Maybank III eyes wire-to-wire breakthrough victory at Azalea Invitational
PJ Maybank III
It's been a dream week at the Azalea Invitational for PJ Maybank III, a high school senior from Cheboygan, Michigan. With every passing round, he's doubled his lead at The Country Club of Charleston. From a one-shot lead after one round to two shots after the second round, and now a four-shot lead heading into the final day.
Maybank III once again demonstrated his mettle, making birdie on two of his opening four holes en route to a 68 and a 15-under par total. His only blemish on the card was a bogey on the par-3 17th hole. Over the course of the three rounds, Maybank III has made 17 birdies and two eagles.
Calahan Keever (Greenville, S.C.) has put in an impressive performance of his own as he tries to keep pace with Maybank III and put a bit of pressure on the Cheboygan kid. The Anderson University freshman shot a third-round 70, leaving him at 11-under par. A bogey on the 18th hole will make dinner taste a little less delicious.
In the game of "how far back is too far back" we might have to stop at third place
Hampton Roberts who shot 67. He's 8 under, seven shots back.
It would take a monumental round or a series of mistakes from Maybank III for the four players in fourth place to chase down the leader. Two Mid-Ams -
Hayes Brown and
Matt McClean - along with Arizona State commit
Nicholas Prieto (Miami, Fla) and Florida Gator
Joseph Pagdin (England) will have their ears pinned back from the start on Sunday to try and make a push up the leaderboard and close a nine-shot gap.
Moving Day
72-hole events are marathons not sprints, and the third round offers players a chance to make a move up the leaderboard. Hayes Brown shot an impressive bogey-free 66 to climb into a tie for fifth place at six-under par.
Carson Brewer, fresh off his Florida Azalea win, did one better than Brown and fired a 65 - the lowest round of the day. The Florida State commit started the day one-over par and will head into the final round at five-under par in a tie for eighth place.
Made and Missed Cuts
Players at nine-over par or better earned a spot in the final round.
Lucas Acevedo made the biggest leap on Saturday to make the cut. The high school senior from Daniel Island, South Carolina wasn't quite ready to go home. He birdied four of his final six holes to nab a tee time on Sunday.
Former NFL quarterback Tomy Romo shot a 74 on Saturday and missed the cut by two shots.
ABOUT THE
Azalea Invitational
72-hole stroke play championship with a 54-hole cut
on a
1925
Seth Raynor design. Good mix of college
players, juniors
and mid amateurs. 7 spots available in a
qualifier.
Impressive list of past champions at this
traditional event. Reigning USGA champs often use
this tournament as a tune-up for the Masters.
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