Golf

By HAROLD WILSON
Staff Writer

Saturday’s action at the Texas State Open featured up-and-down movement all around the board.

Some golfers up front fell back and vice-versa on the third day.

Dawie Van Der Walt of Beaumont and Adam Meyer of Waco made the biggest jumps, with each rising 14 places into a four-way tie for sixth after both golfers carded 5-under 65s.

David Schultz of Dallas went from being tied for 26th to a tie for 13th with a 66, while Andrew Dresser slid up seven spots into a tie for 13th after a 67.

Since starting with a 74, Schultz has shot 9-under the last two rounds, tying him with current leader Martin Piller for the best total during that span.

On the flip-side, after sharing the lead the first two rounds, Pablo Acuna failed to follow up on an opening-round 65, instead falling off three strokes in the second round (68) and third round (71) and likely out of contention. Acuna sits in a three-way tie for 10th at 6 under.

Thomas Baker, whose opening round 66 was the second-lowest output on the first day, followed up a second round 74 with a third-round 71 to drop to 32nd at 1 over.

Brad Lardon entered the event as the only two-time and repeat winner (1995-96) in Texas State Open history.

A third title never appeared in the cards for Lardon, who carded a 72 on Saturday to fall to 4 over.

Clark Dennis, the lone other past champion remaining, bested his first two rounds with a 68 to move to 2 under and into a tie for 22nd. Dennis tied for fourth last year and won the event in 1992.

Perhaps the distinction for most steadiest through three rounds belongs to Allen’s Justin Bates.

Through Saturday, Bates owned a 90.7 percent par rate, tops among all competitors.

Bates made par on 40 of 54 holes in the first three rounds. Bates, tied for 17th at 3-under, added nine birdies, four bogeys and one double bogey.

Dustin Garza may have had the most memorable eagle Saturday on the par-4 No. 15 hole, but it was far from the only one.

Four more eagles were hit in the third round, pushing the total to 28.

A total of five different golfers have recorded two eagles apiece thus far — Garza, Piller, Denton’s Brad Gibson, Benbrook’s Michael Henderson and Baytown’s Shawn Stefani.

The No. 6 (par-5, 548 yards) and No. 14 (par-5, 534 yards) holes have each been the site of eight eagles each.

While the temperature remained about the same, the tournament did see a few more drops of other sorts.

The temperature peaked during Thursday’s first round at 97 degrees, with highs of 96 on both Friday and Saturday.

With the heat still on, the average times of rounds dropped. Some rounds extended as long as six hours on Thursday before dropping to roughly five hours on Friday and as quick as 4? half hours on Saturday after the field reduced to 55 and pairings from three to two.

For the third straight day, scoring averages dropped.

Golfers combined to shoot an average first-round score of 73.37 before getting it to 72.21 in the second round and 71.14 in the third.