The rain and strong winds that had interrupted and meddled with the first two rounds of the Soboba Golf Classic at the Country Club of Soboba Springs departed on Saturday —- and the leaderboard heated up.
Two players ranked outside the top 75 on the Nationwide Tour both took turns equaling or setting records.
Australia’s Steven Bowditch shot an 8-under par 63 to grab the clubhouse lead at 16-under after three rounds. He also tied a Nationwide Tour record for fewest putts in a round with 18.
Not to be outdone, Camilo Benedetti —- two shots back at 14-under —- tied the course record of 62 set by Derek Lamely last year, and matched by David Branshaw Saturday morning when he finished up round two.
Second round leader Keegan Bradley shot 3-under and also trails Bowditch by two strokes.
Hemet’s Brendan Steele is five shots off the pace after shooting a 6-under 65.
Temecula’s John Chin, who finished up his second round Saturday morning, shot 2-under for 36 holes, missing the cut by two strokes.
“I hit it terrible today. It was as bad as I’ve hit it in awhile,” said Bowditch, who hit only eight of 18 greens. “I just holed everything I looked at, it’s that simple, there was no in-between. You can’t putt any better.”
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Bowditch’s 54-hole total of 16-under par also set a course record.
“I didn’t really have a mindset,” said Bowditch, who ranks third in putting on the Tour this year. “I’m just looking at my line and watching it go. Every time I looked up, they were going in.”
Because of the weather delay, Benedetti was forced to play 31 holes on Saturday. He probably wishes he could have played more. The Columbian-born pro shot 15-under for the day.
“It’s been a long time since I played this well,” said Benedetti, who is 77th on the Nationwide money list. “It’s certainly my best of the year.”
Was he even aware of how hot he was?
“To be honest, when I was on seven, my 16th hole, I realized I was 8-under for the day and then I made a bogey. So it didn’t really help. Up to that point, I knew I was making a bunch of birdies but I had no clue how low I was going.”
Benedetti, who birdied five holes on each side in round three, is well aware of what is at stake when he tees off Sunday morning.
“A week like this can change everything,” Benedetti admitted. “Even if you finish second, you’re making the equivalent of what some winners get during the year.”
How much of a difference can one tournament make? The Soboba Classic is one of two late-season $1 million tournaments on the schedule, including a first-place purse of $180,000. With a win on Sunday, Bowditch could move from his current position of 76th on the money list to inside the top 15.
Steele, who played on the course while at Hemet High School, is enjoying his homecoming. A large gallery made up of family and friends has been following him around the course since Thursday.
“It’s always a constant battle of momentum out there,” said Steele, who mixed eight birdies with two bogies. “When you make a birdie, it shifts it going the right way, and when it starts going the right way, sometimes it goes so much so, that you almost don’t even have any control over it.
“It works the other way when you make a bogey. It goes the other way really quick until you can kind of grab that momentum and try to swing it back the other way.”
Steele currently ranks No. 37 on the Nationwide money list and a strong showing Sunday could catapult him into the top 25, which would earn him a spot on next years PGA Tour.
“It’s been a really good year, and no matter what happens tomorrow, there’s a lot of work to be done,” Steele said.
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