BLUFFTON, S.C. — High temperatures did not prevent low scores during the third round of the 16th annual Players Amateur at the Berkeley Hall Golf Club in Bluffton.
University of South Florida senior Chase Koepka started Saturday’s round in second place but finished at 7-under to take the lead with a three round total of 12-under.
“I don’t think the greens were as fast today,” he said after his round. “The pins were in spots where you had to hit a really good golf shot and it would end up close.”
Kopeka will go into the final round concentrating on his short game.
“I have been hitting the ball great this whole week, the only thing, I just really haven’t made too many putts outside 10 feet, which I am probably going to have to do tomorrow," he said.
Dallas, Texas resident Scottie Scheffler finished two stokes behind Koepka. He shot 8-under on Saturday for a three-day total of 10-under par.
Shotaro Ban birdied the first three holes Saturday morning. He credits that great opening to jump starting his day.
“That round was special because I was not hitting the ball well at all, so I really just managed my game really well," Ban said.
He finished the day at 8-under for a 9-under tournament total. The UC-Berkeley Senior is going into the final round in the third place position.
All three leaders had bogey-free third rounds.
The final round begins tomorrow at 7:00 am, the leaders tee of off at 10 am.The public is welcome to attend and admission is free.
Players Amateur: Chase Koepka takes two-shot lead into final round
Low scores were the norm at the top half of the leaderboard on Saturday, but it was Chase Koepka's 64 pushed him to lead