Round three of the Staysure PGA Seniors at Trump International got under way on Saturday in much more manageable conditions as the blistering winds of the previous days dropped – and so did the scores.
Prior to round three, the tricky links course saw only one player score in the 60s but the major change in weather conditions opened the door for a low round as 13 players carded sub 70 rounds.
Belfast’s Damian Mooney was not one of those 13 players but his consistency throughout the tournament has kept him among the top as the Lough Erne pro sits in a three-way tie for fifth heading into the final day.
Even par for the round and two-over for the week so far, Mooney’s course management has been key to keeping him in contention as he sits four shots back from the lead.
A bogey on the par-5 fourth and on the par-4 eighth was not an ideal start for the Belfast native but the PGA professional kept it together to birdie the ninth and twelfth holes.
Mooney will be disappointed not to take full advantage of the nicer conditions but with tempermental conditions expected for the final round, he remains well in contention for his first Legends Tour title.
Also searching for a maiden Legends Tour victory is 50-year-old Bo Van Pelt who made the most of the good weather as the American carded a bogey free four-under-par round, sending him to the top of the leaderboard.
“I’m really happy how I played… any time you can go bogey-free around this place, you’re going to be happy. There was less wind today, but it’s still a really tough track,” said Van Pelt.
“Any big miss can mean a double or a triple and there’s very few spots where there’s a wide side, where you can take one side out of play. So, driving the ball well is huge, and so far, this week, I’ve been able to do that,” he added.
After four years out of the world of golf, Van Pelt is delighted to be back swinging on the Legends Tour and is hoping to make the most of his debut season.
“I was super excited when I found out I had status on the Legends Tour, and I look forward to playing as much as I can. I was out of golf almost four years, so when I got to 50, I wasn’t burnt out. I’m excited to play, and to get to play a beautiful venue like this, like, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world,” Van Pelt said gladly.
Also enjoying a debut season is South African Darren Fichardt as the 50-year-old sits just below Van Pelt in second place.
Fichardt made five birdies but will be disappointed that a sore bogey on the par-4 15th deprived him of a blemish free round as he sits at one-under-par for the tournament.
“Thursday was horrendous and then yesterday we just knew what we were going to get so it was easier to prepare for. I knew I was playing well and obviously fighting well, so I just thought I’d just go to the same mindset, and I did that today,” said Fichardt.
Regarding the other Irishmen in the field – Cameron Clark sits in T29 at eight-over-par, Gary Murphy is in T51 at 14-over and Paul McGinley sits in T56 at 15-over.
Shot of the day belonged to former Ryder Cup player Joakim Haeggman who made the best possible start to round three with an albatross at the par-five first.
In preparation for the expected adverse weather, round four will start at 10am on Sunday.
Leave a comment