Nakajima to take 2-shot lead into Master of the Amateurs final

MELBOURNE, Australia (Jan. 10, 2019) – Keita Nakajima will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Australian Master of the Amateurs. It’s an admirable position for the top Japanese player, but also a precarious one with two top American college players on his heels plus Australian Andre Lautee, who is just weeks removed from his Victorian Amateur victory.

Nakajima contended this fall for a spot at the Masters when he teed it up in the Asia-Pacific Amateur. He finished an eventual second, barely missing his shot to play for a green jacket at Augusta. The winner of the Master of the Amateurs, however, gets to don a green jacket for his performance. With another low round, Nakajima could get some redemption in that form.

Nakajima opened with 6-under 66 to set the pace at Royal Melbourne. He came back with 2-over 74 but rebounded with a third-round 70 that included birdies on his two opening holes and and an eagle at the par-5 15th.

Behind him, USC frontman Justin Suh (No. 3 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Rankings) gained ground with a third-round 66 that included just one hiccup: a bogey at the 17th. It followed opening rounds of 74-72 for Suh, who represented the U.S. at the World Amateur Team Championship last fall, and helped him get to 4 under.

Oklahoma State sophomore Matthew Wolff, who won all three of his fall stroke-play starts with the Cowboys, is also at 4 under after rounds of 67-73-72. Lautee, 19, is the last player at that number.

Two more contenders are at 3 under. Australian Blake Windred had a third-round 70 and but for bogeys on Nos. 16 and 18, he’d be higher on the leaderboard. Joey Savoie is also tied for fifth at 3 under after three consecutive rounds of 71. Savoie, 24, is a top Canadian amateur who represented Canada at the World Amateur Team Championship, finished T-2 at the Canadian Men’s Amateur and also scored a spot in the RBC Canadian Open in 2018 (though he missed the cut).

New Zealander Daniel Hillier, co-medalist at the U.S. Amateur, is solo seventh at 2 under (72-71-71) and defending champion David Micheluzzi, from Australia, is part of a five-man tie for eighth at 1 under.