Lamb grabs lead, looks to make it back-to-back wins

BROMONT, Québec—Davis Lamb will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Québec Open powered by Videotron Business as he tries to become the first two-time winner on PGA TOUR Canada this season, and if he’s successful he will do it in back-to-back fashion.

Lamb shot a 64 Saturday at Golf Château Bromont and is atop the leaderboard, at 15-under 195. Lamb is one shot clear of Canadian Chris R. Wilson, who shot 65, and American Brian Richey, who shot 63. They stand at 14-under 196. Canadians Joey Savoie and U.S. player Dylan Healey are tied with another American, David Kim, for fourth place, at 13-under 197.

Lamb, of Bethesda, Maryland, appeared to be in trouble after back-to-back bogeys, at No. 6 and No. 7. But he finished the front nine with two birdies and made six more birdies en route to a 29 on the back nine.

“It was a pretty slow start today. I wasn’t really thrilled with how I was rolling the ball for about seven holes,” Lamb said of his putting. “Then something kind of clicked and we were off to the races after that. Never disappointed with a sub-30, no matter where you are or what the conditions are. Just looking forward to moving forward with it.”

Lamb had no explanation for how his Saturday fortunes changed.

“If I knew, I would bottle it and sell it,” he said. “I made a good swing on 8 and hit it to about two feet, and then from there we didn’t have a birdie putt outside of really four feet. It felt like we were just kind of cruising. It was one of those days where everything worked for a certain period of time.”

Wilson, of Toronto, saw his fortunes change at No. 9. After starting with eight straight pars, he eagled the 538-yard par-5 despite missing left with his tee shot and having his ball plug in the rough. A rules official found the ball and after a drop, Wilson hit a an 8-iron to within seven feet and made the putt.

“That definitely kind of jump-started things,” Wilson said. “It felt like a two-shot swing. I thought I may be going back to the tee; very grateful we found that ball, and it was awesome.”

Richey, of Lakeland, Florida, shot 7-under, despite making a pair of bogeys, and posted his career-best PGA TOUR Canada score. He shot 30 on the back nine.

“When I get in that mode, it honestly feels like nothing over those mid-range putts,” Richey said. “I just try to start them on line, and then when they start going in, it’s fun. I can’t really explain it.”

Savoie, the local favorite from La Prairie, Quebec, gave the crowd plenty to be happy about with six birdies on each side.

“My mindset was in the right spot, and I was able to feed off it,” Savoie said. “That’s something I’ve really learned about is how can I manage my energy level. {The crowd was} louder than I’ve ever had before. It was a very fun experience.”

The group tied for seventh at 10-under 200 includes Canadian Richard Jung, Australian Jason Hong and U.S. players Sam Choi, Carr Vernon and John Pak, who last month won the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Brandt.

Jung shot his second consecutive 64 and moved into a tie for eighth, at 10-under 200. Jung birdied the first three holes and four of the first five and shot 30 on the front. A bogey at No. 12 slowed his momentum, but he birdied two of the final three holes.

“Everything clicked for me the first five holes, and then I think I got a little greedy,” Jung said. “That’s when a low number really came into my head and that’s when the brakes hit a little bit. I just told myself to get back on track and finish strong.”

Hong shot a 63, thanks to a stretch of six birdies over seven holes in the middle of the round.

“I had a stretch from hole 8 to 14 where I was making everything inside 15 feet, so that really helped,” Hong said. “At the end, it kind of leaked a little, but it’s good.”

Key Information

Thirty Canadians entered this week’s Québec Open powered by Videotron Business, with 11 making the cut and qualifying for the weekend. Through three rounds, Chris R. Wilson is not only the top Canadian he’s right in the hunt, tied for second, a stroke behind leader DavisLamb. Wilson shot a 65 Saturday and is 14-under overall.

Davis Lamb shot his second 29 of the season; he had one in his victory at the ATB Classic in Edmonton. There have been four 29s on PGA TOUR Canada this year and he has half of them.

Canadian Richard Jung, of Markham, Ontario, began the season on the Korn Ferry Tour but lost status there following the midseason reshuffle after missing the cut in six of seven events. That experience has inspired him to return. “Once you’re playing on the Korn Ferry (Tour), you can feel that the PGA TOUR is so close and so far at the same time, because it’s right there if you play great. And if you don’t, it just feels further and further away. Having a little of taste of that gets you motivated,” he said.

Pardon BrianRichey for being a little homesick. He had to leave his nine-month-old daughter, Hadley, at home with his wife to continue the PGA TOUR Canada schedule. “It’s tough being gone,” he said. “My wife’s very supportive. It’s tough being away, but with FaceTime and cameras and stuff like that, at least you can check in and see them a little bit.”

Quotable

“When you make eight birdies in 10 holes, you kind of forget where you’re stuck and where you stand. I knew I was playing well. I knew a birdie or an eagle on 18 would be helpful, no matter what it was. But as far as thinking about the exact number, that’s not where my head was at.” – Davis Lamb

“Just the confidence of knowing I can compete out here is a better feeling than I can explain. I feel like I played well last year and lost my card without really doing too poorly. So, to be out here and have won last [tournament] and to be in that position again is great. It’s a testament to a lot of hard work and effort and dedication from a lot of my coaches. I’ve very happy with it.” – Davis Lamb

“This is why any of us really play golf is to be in contention and feel that pressure under the gun. I’m really enjoying it here. Everyone is so friendly. We’ve been swarmed by fans and kids, and that’s really cool. The turnout has been awesome. I’m really enjoying the experience and just plan on keeping that going [Sunday].” – Chris R. Wilson

“Before the round started, I was talking with Joey (Savoie) about the weather, and he was saying (Sunday) might get a little wet, and there’s a chance for us not to play because of the thunder. That kind of gave me extra motivation to finish strong and climb up the leaderboard. The worst case, if we don’t play, hopefully I’ll be in a good spot. So, I think that was a big key.” – Richard Jung

“It’s been kind of interesting. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but just booking flights, booking rental cars, doing everything for yourself. In college it was so easy. You just focus on golf, but now I’ve got to do everything; just trying to figure out how to practice, how to get better at the same time. It’s taking some time.” – Jason Hongon his adjust from college to professional golf

Third-Round Weather: Mostly cloudy and warm. High of 26. Wind W at 5-7 kph.