Bleumink remains in hunt at Players Am
BY Anthony Powter | US Mens Amateur Tour | 2009 Players Amateur | Round Three | 12 Jul 2009
Belfair’s West Course showed some considerable teeth during the third round of the Players Amateur in Bluffton, South Carolina. Victorian Luke Bleumink was one who felt the full brunt, firing a 2-over-par 74 to slip back down the leaderboard to equal 9th after having the overnight lead.
The double bogey on the 18th certainly hurt Bleumink’s round, which also included four birdies and four bogeys. He’s currently is at 1-under-par with rounds of 69-72-74 just four behind third round leader, American Bud Cauley who is at 5-under-par.
Bleumink had started the day in a three-way for the lead at 3-under-par following the second day of play along with Americans Daniel Woltman and Cauley. A 2-under-par 70 from Cauley, ranked 28th in the world and a winner of the 2008 Terra Cotta Invitational in Florida, has the Florida native with a stroke lead moving into the final round over Curtis Thompson and Phillip Mollica.
“I haven’t really expected a whole lot out of myself,” said Bleumink after his round.
“I am just trying to execute my strategy as best that I can and hole some putts. That means trying to hit fairways, as the greens are so hard that it is difficult to make birdies from the rough, so I have been hitting plenty of 3 woods and hybrids to get the ball in play.”
All week Bleumink has struggled with the bermuda greens, having played the majority of his golf on bent greens in his home state of Victoria before arriving in the US.
“I’m not used to these Bermuda greens and this week I’ve tended to over read them a bit,” he says.
“That’s cost my score a little here. I had played great in the Rice Planters a couple of weeks back, but just didn’t score well so I knew I would have a chance to play well this week.”
Daniel Nisbet and Tarquin Macmanus are the next placed Australians behind Bleumink in a tie for 11th at 1-over-par, with Nisbet carding rounds of 72-73-72, whilst Macmanus has fired rounds of 76-70-71. Daniel Beckmann has slipped just outside the top-20 with rounds of 77-71-72 to be at 4-over-par.
Michael Smyth started the second round in a tie for 37th following uncharacteristic opening rounds of 75-76 but a third round even-par 72 has elevated the NSW Amateur Champion into a tie for 30th at 7-over-par.
Augusta State player, Mitch Krywulycz had a mixed day on the West Course at Belfair, opening the front nine with four bogeys and a double for a 42, only to fire the back nine at 1-under for a 5-over-par round. Krywulycz is currently in a tie for 40th, whilst Jordan Sherratt improved slightly on his opening rounds of 78-77 to fire a third round 74 to be 50th at 13-over-par. Ryan McCarthy also has struggled a little at the Players and is well down the field after rounds of 77-80-75.
Bleumink remains in contention in this tournament and if the putter can get to work and a round in the mid 60’s is produced, anything might occur.
It won’t be easy with the likes of Mollica, winner of the Monroe Invitational in 2008 and defending champion, Mark Anderson who has played back into contention with today’s low round of 66, all gunning for the title and a place in next year’s Verizon Heritage Classic on the PGA Tour.
