Hunter Ostrom (SWGA photo)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Notre Dame’s
Hunter Ostrom shot a 2-under par 68 to maintain hislead in round three of the 104th Annual Southwestern Amateur being played in Scottsdale, Ariz.,on the Desert Mountain Club’s Cochise course.
Related: Hole-in-one sparks Ostrom to Southwestern Amateur lead
Ostrom (66-65-68-199) heads into Saturday’s final round holding a slim lead over Tucson’sGavin Cohen (69-67-64-200), a junior at Loyola Marymount majoring in finance. Ignacio Arcaya ofAlbuquerque, holds third place (67-66-68-201), and Christian Banke (66-66-70-202) of Danville,Calif., and AJ Ott (66-67-69-202) of Fort Collins, Colo., are tied for fourth.
Windy conditions, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 90s, played a major role inFriday’s round.
For Ostrom, a resident of Meridian, Idaho, it was “very much a mental game today and notso much a ball striking day. I tried to hang in there and didn’t attempt to do anything too special.”
He said an eight-foot putt on #12 gave him the energy to get past the final six holes. “With the windswirling around, it made it a little tough. I tried to watch my play as best I could.”
Cohen, whose father caddied for him today, tried to remain calm and patient as he startedthe round. “I hit some solid shots and stuck to my game plan. I birdied the holes I knew I could. Ijust didn’t make many mistakes,” he said, adding, “I made a 12-footer on an easy hole and it settled me down and allowed me to get into the game.” His dad also helped his focus. “He knowsmy game pretty well.”
Arcaya, a sophomore at the University of New Mexico, had a consistent round but felt itwas definitely a more difficult day to play. “The wind made it hard to determine distances,” he said.
“I made 14 pars today so there were a lot of par saves and I was able to capitalize on the par 5s.”
“The course played a lot differently over the last two days but I stayed consistent for all 18holes,” Banke, a senior at San Diego State University, noted. “I got off to a hot start with a 2 underpar for three holes but I had a weaker finish.”
While Ott, a senior at Colorado State University, made a few good putts and “drove prettywell, I did not play well today. The club selection was a little trickier and the course played a littletougher due to the wind.”
ABOUT THE
Southwestern Amateur
72-hole stroke play championship for national-level
amateurs with a handicap index of
1.4 or better. After 36 holes, the field will be
cut to the low 36 and ties. The
SWGA Selection Committee will select players
to
compete based upon
exemptions, playing resume and rankings.
The SWGA reserves the right to invite
amateurs of national and international
reputation, as well as other amateurs "of
note", to enter into the tournament.
Applicants are urged to submit their entries
with golf resumes of accomplishment in
major tournaments and other competitive
record
information.
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