[Photo: Kiara Park/PGA of Australia]
Oliver Bekker was one strike away from authoring a clean back nine in tricky conditions on Saturday at the WA Open, but a sole miscue let several golfers back into the picture.
With one loop of Secret Harbour Golf Links remaining, the defending champion shares the lead with James Marchesani and Jasper Stubbs, with four players just a stroke off their 10-under lead. The top 11 golfers after 54 holes are within two shots, setting up a Sunday shootout south of Perth.
A fluctuating third round offered up numerous storylines. PGA associate Lachlan Chamberlain held the lead as the last group made the turn, but he lost his way with a pair of lost balls in the duneland scrub right of the 13th fairway en route to a 75.
Stubbs’ 67 was matched by New South Welshman Jason Hong and bettered only by the 66s returned by Sydney’s Daniel Gale and Victorian Harry Goakes, who are part of the logjam at eight-under.
The quartet at nine-under includes Hong, Perth’s Curtis Luck (70), Todd Sinnott (73), American Kameron Williams (68). Every one of them is right in contention. Even those players tied for 17th at five-under aren’t out of the mix, just five shots off the pace.
The breezes whipping off the Indian Ocean kept players honest on Saturday. While not nearly as fierce as they can be in the part of the world, they gusted and swirled enough to mess with the players. Bekker (72) backed off several shots on the more exposed inward nine and was fooled by the wind with the ball he lost off the 14th tee, necessitating a reload on his way to a double-bogey.
Defending champion Oliver Bekker stripes one off the 16th tee. [Photo: Steve Keipert]
Bekker is attempting to become the first player to win consecutive WA Opens since Terry Gale in 1982-1983. Shortly after his WA Open win last October, Bekker and his wife made the decision to move their young family from South Africa, calling Perth home since January.
Local eyes will be on Luck [pictured], the former US Amateur and WA Open champion ending a 30-week hiatus on all tours with a T-3 last week at the WA PGA Championship.
“I was at a point in my round with five holes to play where I had heaps of room to make a few more birdies,” Luck lamented.
“I felt like the holes were really gettable from 15 through to 18. I felt like they were not playing too tough today and I made them look kind of hard. So that’s a little disappointing when you feel like there’s shots out there that you left, but two-under after that kind of start to settle myself back in is pretty good.
“I’d love to get another WA Open. Let’s get as many people out here as we can and support the WA Open. It’s a great event and hopefully it’ll be a good atmosphere out there to play in front of.”
A victory for Marchesani would be a popular one after the Victorian came close to a breakthrough win at the Ford NSW Open last November. His is the lone player in the field to break 70 all three days so far (68-69-69).
“The past eight months, I’ve put myself in a lot of positions to win,” Marchesani said. “I haven’t quite got there but trying to do the same things again tomorrow and shoot the lowest number I can.
“I’m getting on a little bit now. Certainly not the young guy out here anymore, but just that the game’s still good enough and the processes and all the practise and stuff that you’re doing sort of behind the scenes that no one gets to see is doing the right things and allowing me to get myself in position.”
This is the 54-hole scenario many tournament organisers dream of. A host of players in contention, the defending champion tied for the lead and numerous local players in with a chance. Sunday at Secret Harbour is shaping as one to savour.
