Southern Amateur report

Hog lurks after firing 5-under 66

University of Arkansas golfer William Buhl is three shots off the lead heading into today's final round of the 113th Southern Amateur.

And it's right where he wants to be.

"You have to go out there and chase, which is more fun than holding the lead anyway," said Buhl, who posted a 5-under 66 on Friday to move to 6 under for the tournament.

John Keefer and Walker Lee lead the tournament at 9 under, while Buhl is in a four-way tie for ninth.

Buhl, the top player with Arkansas connections, has improved three shots each day after opening with a 1-over 72 on Wednesday -- shooting 2-under 69 on Thursday to move into a tie for 22nd.

Buhl said getting a feel for the swift, smooth greens at Chenal Country Club's Founders Course has been key to his rise into contention.

"Seeing putts fall is a big thing for me," said Buhl, who is from Oslo, Norway. "For my game it is. I'm probably your average putter. I'm a better ball striker than anything else."

Buhl's round Friday included seven birdies and two bogeys, with four consecutive birdies rolling in on holes 14-17.

Fayetteville's Luke Long (Houston) and Hope's Garrett May (Baylor) are tied for 21st at 2 under after shooting rounds of 71 and 66, respectively. May's 66 came after he opened with a 75 and shot 70 on Thursday to make the cut on the 3-over number.

Arkansas golfer Tyler Reeder is tied for 43rd after an even-par round of 71. Julian Perico is tied for 59th after a 2-over 73.

Buenos dias

Argentinian Andy Schonbaum shot up the leaderboard by shooting a 7-under 64 on Friday to go from tied for 28th to a four-way tie for fifth.

Schonbaum, a 28-year-old insurance broker who lives in Cordoba, Argentina, has played his last 27 holes in 11-under par to move into contention.

"I started to play smart," said Schonbaum, who played college golf at Jacksonville State in Alabama before moving back to Argentina. "The ones where I could go for it, I went for it. The ones that call for you to play smart, I played smart.

"As long as you keep making birdies, you've got to keep trusting it, going for it, even though the holes are really hard in the end."

Schonbaum, one of the oldest players competing at this level, said he was not ready to turn pro out of college for several reasons.

"I didn't want to live in the U.S. at that time," he said. "I didn't want to turn pro because I wanted to make money on one side and on the other side enjoy golf. Nowadays, as an amateur, you've got a lot of competitive golf. This is like a pro event."

Schonbaum described the young men he is competing against as "gods" and admitted he has his work cut out for him today.

"I've been around for more time, so maybe I can use my experience and think better," he said.

Schonbaum is coming off a second-place finish three weeks ago at the George L. Coleman Invitational at Juno Beach, Fla. Before that, he reached the semifinals of the Argentine Amateur Championship in February. He was the runner-up in that event in 2016.

His best U.S. finish came last year when he reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur in Parker, Colo.

"I've been playing better," Schonbaum said. "Even though I haven't practiced as much, because I have to work, I'm working on my weaknesses for these big tournaments."

Schonbaum said it took a while for him to feel comfortable on the Founders Course, where water comes into play on about half the holes.

"There's a lot to analyze, in my opinion," he said.

Schonbaum tied for low round of the tournament on Friday. Colorado State's A.J. Ott, who started the day at 1 over, also posted a 7 under to move into a tie for ninth at 6 under.

Ott's round of eight birdies and one bogey included four birdies on the par-35 front nine, which has played about a half stroke tougher than the back nine.

Of course

One of the changes made by the Southern Golf Association in preparation for this week's tournament was to turn the ninth hole, normally a 512-yard par 5 for the members, into a par 4 for the 113th Southern Amateur.

"We looked at it, what can we do to this golf course to kinda toughen it up a little bit?" said Andy Priest, executive director of the SGA. "You're trying to make the lowest score on every hole possible.

"Par has no meaning whatsoever. It's kinda of a metric you go by."

Will eagles fly?

The size of the green complexes on the Founders Course at Chenal Country Club provide organizers an opportunity to give players different challenges on different days.

On the par-5 16th, for instance, there is a two-tiered green where pin placement plays a vital role in player strategy.

SGA Executive Director Andy Priest said Friday's pin placement on 16, in the upper-left quadrant, was designed to make plays at the pin riskier. The hole played tougher than it had all week, with a 4.85-stroke average, yielding 1 eagle, 31 birdies, 22 pars, 13 bogeys, 3 double bogeys and 1 triple bogey.

Priest said he doesn't expect No. 16 to play as difficult in today's final round.

Today's pin placement, front-left quadrant, might lead to players going straight at the pin in two shots.

"That's a green light," Priest said. "Eagle city."

Sports on 07/20/2019

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