PGA TOUR Canada – Mackenzie Investment Open Third Round

What a final round we have slated for tomorrow ?@PMC_Golf and @coreyperalta are tied at the top of the @MackenzieInvest Open presented by Jaguar Laval leaderboard at 16-under, two strokes ahead of @BlakeOlsonGSU and Theo Humphrey. pic.twitter.com/zfk11MHZMO

— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) September 8, 2018

Third-Round Leaderboard

Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval

Full leaderboard: https://www.pgatour.com/canada/en_us/leaderboard.html

McConnell makes the most of moving day, ties Pereira

Montreal, QC, Canada— Matching his score from the first day of the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval, Paul McConnell navigated the North Course at Elm Ridge Country Club without a bogey on his card as he fired a 66 and finds himself at the top of the leaderboard alongside Corey Pereira.

McConnell, a Mackenzie Tour veteran who has played on the Tour since 2015, has had his best season to date in Canada, finishing in the top-20 three times, and entered this week with his spot in the Freedom 55 Financial Championship solidified as the 41^st player on the Order of Merit.

Playing stress free because of it, the Garland, TX native let loose on Saturday, opening his round with a birdie before making three in a row from Nos. 6-8 to make the turn in just 32 strokes.

“I’m just out there having fun, this is all a bonus right now,” said McConnell, making reference to his spot on the Order of Merit. “Looking at the future, trying to get into the top-25 or maybe the top-10, it’s all a bonus to me in my head, so I feel pretty calm.”

While the year has thus far topped his 46^th place finish on the season rankings last year, McConnell has yet to break through, with his best finish coming in Victoria at the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist when he finished T9.

This week however, travelling with friend Zack Fischer, who played on the Web.com Tour in 2017 and Monday qualified into the event, McConnell received a tip from his pal that has proven to be a game changer.

“He’s kind of seen how I’ve played and how I’ve putt, so I wanted him to take a look at my putting a little bit,” said McConnell. “(On Tuesday) he said, ‘your face is closed, really bad,’ so I worked on that and it’s been clicking to the point where that weakness has become a strength.”

With 20 birdies through his opening three rounds, McConnell joins first and second-round leader Corey Pereira in the final pairing, a spot the 27-year-old is in for the first time in his Mackenzie Tour career.

“I’m ready, bring it on.”

Meanwhile, Michael Gligic, the top Canadian on the Mackenzie Tour in spot No. 13 on the Order of Merit, is tied with Vincent Blanchette at 10-under as both attempt to claim the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award.

Key Information

• Corey Pereira continued his strong play, with his only blemish coming on the final hole of the day. He draws into the final pairing for the second time this year. The first time, at the ATB Financial Classic in Calgary, Pereira finished one-stroke up on Lee Hodges to claim his first Mackenzie Tour win.
• Coming into the event having made his past three cuts, Justin Doeden brought his A-game to Elm Ridge on Saturday, making seven birdies and no bogeys to shoot 65, his best score since the GolfBC Championship. In spot No. 90 on the Order of Merit, Doeden needs a top-10 finish to secure a spot in next week’s Freedom 55 Financial Championship.
• Theo Humphrey’s only bogey of the tournament came on the eighth hole of his third round as the recent Vanderbilt grad heads into the final round in a tie for third, the best spot he has been heading into a final round on the Mackenzie Tour this season. Humphrey is projected to move from No. 65 to No. 31 on the Order of Merit based on his current spot on the leaderboard.
• With Tyler McCumber missing the cut, the door appeared open for No. 2 on the Order of Merit Zach Wright to make some noise and perhaps put some pressure on the Tour’s top player heading into the season’s final event. Three-under through his first five holes, Wright was unable to keep the momentum going and signed for a 69 that puts him four-strokes back of the lead heading into Sunday.
• Greyson Sigg opened with three consecutive birdies from hole Nos. 2-4, but then didn’t make another until hole No. 14 as he signed for a third round 68, putting him three shots back of McConnell and Pereira heading into the final round. Sigg looks to play all four tournament rounds in less than 70 strokes for the fourth time this season.
• Brett Coletta is in search of his second top-10 finish of the season. Playing his third consistent round of the week, this time in the form of a 68, the Australian moves into a tie for ninth at 11-under. Coletta is safely inside the top-60, attempting to improve on his 27^thspot on the Order of Merit.
• Making only two bogeys so far this week, Ian Holt is well on his way to improving his 15^thplace ranking on the Order of Merit with three consecutive rounds in the 60s, including Saturday’s seven-birdie 66.
• Jordan Niebrugge continued his stellar play through Saturday, making four birdies on his front nine on his way to a 69 to head into the final round in a tie for seventh. Niebrugge is currently ranked No. 12 on the Order of Merit
• Matthew Picanso, who comes into the week at No. 86 on the Order of Merit, put himself in a position where he can play his way into the top-60 with a good round on Sunday. Picanso is currently tied for 26^th at 8-under.
• Five of the top eight players on the leaderboard are among the top-20 on the Order of Merit.

Quotable

“I started off with a birdie, which was nice, and then the whole front nine was just birdie opportunities throughout and I capitalized on those which was great. I took it to the back and just tried to keep the momentum going, the back side is tougher, so I just wanted to save my pars where I could, which I did, and then I made birdies on some par 5s.”

– Paul McConnell    

“I played really solid today. I hit the ball pretty good and limited my mistakes, my only bogey was the last, which was unfortunate, I just hit the wrong club in the fairway, but mistakes happen and I played really well today.”

– Corey Pereira

“I’m excited, more than anything, I just can’t wait to go try to make a bunch of birdies. Paul is a really good guy and really good player, I’m looking forward to dueling with him. Unfortunately, the hiccup at the end brought some of the rest of the field into play, but I’m looking forward to it.”

– Corey Pereira

“I don’t really think it’s going to be a head-to-head battle, I think the course is out there and conditions are changing a little bit, it’s getting firmer and faster out there, and I think that brings some people into this tournament, so it’ll be a bit different than Calgary, I think I’m going to have to go shoot a really good score, which is fun.”

– Corey Pereira

“It was a pretty solid day. I hit it well off the tee, like the first round, but had two, not sloppy, but not great, bogeys, but I just kept pushing on and made a few birdies which was nice.”

– Blake Olson  

“I Just have to keep being patient, having fun and enjoying the day. I think I’ll be a couple back, two or three, so I’m just going to go worry about myself and everything else will work out.

I don’t mind it, anybody would love to be in the position I’m in, so I’m going to go play solid tomorrow and see where it stacks up.”

– Blake Olson  

“You have to be aggressive, you have to keep your foot on the gas pedal and you have to just try to play good. I think we want to have the mentality of going out there and trying to make as many birdies as we can, be aggressive, make good aggressive swings and just put a number up there and see what happens.”

– Ian Holt   

“You try not to focus on rankings a lot, but it’s definitely in the back of your mind, you try not to think about it on the course, but week to week you’re definitely thinking about it.

– Ian Holt   

Third-Round Weather: crisp and sunny, 19 degrees Celsius with minimal wind.