Four are sharing lead at 3 under
Competitive final round is on tap
Last week, Mike Van Sickle, Easton Renwick and DanObremski were sharing a hotel room in Maine while they played in the Greater BangorOpen.
Now, they are all sharing a piece of the West Penn Open lead heading into the final round Wednesday at Butler CountryClub.
The trio is joined at 3-under parby Beau Titsworth of Wexford, which marks the first time since the tournament moved to 54 holes — in 2012 — that there is a four-way tie for firstafter Day 2.
In all, 12 golfers are at even par or better after 36 holes, settingthe table for a competitive third round in the 113th playing of the tournament. Competing on his home course, amateur Jon Pratkanis of Valencia is alone in fifth place at 2under.
Van Sickle, a two-time champion in 2013 and 2015, and Renwick, who won the West Penn Amateur in 2015, tied for the low round of the day,carding 3-under 67s.
“This is how I can play when I putt decent, and I’ve been rolling the ball better these last two days,” Van Sickle said. “I’ve driven it poorly, and I’m 3 under tied for the lead at the moment ... I’m definitely feeling better aboutmy game.”
After bogeying the par-3 10th, Renwick sat at 1 over. This Dubois native would go on to play the final eight holes at 4 under highlighted by an eagle on No. 12, a 527-yard par5.
Obremski, of Irwin, jumpstarted his round by making a nearly 20-foot birdie putt on the dogleg 11th. He played the back at 2 under, including finishing with three pars on Nos. 16, 17 and 18. Monday, Obremski, who made the cut in the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic in early July, played thoseholes at 3 over.
While they were in Maine, Obremski said he, Van Sickle and Obremski talked about coming home to play in the tournament. When Obremski finished his round, he knew he was tied for first — “I’d like to be leading by 10,” he said jokingly — but he had no idea withwho he was tied.
Told that it was with his recent roommates, he said, sounding surprised, “Oh. Interesting.”
Of the four co-leaders, Titsworth is the newest to the WPGA golf scene. A recent graduate of Oklahoma who grewup outside Cleveland but now lives in Wexford, Titsworth entered Tuesday a stroke behind Round-1 leader Corey Long. Long now sits two shots back after posting a 72.
Titsworth has commanded the course off the tee and with his irons and wedges, but the greens “are kind of tricky,” he said, and have caused him trouble.
Titsworthsaid he narrowly had missed birdie tries on Nos. 2,4, 8, 10 and 13, and the first of his two bogeys, on the par-3 15th, came only after he misjudged the speed on a 6footpar save.
“They’re putting the pins around some subtle areas that, if you don’t play here a lot, you’re not really going to know,” he said. “And this is the third time I’ve ever played thecourse.”
The first time was Sunday in a practice round with Van Sickle. The two will be the final pairing, at 10:03 a.m. Wednesday, while Obremski and Renwick are set to tee off at 9:54a.m. In the practice round, Titsworth and Van Sickle were talking about what a winning score might be. They thought around 5 or 6 under would be low enough to put them in the mix. After 36 holes,that seems accurate.