Thomas Walsh (Virginia Athletics photo)
LEWISTON, N.Y. (July 20, 2018) – When it mattered most,
Thomas Walsh had the lead. The University of Virginia standout started the day with it, lost it mid-round, but regained the top spot – by a three-shot margin – by the time the third round of the Porter Cup had finished. Walsh led by a single shot to start the day at Niagara Falls Country Club, but traded it back and forth with
Shae Wools-Cobb, his closest pursuer.
Walsh went 3 under in the first four holes on Saturday. Wools-Cobb, an Australian, got to 4 under in his round by No. 8. He bogeyed the ninth, then a two-shot swing followed at No. 10 when Walsh bogeyed but Wools-Cobb birdied.
Walsh ralled with two more birdies and a bogey to finish with 67. Wools-Cobb, meanwhile, struggled to a 1-under 69. After 54 holes, Walsh is 9 under while Wools-Cobb is 6 under.
Tyler Strafaci, a rising Georgia Tech junior who missed the cut at the U.S. Open by two shots last month, also had 69 and so did
Ben Schlottman, the first-round co-leader. They are tied for third at 4 under.
The most notable climber in Round 3 was
Kevin O’Connell, a mid-amateur from Cary, N.C. A 4-under 70 bumped him in to a tie for fifth, just four shots off the lead.
O’Connell won the Monroe Invitational last month.
Eoin Leonard of Dalkey, Ireland, Will Thomson of Pittsford, N.Y., Blake Windred of New South Wales, Australia and
Austin Hitt of Longwood, Fla., also have a share of fifth.
Matt Parziale, the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion had a 2-over 72 on Saturday, but still remains in the top 10 spots on the leaderboard.
Scott Harvey, the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, is a shot behind him in a tie for 12th with
Ben Reichert, who shared the first-round lead with Schlottman before falling off the pace on Friday.
ABOUT THE
Porter Cup
One of the premier amateur events in the
nation, this 72-hole stroke play invitational has
lots of extra activities that give this event a special
flavor. The winning player receives a green blazer, as
well as an invitation to the Master of the Amateurs
tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Pre-tournament
qualifying is a few weeks prior to the
event and approximately five spots are available.
Starting in 2023, the men's and women's
Porter Cup championships are run concurrently with
54 players in each field and alternating
tee times. It's been exciting seeing the top players in each division in final pairings on the par-3 18th hole at Niagara Falls CC, with large galleries always appreciative of the rising talent.
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