KELOWNA, British Columbia – SPORTS – James Hervol doesn’t think about where he’s at on the leaderboard. It’s not how he plays the game.
“I make my game plan and try to shoot the best score I possibly can,” Hervol said. “Knowing where I stand and what I need to make on a certain hole, I don’t think that’s going to help me in any way play the hole better.”
The plan, he added, is to find the easiest way to make a birdie.
Hervol made five of them Saturday to take a one-stroke lead at the GolfBC Championship at Gallager’s Canyon Golf Club. The 25-year-old, who played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, is 17-under after 54 holes. He’s posted rounds of 66, 63 and 67.
“I feel good,” Hervol said. “Today was just another steady day.”
The tournament leader has no plans to alter his mindset on Sunday. He plans to just enjoy the walk on the scenic course where the final full-field event of 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season is being held.
“You want to play well every week and you always do what you can to do that,” Hervol said. “But some weeks it just works better than others and I’m having another one of those weeks.”
No pressure. Hervol is just determined to go out and play some good golf.
It’ll be necessary considering how tightly contested the tournament is after three rounds. There are 16 golfers within five strokes of the lead.
Noah Goodwin, Gavin Hall and Scott Stevens are the closest challengers. They’re 16-under and one shot back.
“There’s a bunch of people really close,” Stevens said. “Especially on this course, you can take it pretty low.”
Goodwin, who was the solo leader after two rounds, acknowledged there were a few shots he’d like to have back. Even so, he’s looking forward to the final round.
“It is what it is at the end of the day,” Goodwin said. “I know my game is in a good place right now.”
The final 18 holes, he explained, should be “100 percent” what the players want in terms of competitiveness. Every shot is earned and nothing is given.
“I’m looking forward to it. I know a bunch of the guys. I know they’re great players,” Goodwin said. “I know they’re going to go out and try to kick my butt tomorrow. I’m going to try to do the same. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Luke Schiederjans and Cole Madey are tied for fifth at 15-under. Ryan Gerard, Jake Knapp, Cameron Sisk and Thomas Walsh are tied for seventh at 14-under. Max Sekulic and Dalton Ward are 13-under and tied for 11th.
Did you know tournament leader James Hervol missed the first six cuts of the season on PGA TOUR Canada. He then finished 60th in Winnipeg and in a tie for 29th last week in Minnesota.
Key information
How the Canadians fared
Max Sekulic (Rycroft, Alberta) is within four shots of the lead after three rounds.
| Pos. | Player | Score |
| T11 | Max Sekulic | 66-66-68-200 (13-under) |
| T18 | Myles Creighton | 68-67-67-202 (11-under) |
| T18 | Jared du Toit | 68-68-66-202 (11-under) |
| T18 | Etienne Papineau | 67-66-69-202 (11-under) |
| T23 | Wil Bateman | 66-67-70-203 (10-under) |
| T23 | Joey Savoie | 67-68-68-203 (10-under) |
| T29 | Jimmy Jones | 66-66-72-204 (9-under) |
| T29 | Stuart Macdonald | 67-68- 69-204 (9-under) |
| T36 | Chris Crisologo | 71-66-68-205 (8-under) |
| T41 | Sudarshan Yellamaraju | 69-68-69-206 (7-under) |
| T57 | Brendan MacDougall | 65-71-72-208 (5-under) |
| T63 | Chris R. Wilson | 72-66-72-210 (3-under) |
Fortinet Cup
(Through the CRMC Championship presented by Gertens)
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1 | Wil Bateman (Canada) | 1,031 |
| 2 | Jake Knapp (U.S.) | 1,014 |
| 3 | Ryan Gerard (U.S.) | 722 |
| 4 | Danny Walker (U.S.) | 720 |
| 5 | Scott Stevens (U.S.) | 672 |
| 6 | Ian Holt (U.S.) | 666 |
| 7 | Brian Carlson (U.S.) | 663 |
| 8 | Thomas Walsh (U.S.) | 633 |
| 9 | Joe Highsmith (U.S.) | 604 |
| 10 | Parker Coody (U.S.) | 571 |
All eight winners on PGA TOUR Canada this season made the cut and are jockeying for Fortinet Cup position in the second-to-last event of the year. Noah Goodwin (16-under) and Scott Stevens (16-under) are in serious contention to become the first repeat winner in 2022 and secure 500 more Fortinet Cup points. Ryan Gerard (14-under) and Jake Knapp (14-under) aren’t too far back, while Wil Bateman(10-under) and Parker Coody (9-under) round out the group along with Brian Carlson and Danny Walker, who are both 7-under. .
Monday qualifiers Cole Madey (15-under) and Max Sekulic (13-under) are currently in a tie for fifth and 11th, respectively. Harrison Ott has the highest finish by a qualifier this season. He ended up tied for ninth at the Prince Edward Island Open presented by IMP Solutions.
Eric Lilleboe (10-under) shot a 65 on Saturday to move up 32 positions and into a tie for 23rd. The next highest climber was Jorge Villar (9-under). He improved 26 spots and is tied for 29th after recording a 66.
Eagles on holes No. 6 and No. 9 were a nice birthday surprise for Gavin Hall, who turned 28 today. They helped move him quickly up the leaderboard to T2. Even so, it didn’t provide a ton of comfort. “They’re big,” he said. “(But) I feel like a lot of these guys can take advantage and make eagles on those as well. That’s my mentality.”
From the Locker room
“I kind of got into the rhythm of the round. Just hit smart shots and let the birdies happen.” — James Hervol
“You have to make a lot of birdies out here to catch the leaders, or to win the golf tournament.” — Gavin Hall
“I think tomorrow if I can just go out and give myself a ton of looks and minimize the little three-putt bogeys, I should be right in.” — Luke Schniederjans
“I’m going to have to keep making birdies. A lot of different people can move up the leaderboard and a lot of people are going to have a chance to win.” — Scott Stevens
“I was just trying to give myself looks all day. After a day like yesterday, it’s hard to go low two days in a row. Golf is just as hard as it is already.” — Noah Goodwin
Third-Round Weather: Mostly Sunny. High of 32. Variable winds at 10 kph with gusts reaching 20 kph.