Jak Carter holds a one-stroke lead after round three of the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open, but a stacked leaderboard means there’s still all to play for on Sunday.
South Australian Carter (pictured above) produced more of the same stellar golf that has made him a fixture at the top of the standings this week, returning a six-under-par 65 that featured eight birdies.
His 18-under-par total leaves Carter a stroke clear of Queensland’s Elvis Smylie, who carded an eventful 65 that included two eagles, three bogeys and five birdies.
Although still awaiting a first tour victory after a number of near-misses, the laid-back Carter is in confident mood heading into the last day.
“Whenever I’m playing in these situations, I just completely switch off to everything and the only thing I’m trying to focus on is to make sure that I’m one shot better than the group,” he said.
“If there’s one thing I know it’s that we will all be trying to play flat out tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens.”
WA’s Curtis Luck remains very much in contention after a five-under-par 66 moved him to outright third at -15 for the championship. Putting his recent injury woes behind him, Luck’s controlled, bogey-free round included three birdies and an eagle at the par-five 14th.
Being amongst the frontrunners after four months on the sidelines has been a big boost to Luck, who is looking to claim a second WA Open title after winning as an amateur in 2016.
“I guess my game’s not as far away as I thought it might have been, but it’s just nice being out playing and not feeling injured,” he said. “That’s a much better feeling to have going into Sunday, so fingers crossed I wake up on the right side of the bed tomorrow morning!”
Curtis Luck is well positioned for a title charge tomorrow, three shots off the lead
Second-round leader Zachary Maxwell (-14) and Matias Sanchez (-12) round out the top five, with a clutch of others still within touching distance of a final-day challenge.
Mandurah favourite Jason Scrivener lies in a share of 6th at -11 after a round of 68 alongside 2015 WA Open champion Daniel Fox, with the evergreen Brett Rumford a further stroke back in T10th after a fine 67.
Wanneroo Golf Club’s Ollie Marsh is in the mix for low amateur honours after a three-under-par 68 moved him to -6 for the championship.
At one point six-under for his round, the 16-year-old finished with a disappointing double-bogey 7 to fall a stroke adrift of Victorian Abel Eduard in the race for the Terry Gale Cup.
View the full leaderboard here.
Smith in All Abilities driving seat
After his victory in the WA PGA All Abilities Championship last weekend, NSW’s Lochie Smith started out as the hot favourite for the WA Open All Abilities title – and lived up to the billing on day one.
Lochie Smith leads the All Abilities Championship by 11 strokes
Smith scorched round Mandurah Country Club in 77 strokes to take a commanding advantage into the final round on Sunday. He leads by 11 strokes from Mount Lawley’s Mark Mosbach, with Bradley Scott (Busselton GC), Tony Coates (Melville Glades) and Nick Carroll (Dunsborough Lakes) a shot further back.
The 36-hole All Abilities Championship for golfers with physical, mental or sensory impairments will be completed on Sunday. View the All Abilities leaderboard here.
The final round of the 100th WA Open commences at 9.21am on Sunday from both the 1st and 10th tees, with the lead group teeing off at 11am. View the draw here.
The Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open will take place at Mandurah Country Club from October 17-20 and is FREE for spectators to attend. Find full details about the event here.
Not able to get to Mandurah to attend the event in person? No problem. You can tune in to live coverage of the championship on Foxtel and Kayo from 11am-4pm (AWST) on Sunday.
