Kirk Triplett knows what it’s like to be in the running at the Shaw Charity Classic.
Now the 60-year-old from Scottsdale, Arizona would like nothing more than to win the annual PGA Tour Champions event at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on his ninth attempt.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for me to go out and try to win a golf tournament,” said Triplett, who followed up the 65 he shot on Friday with a 68 on Saturday to head into the final round on his own. from the 54-hole event to the top of the leaderboard at 7 under.
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Triplett, who had three birdies and a single bogey on the par-70, 7,061-yard run, tied for third in the first leg of the Shaw Charity Classic in 2013 and is one of three golfers to having played in all nine events. so far (the others are Olin Browne and Tom Byrum).
“I feel like if the conditions are good tomorrow I’m going to need a 5-under round and if I shoot 5-under and somebody catches me, I’ll have done my job,” Triplett said, who finished tied for second. place in 2018 with Scott Parel and Joe Durant behind two-time champion Scott McCarron.
“We will all try to do the same tomorrow.”
Jerry Kelly birdied two of his front nine and two more on the back to score a round of 4 under 66. That earned him a spot in Sunday’s final group with Triplett and Paul Goydos, with whom he is currently tied for second place at 6 under.
“I said I want to be in that last group, I want to see what happens,” said Kelly, who didn’t go green in two on the par 5,585-yard finishing hole and finished by doing the normal to reserve its place in this last group. “I like being in that atmosphere. You know, I hope it plays true and (I) just do a bunch of birdies.
After carding a round 67, World Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh sits alone in fourth place at 5 under, just one stroke ahead of first-round leader Padraig Harrington with Dean Wilson, Alex Cejka and John Huston .
Kevin Sutherland had Saturday’s best round of 5 under 65 to move into a tie for ninth at 3 under with Shane Bertsch.
After a tied round of 70, Alan McLean of London, Ont., is tied at five for 11th at 2 under with a group that includes defending champion Doug Barron.
“You never know when you’re going to have a good round, and hopefully you will tomorrow,” said McLean, who eagled on the 18th hole after hitting the green in two. “It carried a bit of speed but overall I hit the ball about like yesterday – maybe I didn’t get out that much but I’m happy with the round .”
After shooting 69, Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is part of a 10-man stalemate tied for 16th at 1 under.
“I have to start fast tomorrow,” said Weir, who isn’t happy with three putts on the first green on both days. “I’m going to have to ride early and sharpen early in the heat. I was above par the two days earlier so I need to go the other way and get below par and then maybe I can make some noise on the back nine.
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Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Stephen Ames, a former Calgary resident, was powerless in his round and shot 73 to tie him back for 47th at 2 over.
Although David Morland IV, who hails from Aurora, Ont., had a respectable 2-under round at 68, he is far behind the leaders at 3-over.
Meanwhile, Dennis Hendershott of Brantford, Ont., had a tough afternoon and shot 81. He’s second to last overall at 11 over.
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