Autumn Invitational Round 3

Playing The Old Course with a scorecard in your hand is very unlike a casual round. For most golfing pilgrims the only thought is wondering how big the butterflies will feel on the 1st tee. But playing an event is different. You try to plan your way around the course and pre-empt any possible catastrophes. Will I start out defensive, aim for the middle of greens? Will I begin to attack the course around the loop? How do I avoid the most penal bunkers that can be potential card-wreckers? Is it worth going over Hell bunker in two, or do I lay up down the adjacent fairway? If I have a score going, do I bail out left on the Road Hole? Lots to think about for today's 36 hopefuls. The night before playing The Old Course is probably the only time a grown adult goes to bed feeling like a child on Christmas Eve.

They call the third round moving day, and that proved to be the case. Seattle's Taylor Reynolds carded 8 birdies and an eagle to climb through the field and finds himself T2 heading into the final round. In a round that had more ups and downs than the Himalayas Putting Green, Reynolds signed for a 41 point total despite 5 bogeys.

New Jersey's Tim Holt, and Mass Golfer Dennis Baden both rose up the leaderboard with 40 points. Australia's Matt Jackson played wonderfully steady golf to finish with 39. It was pleasing to see Gary Wilt from The Honors Course post a good number around his beloved St Andrews. He was fast out of the blocks and standing on the 15th tee found himself -7 for the day. Sadly, an untidy finish cost the Tennessee golfer and he also signed for 39 points. 

And what of our Round 2 leader, Ryan Halliday? A poor start saw him slide to +3 after three holes, but he knuckled down and turned it around. Four birdies and an eagle saw Halliday take control of the tournament, and possibly had one hand on the trophy, until a costly 6 on The Road Hole. He isn't the first and he won't be the last. All told, Halliday's 54 hole total of 115 points means he carries a three shot lead going into tomorrow's final round on The New Course. Four players lie within four shots. Taylor Reynolds, Hiren Desai, Tim Holt and Kenny Dyer all know a low score puts them in the mix for The Claret Jug. We also can't conclusively rule out Mike Rhyne or Doug Malton who sit on 108 and 106 points respectively. 

The scratch event has boiled down to a shootout between four of the best ball-strikers in the field. Conrad Hansuld carries a one shot lead going into the final round. With another day of fair weather, who will score best around 'The New'? The par 5's are fair game on the Old Tom Morris layout that dates back to 1895, but this tournament is likely to be won or lost on the fearsome par 3's. Whoever plays those in regulation will likely be lifting silverware tomorrow evening. 

For full scoring, visit the Golf Genius App and enter code: CGAI25.