Stegmaier clocks in early, emerges with one-shot lead at Shriners Open
Brett Stegmaier was among the last to leave TPC Summerlin on Friday and among the first to arrive Saturday. And when it was all said and done after a long day of golf, he never left his position on the leaderboard at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
He was still at the top.
The 32-year-old from Connecticut took care of unfinished business Saturday morning after play was suspended because of darkness with three holes left in his second round. Though Stegmaier dropped a shot and settled for a share of the lead entering the third round, he posted a solid 3-under-par 68 for a three-day total of 13-under 200 and one-stroke lead over Morgan Hoffmann.
Two shots off the lead are Summerlin resident Kevin Na, former UNLV standout Chad Campbell and Jimmy Walker.
“It was a long day,” said Stegmaier, who arrived at the course at 6:30 a.m. and left around 6 p.m. “I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep.”
Twenty-one holes of golf isn’t normal for a round on the PGA Tour. And starting the day with a 14-foot birdie putt sure isn’t normal.
But that’s how Stegmaier began his, as he finished at the par-4 No. 7. He made par there, took bogey at the par-3 eighth, then made par at the par-5 ninth for a 5-under 66, matching his first-round score.
“It was a little weird,” Stegmaier said. “I’ve never started a day of golf with a putt. But once the adrenaline gets pumping, you just forget about everything and go play.”
He got off to a quick start in the third round, making a birdie at the par-4 No. 2. He then made his second birdie at the par-5 13th.
But with others challenging, Stegmaier never flinched. He kept the mistakes to a minimum while taking what the course gave him.
“I tried to play a little more conservatively,” he said. “I didn’t want to give anything away out there if I could help it.”
His one hiccup came at the par-3 17th, where Stegmaier took bogey after his tee shot landed in the sand trap and he was unable to get up and down from 8 feet.
“I didn’t hit a very good tee shot there,” he said of No. 17, which yielded 11 bogeys and six double-bogeys Saturday.
Hoffmann had overtaken Stegmaier briefly after making birdie at 17. But Hoffmann gave it right back when his tee shot at No. 18 landed in the rocks along the left side bordering the fairway.
Somehow, Hoffmann managed to hit out without penalty, but was unable to salvage the hole. He took a bogey at the par-4 finishing hole to swap places with Stegmaier.
“It was an unfortunate finish,” Hoffmann said. “It was one bad swing, so I’m not going to put so much emphasis on it for (today).”
Na, who lost to Emiliano Grillo on the second playoff hole last week in the Frys.com Open, didn’t do anything outlandish Saturday in getting his 68. He took virtually no risks, and it was the smart move.
“This is the toughest condition I’ve seen out here,” said Na, the 2011 Shriners Open champion. “The greens are drying out. They’re getting firm. And the hole locations are really tough this week. The pin on 10. The pin on 11, I mean, some of the pins out there are brutal.
“I think the officials are trying to keep the score not as low as it has been in the past, so they’ve been controlling it. I’m just trying to stay patient, and it’s paid off so far.”
Campbell shot 65-67 in his first two rounds but struggled to a third-round 70, as bogeys to start the back nine at Nos. 10 and 11 hurt him. He admitted it was tough to make up a lot of ground.
“If you hit the ball in the fairway, you had some chances to make birdie,” Campbell said. “I felt like I played OK. But it was still pretty hard to get at those pins.”
Walker also had his frustrations, culminating with a bogey at No. 18.
“I felt like I was hanging around all day,” he said. “But the pins were tough, and it was like they don’t want us to make birdies. On a lot of holes today, par was pretty good.”
They’re all chasing Stegmaier, who plans to play the course, tough pin placements and all, the same way he has the first three days as he pursues his first PGA Tour victory. The winner will get $1,152,000 and 500 FedEx Cup points, plus exempt status on the tour and an invitation to the 2016 Masters.
“I’ve been nervous, obviously, but I feel comfortable in the position I’m in,” Stegmaier said. “I feel like I belong out here.
“I feel like if I read the greens well, I’ll play well. That’s the main goal.”
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him: @stevecarprj