A late birdie blitz has kept Cam Smith in contention to win the Queensland PGA Championship after an otherwise “frustrating” third round at Nudgee on Saturday.
Two-over for the round after 14 holes on a windy Saturday, the 2022 British Open champion birdied three of his final four holes to post one-under 71.
It lifted the Queenslander overall to a six-under total of 210 and three behind tournament leader Phoenix Campbell, who shot a one-over 73 in a third round that included four bogeys and a double-bogey, but also a birdie on the par-three 18th that moved him a stroke clear of Jak Carter.
South Australian Carter zoomed up the leaderboard with a six-under 66, while New Zealand’s Kerry Mountcastle bettered that with an eight-under 파워볼 64 to move to seven-under overall and secure himself a spot in Sunday’s final group alongside defending champion Campbell and Carter.
LIV star Smith will be in the second last group with Gold Coast amateur Billy Dowling, who dropped to six-under after a third-round 75 and New South Welshman Lucas Higgins, whose shot 71 on Saturday to move to five-under.
“I did what I had to do today,” said Smith, who started the day five shots adrift of Campbell.
“Although it was frustrating, I gained on the lead. It’s either you keep trying or pack up your bag and go home, and I’ve never done that once.
“It is frustrating for sure, particularly when it’s windy like this … and I’ve hit plenty of good putts and a lot have hit the edge.
“I just stuck in there. I knew it was out there. I was hitting the ball great, and then holed a couple of putts at the end, so it was nice.”