WESTON, Florida — Americans Eric Beringer and Brandon Hoelzer were both unaware of their leaderboard positions as they wrapped up their third round of the PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament at The Club at Weston Hills and headed into the clubhouse. Both played solid on their first nine holes then slowed a bit on their back nines, leaving the players a bit unsure of their actual finish.
“I’m leading? Well, cool, I didn’t know that,” Hoelzer laughed after the round. “When we made the turn, I was a little bit curious whether or not we’d finish. But coming in, I was just happy to be able to get some food, relax and wake up late (Friday). That’s exciting.”
Also unbeknownst to Hoelzer is that he was leading as he came into his last hole. Hitting his final tee shot of the day into the water, on No. 9, he still managed a good look at par, but, in the end, his putt came up short, and he recorded his only bogey of the day. He closed at 4-under.
“I was 5-under through 10 and then made a bunch of pars before I bogeyed 18,” Hoelzer added. “I always hate bogeying the last hole, but that’s a part of the game.”
On the flip side of that double green that serves both No. 9 and No. 18, Beringer had just birdied his last hole of the day to reach 9-under. Beringer had started with three birdies on his front nine and then had a couple shots get away from him on No. 14 and No. 15. He approached No. 18 needing to sink a 12-foot-putt to grab his share of the lead.
“The course was still playing hard, even though the wind was down,” Beringer explained. “I got off to a really hot start, and even with the two bogeys I had on the back, I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong. I just hit it through a few fairways and found myself in the rough. When you get in the rough and mix it with the firm greens, you really can’t aim it at the pin. But on 18, I had a perfect (yardage) number, so I took that aim and was able to strike it to within 12 feet and roll it in.”
Regardless of how they got there, both Beringer and Hoelzer are heading into the final round holding a slim, one-stroke lead on Englishman Harry Ellis, who jumped up three positions, to 8-under. Ellis is sitting alone in third after shooting a 4-under 68.
Amateur Ben Carr is at 6-under and alone in fourth heading into the final round. After finishing 4-under Wednesday, Carr fired a 1-under 71 in his third round to sit two strokes behind Ellis.
Did you know Brandon Hoelzer and amateurs Ben Carr and Wilson Andress are the only three players in the field to record three under-par rounds this week?
Key Information
How the Tournament Works
One-hundred-twenty-six players started the tournament today, and after two more withdrawals there will be 124 remaining in the field for the final round, which starts at 6:45 a.m., Friday.
Below is a breakdown of the various PGA TOUR Canada membership statuses available this week.
| Finish Position | Status |
| Medalist | Exempt membership for the 2023 season |
| 2nd through 10th (no ties)
|
Exempt through the reshuffle, which will occur approximately halfway through the season |
| 11th through 30th (plus ties) | Conditional membership |
- This is a 72-hole, no-cut event. There will be playoffs, if necessary, for the medalist position and for the 10th and final position available.
- Players in this week’s field come from nine countries or territories: Canada, China, Ecuador, England, France, Japan, Mexico, Sweden and the United States.
- Cougar Collins and Nicholas Marchese are tied as the top Canadians competing this week. They are tied for 40th through 54 holes.
- The hardest hole of the day was once again No. 5, but players are slowly getting the hang of the par-3. Harry Ellis,who had battled with No. 5 during the first two days, finally birdied this hole on day three, certainly allowing for a bit of redemption as he heads into his final round.
- In addition, the field as a whole is playing this course better than the first two days of competition. Today, there were 10 rounds below 70, the most since the start of the tournament.
From the 19th Hole
“I might be a bit more conservative [Friday] on those holes that I hit through the fairways. But when the adrenaline’s going and you are pumped up, you hit it a bit further. But, other than that, I’m just going to point and shoot.” –Eric Beringer on his strategy for the final round
“I’ve been taking care of each shot. Not letting anything hinder the shot in front of me. The more shots you play, the less shots you hit. That’s kind of been my motto for this week.” – Brandon Hoelzer
Second-Round Weather: Cloudy early, becoming mostly sunny in the afternoon. High of 87. Wind E at 10-15 mph.
