This is becoming old hat for Arvada’s Zahkai Brown — in a good way, mind you.
Three times in the last four HealthOne Colorado Opens, the former Colorado State University golfer has been either the outright leader or a co-leader after 54 holes.
Brown finished second in the 2012 tournament, then won in 2013, so he’s handled the pressure pretty well, which should bode well for Sunday.
The 2011 CGA Player of the Year (left) shot a 5-under-par 67 Saturday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club to move into a share of the lead with defending champion Ian Davis of Edmond, Okla. They and the other players on the leaderboard going into Sunday’s final round will be battling it out for a $23,000 first prize.
“I’m going to still play aggressive,” the 25-year-old Brown said about his plan for Sunday. “The year that I ended up finishing second (one behind Derek Tolan), I played conservative and ended up losing. The year after that I won and played aggressive (firing a 64 on Sunday and prevailing by five). I think I’m going to stick with that approach. It seems to (result in) a lot of birdies.”
Davis (left), who bogeyed the 18th hole on Saturday after hitting his ball into two greenside bunkers, and Brown stand at 14-under-par 202 through three rounds. Davis, the former Oklahoma State golfer who’s bidding to become the first back-to-back Colorado Open champion since Dave Hill in 1976 and ’77, carded a 69 on Saturday but played his final eight holes in 1 over par.
As for Brown, Saturday marked the sixth time in the last four Colorado Opens that he’s shot 67 or lower. He capped his third round with a 2-putt birdie on No. 18 from 80 feet.
“For me (this course) sets up for a cut,” he said, explaining his success at GVR. “If you miss and have a cut, you’re OK. So that seems to fit my game well because if I do miss it’s going to be a little cut. So I do feel comfortable. And growing up 25 minutes from here, it’s nice. And I know how far the ball goes too (at a mile high in elevation).”
But Brown and Davis will have plenty of company in having a realistic shot at the title on Sunday. In fact, there’s 10 players either in the lead or within four strokes of it.
That includes Jimmy Gunn, who finished 27th at this year’s U.S. Open, and who has Keegan Bradley’s regular caddie, Coloradan Steve Hale, looping for him this week; and five former champions: Brown, Davis, Nathan Lashley, Tolan and Wil Collins. (Gunn and Hale are pictured at left.)
A 66 by Gunn left the Scot two out of the lead and in third place. Lashley is in fourth place at 205 with Kurt Kitayama of Chico, Calif. And Tolan and Collins share sixth place at 206 with Riley Arp of Fort Collins, former Air Force Academy golfer Kyle Westmoreland and Chris Ward of McKinney, Texas.
Tolan, bidding to join Bill Bisdorf, Dave Hill and Bill Loeffler as winner of at least three Colorado Opens, came from five back going into the final round to win at GVR in 2012.
“I’m glad I’m kind of lurking,” Tolan (left) said Saturday after firing a 67. “I made up some ground (with a final-round 65 in 2012). It’s doable. It’s more feasible when there’s just one guy leading by three or four rather than it being bunched up. It’ll take a low number but you can do it.”
Of course, Davis also is very familar with being on the leaderboard at the Colorado Open. He prevailed by five strokes last year in his first time playing the tournament. And he’s led or shared the lead after rounds 2 and 3 this year.
“I’m going to go out there and try to be as aggressive as I can — kind of like yesterday (when he shot 64),” said the 23-year-old. “I’ll try to keep the pedal down tomorrow and hopefully do the same thing I did yesterday.
“I’m going to try not to go out and worry about what Zahkai or anyone else is doing. It’s like last year. I just tried to make as many birdies as I could. I know if I go out and play as well as I can, I can get it done tomorrow.”
Notable: Like the overall tournament leaderboard, the low-am leaderboard is bunched. Colorado State University golfer Jimmy Makloski of Pueblo will go into Sunday with a one-stroke advantage over three players: former University of Colorado golfer David Oraee of Greeley, Connor Klein of Lone Tree and Blake Cannon of Mesa, Ariz. Klein, the CGA Match Play runner-up, would have actually been leading by one if not for the two-stroke penalty he received for being late for his tee time. Makloski shot his second consecutive 3-under-par 69 and stands at 7-under 209 overall. … Sunday’s final-round tee times will run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m., off both the first and tenth tees. The leading threesome after 54 holes — Zahkai Brown, Ian Davis and Jimmy Gunn — will tee off on No. 1 at 9:25 a.m.
For scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.
For Sunday tee times, CLICK HERE.
