After David Schroeder made a birdie putt on the 10th hole Saturday, improving to 7 under par for the day, Danny Riskam joked to playing partner Alex Buecking that they should use their best-ball score to try to keep pace with Schroeder.
It was that kind of performance for Schroeder Saturday morning at the 75th CGA Stroke Play Championship at CommonGround Golf Course. The former Fort Lewis College golfer (pictured at left) was 7 under par through 10 holes before the clock struck noon and he cooled down as the day heated up.
Despite going 3 over par in his last seven holes, the 22-year-old from the Broadmoor Golf Club still will take a hefty six-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the Stroke Play.
“We were just getting hammered (after 10 holes),” said Riskam, a former playing professional. “If we would have played him best ball, we still would have lost. He could have shot 61 or 62 today.”
Actually, Riskam and Buecking’s best-ball score would have edged Schroeder by one on Saturday, but you get the idea.
Schroeder backed up his second-round 64 with a 4-under-par 67 on Saturday and stands at 14-under 199 going into Sunday’s final 18.
“You obviously want as much of a lead as you can get going into the final day,” said Schroeder, who is looking for his first CGA championship victory. “I’m glad I increased my lead by four shots today. That’s going to help.”
Only three players are within eight strokes of the lead, and all share second place at 205: Colorado State University golfer Zahkai Brown, the first-round leader (66 Saturday); Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club, who plays for Georgetown University (67); and Riskam, from Columbine Country Club (70).
Brown, the 2009 CGA Public Links champion, used an eagle on No. 11 and birdies on his last two holes to post the low round Saturday at CommonGround, which is owned and operated by the CGA and the CWGA.
Schroeder used a 15-yard chip-in for eagle on No. 3 to start a stretch in which he played six holes in 6 under par. When he added a 12-foot birdie on No. 10, he was on pace to threaten the course record of 62. But he parred the par-5 11th after being just over the green in two, three-putted for bogey on No. 12, then bogeyed his final two holes.
Schroeder, Riskam and Buecking received a warning about slow play after the 13th hole, and hustled enough on the remaining holes to avoid a penalty.
“That definitely threw off my tempo a little bit,” Schroeder said. “We had to start playing ‘ready golf’ and play really quickly, but I don’t think that’s a good excuse for making two bogeys coming in.”
After posting consecutive nine-hole scores of 32-32-30, it’s a good thing for his opponents that Schroeder let up on the gas a little Saturday afternoon, or the lead could have ended up in double digits.
Schroeder’s closest challengers believe he can be caught on Sunday, but it won’t be easy.
“If he goes out and shoots 30 (on the front nine) like he did this time, we’re all playing for second,” said the 33-year-old Riskam (pictured at left). “But I never say it’s over. I’ve played enough tournament golf where I’ve seen a lot of crazy things happen, especially on the last day of tournaments. We’ll fire at some flags tomorrow and hopefully a few more putts go in than did today.
“If I’m going to catch David tomorrow I’ve probably got to shoot 32 on the front and I need a little help. But there’s no reason to hang back. There’s no reason to shoot at the middle of the green. I really didn’t come here to finish second. If that’s what happens, great, but I’m going to give it my best.”
Despite the big lead, one need look no further back than last year’s CGA Stroke Play to see why nothing has been settled yet. In the final round last summer, Jim Knous shot a course-record 60 at Boulder Country Club to force a playoff before losing to Wyndham Clark.
Schroeder, who is considering turning pro after he completes his final semester of college, has never won anything as big as the CGA Stroke Play.
Asked what it would mean to him if he prevails on Sunday, he said, “It would be huge — real exciting.”
Helping Schroeder’s cause this week has been having his dad, also named David, caddie for him.
“That’s been really great,” Schroeder said. “He’s been giving me a lot of good advice. He’s a really good player and he knows my game better than anyone. I play with him all the time. We talk over every shot and he’s been a huge help to me so far.”
Clark, who won last year’s Stroke Play at age 16, came into the third round of this year’s tournament in 10th place, but he was disqualified Saturday after having a distance-measuring device that didn’t conform to local rules.
Schroeder, Brown and Dorfman will tee off for Sunday’s final round at 9:12 a.m.
For Sunday’s pairings, CLICK HERE.
CGA Stroke Play Championship
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
David Schroeder, Broadmoor GC, 68-64-67–199
Danny Riskam, Columbine CC, 67-68-70–205
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 72-66-67–205
Zahkai Brown, Indian Tree GC, 66-73-66–205
Jim Knous, GC at Ironbridge, 69-66-73–208
Mike Schoolcraft, Cherry Hills CC, 68-68-72–208
Alex Buecking, Columbine CC, 67-67-76–210
Steve Connell, Riverdale GC, 67-73-70–210
Steve Irwin, Lakewood CC, 69-69-73–211
Cameron Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 73-65-73–211
Danny Hahn, CommonGround GC, 70-71-71–212
Steven Kupcho, CommonGround GC, 70-69-73–212
Brendan Connolly, The CC at Castle Pines, 73-71-68–212
Matt Schovee, Cherry Hills CC, 71-67-75–213
Brandon Bingaman, Black Canyon GC @ Montrose, 67-76-71–214
Keith Humerickhouse, Glenwood Springs GC, 69-74-72–215
Cody Kent, Plum Creek G&CC, 71-72-72–215
Michael Lee, Greeley CC, 73-71-71–215
C.J. Kim, CommonGround GC, 69-70-77–216
Jonathan Marsico, Castle Pines GC, 74-69-73–216
Joshua Mathis, Colorado Springs CC, 75-70-72–217
Bill Fowler, Bear Creek GC, 73-72-72–217
Patrick Wilson, Colorado National GC, 77-69-71–217
Bryan Kruse, Heritage at Westmoor, 70-75-73–218
Ryan Boshoven, Boomerang GL, 72-73-73–218
Andy Moore, The Olde Course at Loveland, 69-74-76–219
Grant Porter, CommonGround GC, 74-72-73–219
Jordan Burgess, Highland Hills GC, 75-70-75–220
Christopher Wilson, Eisenhower GC, 76-71-74–221
Oliver Grabb, Boulder CC, 73-73-76–222
Chris Beabout, South Suburban GC, 75-69-78–222
Charles Scheinost, Boomerang GL, 72-73-78–223
Thomas Roos, Plum Creek G&CC, 68-78-77–223
Wes Martin, The Courses at Hyland Hills, 72-73-79–224
Sean Thomas, Indian Tree GC, 73-73-79–225
Christopher Good, Saddle Rock GC, 69-76-80–225
Kory Harrell, Pine Creek GC, 70-74-82–226
Dillon Mcdonald, Red Sky GC, 74-73-81–228
Wyndham Clark, Cherry Hills CC, 67-72-DQ
Derek Fribbs, Plum Creek G&CC, 67-72-DQ
Matthew Sullivan, CommonGround GC, 72-75-WD
