Akshay Bhatia’s struggle with late bogeys led to him falling out of the top 10 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, while Eric Cole seized the lead with a remarkable performance.
Key PointsAkshay Bhatia’s late bogeys resulted in a 1-over 71, causing him to drop out of the Top-10 at the Charles Schwab Challenge.Sahith Theegala also carded a 1-over 71 and is placed T-46 on the leaderboard at 2-under for three rounds.Eric Cole’s impressive 7-under 63 propelled him to the lead at the Charles Schwab Challenge.The wind and heat made playing conditions difficult at the Colonial Country Club, impacting player scores.
Indian American golfer Akshay Bhatia made two late bogeys as he carded a 1-over 71 on the third day to drop out of the Top-10 of the Charles Schwab Challenge.
At a total of 7-under for 54 holes, he is now placed T-12 on the leaderboard along with six other players.
Sahith Theegala’s Performance
Another Indian-American Sahith Theegala also carded 1-over 71 well and was placed T-46 on the leaderboard. Theegala is 2-under for three rounds with scores of 67-70-71.
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Eric Cole Takes The Lead
Eric Cole, who carded a round of 7-under 63 to gain 24 positions, emerged as the leader heading into the final round.
Bhatia began the day with a birdie on the first hole and a bogey on the second. He picked up a shot on the eighth hole before dropping one on the ninth to be even par at the turn.
He started the back nine with a birdie before dropping shots on the 14th and 15th holes.
Theegala’s round included three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. He started the round on the front nine and recorded his first birdie of the day on the second hole before making his first bogey immediately after that on the third.
A bogey on the seventh followed by a birdie on the eight saw Theegala at even par on the turn. The birdie on the 10th hole would have helped Theegala finish the day with an under par score had it not been for a late double bogey on the 17th.
Challenging Weather Conditions
The wind and heat picked up compared to the first two days. With the heat contributing to dryer conditions the angled fairways of the Colonial Country Club became even harder to find. Most players saw their scores go up. One of the exceptions to this was Cole who equalled the low score of the week by carding 7-under 63.
Cole leads the field by one stroke with a total score of 12-under par (67-68-63).
Cole put himself in position for another shot at his first PGA TOUR victory after a season-best 7-under 63 at Colonial.
After four birdies in his first eight holes, Cole added two more through 11 holes on a 90-degree day at Hogan’s Alley, which firmed up in that heat after rain earlier in the week. His only bogey was sandwiched by birdies on the back nine.
Cole is followed by Ryan Gerard in second at 11-under par (64-67-68). In third place are Mac Meissner and reigning U.S. Open champion JJ Spaun at 10-under par.
One more shot behind them is the group including Alex Smalley, Russel Henley and Hideki Matsuyama at 9-under par.
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