VERO BEACH, Fla. – Saturday was moving day here at the 107th Amateur Championship and we sure saw a lot of shifts on the leaderboard. All 80 players finished 18 holes on Quail Valley which brought pristine conditions for the third round.
What Happened?
As players moved up the leaderboard and into contention for the final round, Jason Duff emerged as our solo leader finishing 5-under on the day, shooting a 66. Yesterday's co-leader, Christian Figueredo, dropped one spot into second place with a 35 on the front nine and back-nine.
John Daly II shot up the leaderboard to finish the day in third posting five birdies just on the front nine to come in at 6-under (66). Tyler Gulliksen and Marc Dull also had notable days, Gulliksen surging 25 spots up the leaderboard, while Dull moved up 22 spots posting eight birdies. Gulliksen posted a bogey-free round that was complemented by an eagle on the third hole.
Jimmy Ellis (T-4) shot a 36 on the front nine, and picked up speed to finish with a 33 on the back. Matthew Soucinek, also in a tie for fourth, birdied three holes on in his front nine while staying even par on the back. Past Champion, Jacob Huizinga, who finished yesterday T-3 ended the day with a bogey that would drop him in a tie for seventh. At day's end, we have solo top-three leaders, with a three-way tie for fourth while four players ended T-7.
What’s Next?
Sunday we will crown our 107th Amateur Champion. If necessary, there will be a hole-by-hole "sudden death" play-off for the Championship.
Notable
- Quail Valley allowed 19 players to shoot below par, while nine players broke 70.
- John Daly II birdied five out of nine holes on the front.
- Defending champion, Marc Dull, moved 22 spots up the leaderboard to finish T-7.
- Three players shared the low round shooting 6-under (66).
Quotable
“The hole that I have had the most discipline on this week is hole 10, I can get there in two but I have decided to lay up both days and have a
wedge in my hand both days and have birdied both days. I think tomorrow I will not waiver off of that strategy.” Leader, Jason Duff
“I have hit it good all week, my wedges were really good today and I was hitting it close. It’s pretty wide off the tee and it’s forgiving, but the tricky part is getting the speed of the greens, which I have done really well. I hit it great and made some more putts compared to the previous two days. I don’t plan on changing anything for the final day, just keep doing what I am doing tee to green and hope to see more putts drop and limit the three putts.” - John Daly II
“I hit the ball well today but couldn’t get my putts to drop, but tomorrow I am going to attack at everything and just hope the putts drop for me.” – Christian Figueredo
