Chalmers’ big move leaves him 2 shots off lead
Greg Chalmers shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday and zoomed up the leader board. At 12-under 204, the Australian is tied for third and only 2 shots back of co-leaders Ian Poulter and Beau Hossler.
Chalmers, who was in the second group of the day to tee off on No. 10, didn’t do any leaderboard watching. He was just trying to shoot a low score, which he accomplished.
“There’s no point in looking at the scoreboard,” Chalmers said. “I’m running to last. So the only upside for me on my score coming in today, you can be more aggressive.”
At one point, Chalmers had shot his way into a seven-way tie for the lead at 12-under. Chalmers has played his last 204 holes without a three-putt, the longest active streak on the PGA Tour.
Chalmiers moved up 39 places and is tied with Paul Dunne, Emiliano Grillo and Kevin Tway at 204.
Gates’ bogey widens field
When Bobby Gates of The Woodlands missed his par putt on the ninth green (his 18th hole) on Friday, it opened the door for 20 more golfers to remain in the field for Saturday’s third round. Gates’ bogey took the 36-hole cut field from 70 players and ties, to 90.
The 90 players who made the Houston Open 36-hole cut at 2 under is the largest field to advance from the 36-hole cut this season on the PGA Tour and the most since 91 players advanced in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open.
Gates, along with PGA Tour golfer Chris Stroud of Houston, spearheaded the Hurricane Harvey Relief ProAm in December at Bluejack National that raised more than $1 million.
Proceeds went to help those impacted by the August hurricane.
Mayor Turner in attendance
A proponent of the Houston Open, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner was at the Golf Club of Houston for Saturday’s third round, voicing support of the PGA Tour event to remain in Houston.
“This is a major event,” Turner said in the midst of taking a tour at the Golf Club of Houston. “It is about golf, but so many organizations are benefitting. What I’m so proud about, is what’s happening this year, after Hurricane Harvey, when this golf course for a large part was under water, look at where we are right now.
“It speaks to how strong the city is, how resilient the city is, how people come together, there is no better place to hold a PGA golf tournament than right here in the city of Houston, a can-do city, and we are a city of champions.”
Title sponsor search goes on
The Houston Open is still looking for a title sponsor, but Houston Golf Association CEO and president Steve Timms is encouraged that something will get done in the near future. The tournament presently has no certain date on the PGA Tour’s 2019 schedule.
“We’re optimistic. We are,” Timms said on Friday during secondround play of the Houston Open. “This is a big week for us as far as weather. It’s turning out chamber of commerce weather and great leaderboard.
“It’s a great way to showcase the Houston Open and the Houston Golf Association, the city of Houston. That’s going to help us, and we’re optimistic.”
Odds and ends
The final twosome of Ian Poulter and Beau Hossler will tee off on Sunday at 12:35 p.m. off the No. 1 tee. … Jordan Spieth hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation in the third round. … Since the Houston Open moved to the Tournament Course in 2006, six third-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win the tournament: Jim Herman (2016), Phil Mickelson (2011), Anthony Kim (2010), Paul Casey (2009), Johnson Wagner (2008) and Stuart Appleby (2006).