PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Viktor Hovland was steady amid a wild Saturday of charges and collapses at the Valspar Championship, leaving him in a three-way tie for the lead at Innisbrook with two dozen players still very much in the mix.
Jacob Bridgeman showed plenty of mettle in his first time as the 36-hole leader, falling four shots behind at the turn and rallying for a 1-under 70 to share the lead with Hovland (69) and Nico Echavarria (66).
They were at 7-under 206 with seemingly everyone on their heels. That includes Justin Thomas, who left on Friday hopeful he would make the cut. He shot 30 on the back nine for a 65, his lowest round ever on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook, to finish two behind.
Jordan Spieth was entertaining as ever, twice making birdie from deep in the woods, and along with missing a pair of short par putts, and having to settle for a 67. He still was only four shots behind going into a Sunday in which 23 players were separated by four shots.
Byeong Hun An was the only player to reach 9 under with a birdie on the 11th hole, only to make five bogeys over the final seven holes for a 72. Even so, he was only three back.
Hovland came into the week in search of his swing, returning to another coach and being willing to take as much time as he needed to figure out where the ball is going. It's working out in his favor so far.
“It's fun to be in contention, but it is a little bit more stressful when you don't feel super comfortable over the ball,” Hovland said. “But man, it's fun to see some putts go in and still see the ball end up close to the hole and put some good scores up there.”
Echavarria, who won in Japan last fall for his second PGA Tour title, finished well ahead of the final groups and played bogey-free for his 66, remarkably making birdie on all three of the par 3s on the back nine.
The Colombian didn't expect to have a share of the lead when he finished, though he knew he would at least have a chance.
“This is a golf course where you don’t have to be one off the lead starting to get the leaders,” he said. “We have seen that it’s a hard golf course. You have to drive your ball very well out here. You have to hit the greens. It’s tough around the greens. So we’re going to have a chance tomorrow having a good round.”
Most impressive was Bridgeman, a second-year player who began the third round by missing a 3-foot par putt. He also took two straight bogeys to finish the front nine and was falling behind. But then he hit wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the 10th and worked his way back. At one point, Bridgeman had seven straight holes without a par.
“I was just head down and grind the best I could,” Bridgeman said. “I wasn't hitting it great. I wasn't flustered, I wasn't really freaking out. But I knew if I could get the ball in the fairway I would be fine.”
He said after the birdie on 10 his caddie G.W. Cable slapped him on the behind and told him, “Let's go.”
“And I kept it up,” Bridgeman said.
Thomas and Spieth teed off some five hours before the leaders, longtime friends who took turns posting birdies. Thomas felt frustrated not to make up much ground until he holed an eagle putt from just inside 30 feet on the par-5 11th hole and was on his way. Thomas birdied the next three holes and at one point was one shot behind.
“We got on a little four-hole run there and that can be the difference of sparking an entire week or not,” Thomas said. “So hopefully that’s the one that sparks the week.”
Ricky Castillo had a 68 and was one shot behind. Thomas and Shane Lowry (70) were among five players at 5-under 208, with An and Billy Horschel (69) in the large group another shot behind. Lucas Glover (69) was part of the group with Spieth at four behind.
“The leaderboard is stacked. There’s probably like 25 guys — 30 guys maybe — that can still win this golf tournament,” said Jeremy Paul of Germany, who shot 70 and was in the group two shots behind. “Trying to put a good round together and see where it puts me.”
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Justin Thomas hits from in front of the gallery on the 18th hole during the first round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Thursday, March 20, 2025, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Jacob Bridgeman tees off on the sixth hole during the first round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Thursday, March 20, 2025, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
PARIS (AP) — French actor Gérard Depardieu went on trial Monday in Paris on charges of sexually assaulting two women on a movie set, in a case seen as a potential watershed for the #MeToo movement in France.
Depardieu, 76, is accused of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant director during filming in 2021 of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”).
The actor faces up to five years in prison and a 75,000 euros ($81,000) fine if convicted.
Depardieu, who denies any wrongdoing, told the judges that he was prepared to answer the court’s questions.
“We will be able to show in an impartial, objective and incontestable manner that all of the accusations are lies,” his attorney, Jérémie Assous, told journalists massed outside the courtroom.
“The truth will be obvious and the truth is on our side,” he said.
Prosecutors say Depardieu trapped the set dresser with his legs before groping her waist and breasts in front of witnesses. She says the actor also used obscene language and had to be pulled away by bodyguards.
The assistant director alleged that Depardieu groped her both on set and in the street.
The women sat side by side in court. The Associated Press doesn’t name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to being identified. Neither has in this case.
France has often been ambivalent — even resistant — toward the #MeToo movement. While Hollywood saw powerful men fall swiftly and publicly, the French film industry was slower to respond. Some dismissed #MeToo as an American export incompatible with French values, citing concerns over free expression and what they viewed as an erosion of flirtation culture.
At the time of the alleged assaults, Depardieu was already under formal investigation for rape. In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his home. That case is still active, and in August 2024, prosecutors requested that it go to trial.
The sexual assault trial that opened Monday is expected to last at least two days, but could be extended beyond Tuesday, if the chief judge wants more time. The trial was initially scheduled for October, but then postponed because of Depardieu’s health. A verdict is expected at a later date.
Depardieu grasped his lawyer's shoulder as he strode calmly into the courtroom. The actor has undergone a quadruple heart bypass and has diabetes, according to his lawyer. A court-appointed medical expert determined that he’s fit to stand trial, but recommended that the hearings don't exceed six hours, with a 15-minute pause and snack every three hours.
This is the first time that Depardieu, one of France’s most prominent film actors, has been tried over sexual assault allegations. He has previously been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by more than 20 women, but no other case has proceeded to court. Some were dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.
Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the lawyer for one of the two plaintiffs, said on France Info radio that her client “is calmly awaiting the outcome of the case ... because the case is solid.”
Durrieu Diebolt said that four additional women who say they have been sexually assaulted by Depardieu will speak at the trial.
In an open letter published in Le Figaro in October 2023, Depardieu wrote: “Never, but never, have I abused a woman.”
Campaigners for women's rights demonstrated outside the courthouse. A dozen performed a choreographed dance to techno music while chanting: “Sexist violence, complicit judicial system.”
Depardieu had dropped out of sight in recent months, his film career seemingly on hold. But he still has friends in the industry. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant were among those who took seats on his side of the courtroom.
Thomas Adamson contributed to this report.
Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Actor Gerard Depardieu, left, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Actor Anouk Grinberg, left, enters the courtroom as actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Actor Charlotte Arnould, center, arrives at the courtroom, while Depardieu, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Actor Anouk Grinberg answers reporters outside the courtroom before actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Women demonstrate outside the palace of justice where actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
A woman holds a poster reading "Rapists, we see you" outside the palace of justice where actor Gerard Depardieu faces trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives with his lawyer Jeremie Assous, right, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Actor Gerard Depardieu, center, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, arrives Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, Monday, March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
FILE - Actor Gerard Depardieu attends the premiere of the movie "Tour de France" in Paris, France, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE - Actor Gerard Depardieu addresses the media during the press conference for the film 'Saint Amour' at the 2016 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt, File)
