If Zahkai Brown needed any additional motivation to play well Saturday at the HealthOne Colorado Open, he found it by hearing what his older brother, Zen, was doing five groups ahead of him at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.
Zen Brown eagled the second hole and was 5 under par through 6 on Saturday, which helped kick Zahkai into gear.
“I saw my brother — he was 5 under for the day — and I thought ‘Jeez, I better start playing better,'” said Zahkai (pictured).
The result was the younger Brown making nine birdies Saturday and matching the course record with an 8-under-par 63 that lifted him to a three-stroke lead. Only a three-putt par on No. 18 kept the rookie professional from owning the GVR course record outright.
“That 63 is a hell of a round,” said Canadian Tour player Joel Dahmen, Brown’s closest pursuer. “That’s a lot of good golf. That’s impressive stuff. The greens were firmer today, they were faster, the pins were more tucked. Given that, I think the 63 was quite the round.”
Brown, just two months into his professional career after playing golf for Colorado State University, stands at 13-under-par 200 going into Sunday’s final 18. Only one player is closer than five strokes to the Arvadan: Dahmen, a Clarkston, Wash., resident who carded a 69 Saturday and holds down second place at 203.
Four players share third, five strokes back of Brown: amateur Steven Kupcho of Westminster, the second-round leader (72 Saturday); 2009 Open champion Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch (71); Dustin Pimm of Sandy, Utah (69) and Eric Meierdierks of Wilmette, Ill. (68).
Brown’s 63 matches his personal best in a tournament. He rolled in a 25-foot birdie on No. 4 and a 20-footer on No. 9, but most of the putts he drained were from much closer.
“That’s a great round of golf, even in perfect conditions,” Tolan said. “Bottom line, that’s phenomenal.”
Said Brown, the 2011 CGA Player of the Year: “I just wanted to play as best I could and stay patient. I’ve been playing well coming into here. I love the event, the course is good and I just stayed patient and the putts kept going in.
“You’ve got a lot of golf left, but hopefully the putts will go in (Sunday) like they did today and it should work out.”
But Dahmen, who has been in contention a lot this year on the Gateway and Canadian Tours, won’t concede anything yet.
“Three back isn’t very much on this golf course,” he said. “I gave up five shots in three holes (on Friday) and I’ve made some eagles, so three shots isn’t a lot. That can evaporate out here real quick.”
But it all depends on how Brown performs Sunday, especially early in the round.
“He has a chance to run away and hide,” Dahmen said. “With three shots — if he goes out and shoots 66, that makes me have to go out and shoot 63, which is almost impossible on a Sunday. He definitely has it in his hands right now, but a bogey early kind of changes everything.”
On Saturday, Tolan held the lead after nine holes, having made three birdies. But bogeys on 10 and 11 and a double on 16, where he had to hit a shot left-handed from a bunker, changed things in a hurry, particularly with Brown’s run.
“Basically my game just felt like crap today,” the 26-year-old from Highlands Ranch said. “Nothing was very solid. The back nine here is really pretty tough. You can make some birdies if you’re hitting it all right, but if you’re hitting it both ways like I was it’s pretty hard to score, and it caught up with me.”
Meanwhile, Kupcho was 2 under par for the day after a chip-in birdie on No. 10, but he bogeyed four of the next five holes to drop back.
“I just lost my patience is all it came down to,” the 19-year-old said. “I was hitting greens, hitting great shots, just not making the birdie putts. That kind of wore on me. I’m getting there with the patience, but it snapped. I’m kicking myself now, but what are you going to do?”
While Kupcho still has an outside chance at the overall title on Sunday, he leads the competition for low amateur by four strokes over Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village.
Notable: Because of concerns about the weather, final-round tee times on Sunday will run from 7 to 9:01 a.m. off both tees. The lead threesome — Brown, Dahman and Meierdierks — will go off at 9:01 a.m. on No. 1. … Amateur Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood remains in the top 25 at 210 despite incurring a two-stroke penalty for showing up late for his tee time Saturday. With the extra strokes, he shot a 72 in the third round. … Three players in one group had stellar back nines on Saturday, with James Drew of Las Vegas posting a 29, Michael Baird of Castle Rock a 31 and Schovee a 32. Drew ended up with a 65, Baird a 68 and Schovee a 69. … Two players were penalized one stroke for slow play Saturday: Tony Aguilar of Arvada (75) and Geoff Keffer of Lakewood (71). … R.W. Eaks, winner of four Champions Tour events, fired a 66 Saturday to move into the top 25 with a 3-under-par 210 total. … The Open’s low pro finisher will receive $23,000 on Sunday.
For scores, CLICK HERE.
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Colorado Open: All the Essentials
What: 48th annual HealthOne Colorado Open.
When: Thursday through Sunday (July 26-29).
Where: Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver (4900 Himalaya Road).
Prize Money: $125,000, with $23,000 going to the low professional.
Field Size: 156 players, with a cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes.
Defending Champion: Ben Portie.
Other Former Champions in Original Field: Nathan Lashley (2010), Derek Tolan (2009), John Douma (2007), Dustin White (2006), Wil Collins (2005), Scott Petersen (2000), Mike Zaremba (1995), Jim Blair (1983 and 1987).
Attendance: Free.
