There was a lot of jockeying on the leaderboard Saturday at the HealthOne Colorado Open, and some of it took place even after a given round was completed.
Defending champion Nathan Lashley apparently came in with a 7-under-par 64 that would have given him the 54-hole lead, but that was before he was asked about an issue that a spectator brought to the attention of tournament officials at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.
After the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based pro and his two playing partners were taken back out to the spot of an alleged rules infraction — the first fairway — it was determined that Lashley had improved the line of play for his second shot on the par-4, and therefore he was assessed a two-stroke penalty.
That gave him a double bogey instead of a par to start the round, and a 66 instead of the 64 he thought he had shot. The end result was that, instead of taking a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round, Lashley will trail South Carolina pro Zack Byrd (pictured above) by one.
“Apparently, I picked a piece of grass in front of my ball,” Lashley said just before leaving the course. “It was just a bonehead move. I don’t even remember the situation. I don’t know. Apparently I picked a piece of grass. Honest to God I have no idea.
“It’s disappointing. It’s golf, though. Stuff happens.”
After having the spectator report the situation to a rules official a few holes into Lashley’s round, CGA director of rules and competitions Pete Lis decided not to interrupt the round to resolve the matter, but rather to ask Lashley and his playing partners about it after they completed play.
“It was clear that there was a long piece of grass — more like a weed — that was on his line of play,” Lis said. “It was on the fairway — something that didn’t cut very well. It was only 6 inches in front of where the ball was. There was no doubt in (playing partner Ty Capps’) mind that he had broken it. Nathan couldn’t remember because he was in the game trying to play. It was one of those things he did instinctively. But the spectator and Ty both clearly saw it. There was no question it was in his line of play. He ripped it out of the ground and threw it aside out of his line of play.
“There’s a ton of situations that don’t seem fair in the rules. It’s not a great feeling to have to assess a penalty, especially to someone who’s really in contention in this event, but that’s my job here — to abide by the Rules of Golf. … This was very clear-cut. There’s a lot of precedence on it. It was clearly on his line of play and he improved his line of play.”
The upshot is that Byrd, a U.S. Open qualifier this year, leads by one in his first Colorado Open. The former college roommate of PGA Tour standout Dustin Johnson shot 67-65 the last two rounds and stands at 11-under-par 202. Three players share second place at 203 — Lashley (66 Saturday), left-hander Ben Portie of Westminster (67) and 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Clay Ogden of Farmington, Utah (69).
Seventeen players are within five strokes of the lead. Coloradans Nick Mason, Charlie Soule, Zen Brown and James Love are three behind Byrd, in fifth place. And Aurora’s Gunner Wiebe, last year’s runner-up, is four behind after back-to-back 67s.
“It’s pretty stacked as far as a bunch of guys in contention,” said Soule, the first-round leader.
Byrd shot a bogey-free 65 to pull ahead. He’s never played in Colorado before this week, but he’s quickly getting the hang of high-altitude golf.
“I’m learning more every day and feel like I’m getting a little better at it every day,” said the former Coastal Carolina golfer, who noted he hit a 5-iron about 250 yards on Saturday. “It’s so different. It’s not like golf back home. It’s unbelievable. I get my yardage and have to do my math. It’s an adjustment. I’ve never played golf like this.”
Lashley, winner of four tournaments so far this year, was red hot late in his round, playing his last 11 holes in 7 under par. That included an eagle on the par-4 14th, where he drove the green and sank a 35-foot putt.
Portie is no stranger to being in contention at the Colorado Open, having placed third in 2004, fourth in 2005 and sixth in 2007. Plus, he’s on a good streak this month, finishing second in the Wyoming Open and winning the South Dakota Open last Sunday.
On Saturday, he played his last five holes in 3 under par to move near the top of the leaderboard.
“It would mean a lot (to win here),” said the former University of Colorado golfer. “I’ve played here 11, 12, 13 years and you see the same guys year after year. A few of my buddies have won it, so it would feel great. It would mean a lot.”
And the $23,000 first prize wouldn’t be bad either.
The leaders will tee off at 10:40 a.m. on Sunday.
High Praise for Colorado Open: After playing in plenty of mini-tour events, and in the U.S. Open last month, Colorado Open leader Zack Byrd had some very nice things to say about the state open held annually at Green Valley Ranch.
“It’s a beautiful golf course,” the South Carolinian said. “We don’t get courses in this good a shape back home. It’s phenomenal. Other than the U.S. Open, this is the best shape golf course (he’s played this year), and the greens are better here than at the Open.
“This is the best I’ve been treated at a tournament. My parents asked me last night how is it? I said the only difference between this and the U.S. Open was the food at the U.S. Open was just a little bit nicer. They treat you the same here. It’s a great golf course. It’s great competition on a great golf course for four rounds.”
Low Amateur Competition Tied: Former CGA Mid-Amateur champion Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield and Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village are tied for low-amateur honors after three rounds. They share 20th place overall at 4-under-par 209, seven strokes out of the overall lead.
Schovee shot a 6-under-par 30 on his front nine Saturday, but struggled to a 39 on the back and ended up at 69 overall. Lindstrom carded a 71.
