Loewen can’t keep it goin’, but still leads

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This article was published 23/07/2009 (6214 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

His lead was five, then three and now one but Pine Ridge’s Scott Loewen thinks the odds are with him heading into today’s final round of the Manitoba Amateur Championship.

"Standing on the blocks tomorrow having that position is definitely something to be proud of," Loewen said after slipping to a 5-over 76 at Elmhurst Golf and Country Club on Wednesday. "I’ll use it to my advantage the best I can. I’ll try to have these guys come get me tomorrow. I don’t think I could get any worse than today."

A frustrating back nine of five-over 41 helped Loewen’s rivals close in — he stands at 2-under 215 through three days — likely enhancing today’s intrigue.

Niakwa’s Scott Markham had his own frustrations on Wednesday, including four straight back-nine bogeys, but pulled to within a single shot of the lead with a 74.

Pine Ridge’s Tyler Mancini, who started the day six off, is now just two behind after matching Wednesday’s best score of one-over 72.

Loewen, Markham and Mancini will again be the final threesome today, each in a quest for his first provincial amateur crown, but they may have something else to keep an eye on.

Two-time former champ Garth Collings of Breezy Bend slipped into the mix with a 73 on Wednesday to pull to within three of the lead.

Loewen said he simply wants to get better on the greens.

"I think the biggest thing for me was my pace on the greens," he said, noting the difference between the greens at Pinawa, where action took place Monday and Tuesday, and Elmhurst. "I struggled big-time. I had three three-putts on the back nine alone.

"I didn’t feel any different than the first two days. I made some bad bogeys and just couldn’t get a rally going."

Markham said the difference in green speeds was a lot to process.

"You’re always putting with a lot of caution here," he said. "I three-putted the fourth, then you start wondering if you should lag it down there and you start getting the wrong mentality over putts instead of trying to sink them.

"That’s part of the reason out here we were having trouble making anything."

Even Markham’s excellent ball-striking from the tee couldn’t make a difference on the back nine Wednesday.

"It was brutal," he said, recounting having wedges in his hands in the fairways at Nos. 15 and 16 yet bogeying both holes.

"It was extremely frustrating, those four holes on the back nine," he said. "I said to my dad walking off, ‘I haven’t hit a bad shot, maybe one, and I’m four over par.’ That’s the thing out here and why I’m not worried going into tomorrow. I’m not remotely concerned about anything in my game. I hit the ball great today."

Mancini, who has led this championship twice in the past after the first day, will try to win it another way today.

His big move Wednesday was more a product of steadiness than flashiness.

"I was trying to shoot something with a six in front of it because Scotty’s been playing great and he’s tough to beat when he’s putting well," Mancini said after his 72. "So I was very surprised to see his back nine.

"I did my job today, gained ground on the leader. Nobody could beat the golf course today. You really have to pay attention on these greens."

Collings, the winner in 1987 and 1994, could manufacture some edge today playing ahead of the final threesome.

"Could be, might be, we’ll have to see," he said. "It very well could be. If I get it going good, you never know. But you have to remember this golf course is not easy. I grinded out a 73 today and I could easily have been 78. You just have to keep it in play and try to keep it below the hole.

"If you’d have told me after I shot 75 the first day that I’d be three or four back of the lead after three days, perfect."

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

 

Leaderboard

S. Loewen, Pine Ridge 76–213

S. Markham, Niakwa 74–214

T. Mancini, Pine Ridge 72–215

G. Collings, Breezy Bend 73–216

B. Wiebe, Southwood 72–219

S. Borsa, Selkirk 72–222

M. Loewen, Winkler 77–224

M. Tibbs, Pine Ridge 74–225

S. Mazur, Transcona 77–225

B. Bandura, Selkirk 82–225