Around the Green

Massa’s Lead Trimmed to One at 113th Texas Amateur

TYLER – Bobby Massa from Dallas shot a second consecutive 2-under-par 69 on Saturday in the third round of the 113th Texas Amateur to hold on to his lead in the state’s oldest, most prestigious amateur championship. That advantage, however, continues to shrink.

Through 54 holes, Massa has posted 13-under 200, which is one shot better than Hutto’s Jake Doggett and Francois Jacobs from League City. Massa, a reinstated amateur who played collegiately at the University of Texas at Arlington, held a four-shot lead after Round 1 thanks to his dazzling 9-under 62 that broke Willow Brook Country Club’s course record.

Headed into the third round, Massa was three strokes clear of the field. He turned in another red number on Saturday, but the field gained some ground on him again.

“It was a kind of a struggle for most of the day,” he said. “I didn’t drive it great. I got in some unlucky spots and made a couple bad bogeys. I’m still hitting the irons OK. I just need to get it going tomorrow.”

Doggett, the runner-up in last summer’s 112th Texas Amateur at Midland Country Club, had no problems getting it going early in his third round. He birdied the par-4 first hole, then chipped in for eagle on the second to go 3-under through two holes.

“I started off really good,” said Doggett, a Midwestern State senior who was recently selected to represent the U.S. at the Palmer Cup in Switzerland. “It was one of those days. The putter was hot. I hit a lot of greens and kept giving myself looks.”

Doggett has been doing a lot of that lately. He won five times for the Mustangs this season and was named to the PING First-Team All-American squad by the Golf Coaches’ Association of America.

On Saturday, Doggett made seven birdies and the eagle against one lone bogey. He said he’s eager to get another chance at winning the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy after last year’s close call.

“I didn’t have the round I wanted in the final round last year,” Doggett said.  “I’m excited to get a little revenge on that and put my name on that trophy.”

Doggett shares second place at 12-under 201 with Jacobs, an Arkansas Tech senior. Jacobs, whose twin brother Andre missed the cut and caddied for Francois in the third round, rolled in five birdies to offset one bogey for his 4-under 67.

Holden Wisener, a junior at SMU, holds fourth place at 11-under 202. The Dallas native  came in with a 3-under 68 in the third round. Hayes Hamilton, an Arkansas Tech teammate of the Jacobs’, is alone in fifth place at 10-under 203. Hamilton has a twin brother, too. Holden Hamilton missed the cut on Friday and caddied in the third round for his brother, who bounced back from a double-bogey on No. 16 to birdie the final two holes.

Nine players are within five shots of the lead with 18 holes to play. Sunday has the potential to be a shootout on the pristine, shot-maker’s Willow Brook course.

It was another Heat Advisory day in Tyler with temperatures hovering in the mid-90s with heat indexes bumping up against 100. The best amateurs in Texas handled the conditions well and played Willow Brook to a stroke average of 71.26. For the first 54 holes of the championship, Willow Brook’s stroke average is 72.53.

The final round of 113th Texas Amateur begins Sunday at 8 a.m. For more information, including complete scoring, click here.