American Alex Coe and Canadian Graham DeLaet proved that to be true yesterday as they both climbed up to the top of the leader board after three rounds of the $125,000 Jane Rogers Championship of Mississauga at the Lakeview Golf Club.
Coe, a native of LaQuinta, Calif., will take a two-shot lead over DeLaet into today's final round of the Canadian Tour event after they both played bogey-free golf yesterday (Aug. 23) afternoon.
DeLaet, winner of the Montreal Open last week, rebounded from a catastrophic finish in Friday’s second round to shoot a six-under-par 64 Saturday, the best round of the day. Coe had a five-under-par 65 on the 6,404-yard, par-70 Lakeview layout.
“I’m playing with a lot of confidence right now,” said DeLaet, a native of Weyburn, Sask., who threatened to run away with the tournament in the second round when he got to 11 under par before making a double bogey and a quadruple bogey on the last hole to drop back into a tie for sixth place.
“I’m really putting well for the first time all year,” continued DeLaet, who got even with the 18th hole Saturday when he made par. “I came in here with high expectations. It’s incredible what a win can do. You win once and then you win again and then again. I’ve seen it happen before.”
Coe, who missed the cut in seven straight tournaments before finishing ninth at the Canadian Tour Player’s Cup in Winnipeg last month, said he took a simple approach to yesterday's round.
“The thing I was doing best was staying in the moment and not getting ahead of myself,” said the 24-year-old pro. “I didn’t play perfect golf, just smart golf. It’s about managing my game and not overpowering myself.”
Coe stands at 13-under 197 with the final round remaining. DeLaet is at 199. Close behind in third spot is Tim Wood of Australia at nine under par 201.
George Bradford, who was the tournament leader at the start of yesterday, had a terrible afternoon en route to a five-over-par 75 in perfect weather conditions with a bright sun beaming down on the course and only a soft breeze.
Bradford, from Columbia, Maryland, had two double bogeys and four bogeys against three birdies and dropped all the way down into a 10-way tie for 13th place.
The event is named and presented in honour of Jane Rogers, who while battling cancer herself, raised funds for her cancer clinic at the Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga. Net proceeds from the tournament will be turned over to the oncology unit at Trillium and the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada.
gmccarthy@mississauga.net
