Ben Carr (Georgia Southern photo)
When the third round of the 90th Southeastern Amateur started,
Benjamin Carr was in the lead, with Rusty Mosley second and Jordan Doull in third.
As the three players walked off the 18th green after their third round at the Country Club of Columbus, Carr was in the lead, with Mosley still second and Doull still third.
So nothing much happened in round three, right? Well...
Scores are getting lower and lower at all levels of the game, and the first two weeks of the summer amateur season has provided two eye-popping examples. The first was the almost-impossible-to-comprehend 15-under 57 that Alex Ross shot last week at The Dogwood Invitational in Atlanta, and the second happened today just over 100 miles south in Columbus courtesy of Carr.
A hole-out from the 2nd fairway started the fireworks for the rising sophomore at Georgia Southern, and after a birdie at the par-5 4th, his lead had grown from one shot to five. He cruised to the turn with a string of pars, and then hit the accelerator.
Mosley, a 37-year-old former Florida State player who took 14 years away from competitive golf before returning with a semifinal run at the U.S. Mid-Amateur last year, birdied six, seven and eight to pull within three shots, but that's as close as he would get as Carr started making birdies.
Carr took advantage of the short 10th and 11th with back-to-back birdies, and then after a par went back-to-back again. By now Carr was six clear, and birdies at the short par-3 16th and the final hole pushed the lead to a whopping eight heading into the final round.
In all, Carr had seven birdies and an eagle for a 9-under 61, taking only 28 shots on the back nine (where the par is 34). In so doing, Carr shot the lowest score in the 110-year history of the CC of Columbus. His 54-hole total is a massive 17 under par, 193.
Mosley finished with a 68 to get to nine under and in second spot, with the Australian Doull shooting 69 finish seven under, tied with Will Chandler of Atlanta and Caleb Proveaux of Lexington, S.C.
Chandler had a 65 and Proveaux a 68 in round three.
The cut fell to the low 60 players and ties at 8 over par, 218.
Carr will take his eight shot lead, as well as his home course advantage as a member of the host club, into the final round on Saturday.
ABOUT THE Southeastern Amateur
The Southeastern Amateur is a top-level amateur
golf tournament with a rich history
dating back to 1922 - when the tournament was
created by Fred Haskins. Each year,
the Southeastern Amateur has the great honor of
hosting many of the nation's top
amateur golfers, from Division I NCAA National
Champions to the nation's top Mid-
Amateurs.
Field is limited to 90 players. The format is 54 holes
of stroke
play with no cut. Open qualifier held the day before
the tournament.
View Complete Tournament Information