Brett Coletta finished T6 at the Australian PGA Championship
Brett Coletta as the NSW Open
(Golf Link Photo)
BENOWA, Queensland (December 4, 2016) --
Brett Coletta may have faded on the
back nine but on the opening side he made a statement
for the golfing world to see. One of the top amateur
players in the world, Coletta shot out of the gates and
moved within three shots of the final round Australian
PGA Championship lead before ending up 8-under and
tied for sixth.
The 2015 U.S. Amateur medalist parred the first two
holes at the Royal Pines Resort before catching fire with
birdies on six of the next
eight holes to reach 11-under. However, the run ended
with consecutive double-bogeys on the 12th and 13th
holes. Coletta did settle back down playing the closing
five holes in 1-under to card a 3-under 69 and a third
straight under-par round.
Coletta finished 11-strokes behind eventual winner,
American Harold Varner III. The young Australian star
finished in front of such notables as Marc Leishman, Ian
Poulter and Y.E. Yang
THIRD ROUND RECAP
With a second straight under-par round Brett Coletta
has moved to 5-under and into a tie for 10th at the
Australian PGA Championship. Coletta will begin the
final round at the Royal Pines Resort nine-strokes
behind 14-under leader Andrew Dodt.
The first birdie of the day for Coletta came on the 4th
hole only to drop back to even for the day with a bogey
three holes later. The trip back to even-par wouldn't last
long thanks to a birdie on the 9th and then back-to-
back birdies on 15 and 16 that pushed the Asia-Pacific
Amateur runner-up to 3-under for the day and 6-under
for the tournament.
However, the day had one last twist and following a
penultimate hole par, Coletta bogeyed the closing hole
to finish the day with a 2-under 70.
Coletta will begin the final round at 10:20 a.m. local
time and play alongside 2015 British Amateur champion
Romain Langasque and five-time European Tour winner
Brett Rumford.