles), gaining 3.287 strokes tee-to-green but losing 0.373 on-the-green, missing three putts from inside of nine feet. For the week, the 39-year-old totaled 25 birdies against six bogeys, and in his two lasered laps at the Stadium Course over the weekend, ranked 12th SG: Tee-to-Green (4.671). He is in the published field at this coming week’s Farmers.