Canadian Conners among 54-hole leaders at Staal Foundation Open

The Staal Foundation Open is shaping up to be a good old-fashioned shootout on Sunday.

A quartet of golfers share the 54-hole lead at 14-under 202, led by Canadian Corey Conners and Minnesota’s Clayton Rask.

Australia’s David McKenzie made the biggest move of the leaders, shooting a five-under 67 on Day 3 of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada event being contested at Whitewater Golf Club, and will play alongside Florida’s Chase Marinell in the final group.

Another nine golfers are within two shots of the lead, after a round delayed by exactly two hours because of a blanket of fog that rolled through the region.

The tightness of the leaderboard really isn’t worrying the likes of Conners, the U.S. Amateur runner-up last year which earned him an invite to The Masters.

“I’m just going to play my own game, really,” the Listowel, Ont. native said after a two-under 70.

“It’s not going to put any more pressure because there are more players. I have to play a good round and see what happens. There are lots of guys who can play well, so I’ve to try to do my thing.”

Playing partner Mike Van Sickle provided plenty of pressure on the opening, birdying his first six holes to grab a three-shot lead.

Though he’d falter coming home and finish just two-under for the day, leaving him one off the lead Conners said Van Sickle’s hot start was also encouraging.

“That was pretty cool to watch, definitely. And you definitely feed off it a bit, just knowing birdies are out there,” said Conners, who was two-under 34 on the front and even-par 36 on the back, birdying two holes and bogeying 12 and 15.

Rask had a chance to take the outright lead on the 590-yard par 5 18th, but left his putt short and settled for par, matching Conners with a 70 on the day.

It took three straight birdies, starting on the 12th hole, to get there, after an uncharacteristic three bogeys on the front.

“The front was just a roller coaster. I was hitting good shots, wasn’t finding the fairway,” he said, admitting he channelled his first round after that, reminding himself there were still a lot of holes to play.

McKenzie, one of just eight golfers to shoot three rounds in the 60s, said the start was frustrating, the finish fantastic.

“I didn’t think I was standing out,” he said of his opening nine, an uneventful 36. “I had a few chances on the front nine. On the back nine I hit it pretty close on 11, 12 and 17 for tap-ins. Three birdies, I holed a couple of putts for five-under. It sounds pretty simple.”

Marinell is in somewhat familiar territory, but still needs to map out a way to the trophy presentation.

“I’ve kind of been in position, not to win, but to be in contention in a few tournaments, so I know the feeling,” said Marinell, who’s final-round 68 include zero bogeys. 

Second-round co-leader Michael Gligic, the lone other Canadian in the top 10 heading into Sunday, had a one-over 73 and is two off the pace.

Play resumes at 7:03 a.m. The leaders are expected to tee off at 12:50 p.m.

Chip shots: There was no winner in the Million-Dollar Shootout benefiting the Staal Family Foundation.