PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — An electric third round unfolded at BallenIsles Country Club during the 108th Amateur Championship. From a jam-packed leaderboard to a hole-in-one in front of none other than Tiger Woods, it was a day that won’t soon be forgotten.
What Happened?
The morning began like many others, but by 8:30 AM, the energy had shifted in a big way.
Leading off the day were Pavel Tsar, Charlie Woods, and 2024 Mid-Amateur Champion Jake Sherwin. On the 4th tee, Tsar set the tone early by knocking his tee shot to two feet. Woods followed with a dart of his own, landing it pin-high just four feet away. As Sherwin approached, he joked, “There’s no more room for me.” Moments later, that line became perfect foreshadowing. Sherwin’s tee shot took one hop and dropped straight into the cup for his third career hole-in-one.
As if an ace wasn't memorable enough, it happened right in front of the greatest of all time – Tiger Woods.
“It was such a surreal moment going over to pick the ball up and taking the pictures with Tiger” Sherwin said. “It is a moment I am going to remember for the rest of my life. To be able to get a hole in one in front of Tiger Woods is just something you dream about, and sure enough I lived it.”
From there, Saturday lived up to its name as moving day, with the leaderboard in constant motion. Arth Sinha ultimately rose to the top of the leaderboard by day’s end, carding a 3-under 69 to take command. The Florida Junior Tour standout now holds a one-shot lead at 6-under overall, fueled by a round that included six birdies and plenty of momentum heading into the final day.
The round of the day came courtesy of Boca Raton native Reed Greyserman, who soared 48 spots up the leaderboard with a blistering 8-under 64, just one stroke shy of the East Course record. He had a chance to tie the mark on his final hole but watched his birdie attempt slide just inches past.
Cooper Tate, who opened with back-to-back rounds of 72, vaulted up the board with a 5-under 67 securing second place heading into Sunday’s final round.
Meanwhile, Derek Busby stayed in the hunt with a rollercoaster round of birdies and bogeys, highlighted by a clutch eagle on the 15th. That moved him into a share of the lead, but two costly bogeys late dropped him into third place.
What’s Next?
The final 18 holes will be played on the East Course. Tee times will begin at 7:45 AM and will run until 9:35 AM off of tees #1 and #10. By day's end, we will crown our 108th Amateur Champion. This individual will receive an exemption into the 125th U.S. Amateur Championship. He will also receive an exemption into the next 25 Amateur Championships, the next three Amateur Match Play Championships, and the next two Florida Open Championships.
Notable
- Jake Sherwin had a double eagle during the second round and a hole-in-one during the third round.
- Reed Greyserman shot an 8-under 64, just one shot shy of the course record.
- Pavel Tsar shot a 4-under 68, which moved him into the top five.
- The round one and two scoring average of 77.5 was bested on day three as the 70 players who made the cut averaged 73.5.
Quotable
“It was about 113 yards and we got to talking about how there's not a lot of room for another ball to fit [because Pavel and Charlie both hit it close] and Charlie says “you could just hole it,” so I got over the ball and put a good swing on it. I didn’t see it go in, but it must have taken a bounce and spun back.” – Jake Sherwin on his hole-in-one in front on Tiger Woods
“I feel good, played good. I had a great front nine and held it together on the back nine. To prepare, I’ll hit a few balls, eat, and sleep good.” -- Arth Sinha on his third round, and how he'll prepare for tomorrow
