Leader doesn’t exactly have it made in the Schade

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/07/2015 (4036 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEVON Schade will enter the final round of the Men’s Amateur Championship with a nine-stroke lead, that’s a certainty.

What isn’t certain, however, is how much the forecasted windtoday will affect him, and others on the final day at Bridges Golf Course.

Schade closed Wednesday’s third round with a 2-over-par 74, a day after shattering the course record with a bogey-free, 11-birdie round of 61.

Schade dropped back to 8 under for the tournament, nine shots clear of Niakwa’s Bryce Barr and Teulon’s Ryan Sholdice, both of whom will be paired with the leader for Thursday’s final hurrah.

“It was shaky start, but I was able to pull it back until I bogeyed two of the last three holes,” Schade said. “All in all, it was a good round.”

Schade said it took until he woke up Wednesday for his previous day’s accomplishments to set in.

At the end of the third round, he said he felt he was brought back to earth. Still, Schade foresees another good night’s rest.

“Sleeping on the lead is always a good thing,” he said. “I’m just going to try and make pars tomorrow. Even par would be a great round for me tomorrow.”

The placement of the pins for the third round and the wind wreaked havoc for the second time in three days as scores soared.

Bryce Barr stood atop of the heap with the low round of the day, firing a 3-under 69. Not too shabby after being 2 over through five holes on the front nine.

“I was just trying to be as patient as I possibly could, put the ego away and pull out the club that was going to be the best for me on each hole,” Barr said. “You just have to tell yourself, ‘Make one good swing, then make another good swing.’ I was able to do that for the most part.”

Barr, who said he doesn’t mind a little wind during a round, feels anything can happen if the wind picks up. And the 23-year-old has nothing to lose.

“I just have to be patient again and stick to the game plan I have all week here,” he said.

After coming into the third round six shots back, first-round leader Eric Johnson couldn’t repeat his performance in the wind on Wednesday, shooting a 7-over score to drop him to 3 over on the tournament.

“I took a ride on the struggle bus,” Johnson said. “I actually hit par on the first two, but then struggled and shot 6 over on the front nine. The back nine, I was only 1 over — I played OK. It was really tough out there today.”

Johnson bemoaned the wind, saying it was different than Monday’s, both in strength and direction.

“Devon is going to win for sure, he’s up by 10 or something, so my goal is to come in the top three,” Johnson said.

A top three finish will secure that golfer a spot on Manitoba’s Willingdon Cup team that will compete in the Interprovincial Team Championship at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship next month.

Meanwhile, Ryan McMillan, 15 and the youngest player remaining in the tournament, had his best round of the tournament on Wednesday, shooting an even par 72. He sits at 12 over for the tournament.

The first pairing of the final round gets underway at 8 a.m. this morning.

Leader Schade along with Barr and Sholdice tee off in the last pairing at 11:09 a.m.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca