Rafael Becker remains in the lead after Round 3

And then came the back nine...

The low mark of the day came from Georgia Tech’s Oliver Schniederjans, who fired a 4-under 65. He made just one bogey before playing the easier back nine at 4-under. He moved all the way up to a tie for fifth place after starting the day in the middle of the pack.

In the end, though, the field is still chasing Rafael Becker.

After taking the early lead, Becker left for his third round tied at 6-under with Stanford’s Cam Wilson. Becker shot even-par 69 and sits two up on Patrick Rodgers of Stanford, Alabama’s Cory Whitsett and Wilson.

Wilson struggled to a 2-over 71 while Standford’s Patrick Rodgers made a minor but impactful move. He shot 2-under 67 to get to 4-under for the tournament and tied for second place. Whitsett held strong, shooting an even-par 69 to remain at 4-under.

Max Homa, the recent Cal grad and NCAA individual champion, fired a 2-under 67 to move into a tie for fifth place. Former teammate Brandon Hagy also shot 67, moving into ninth place overall. He’s tied with Beau Hossler, who shot his second straight 68.

Early finishers that took advantage of the ‘easier nine’ at Wannamoisett included

Richy Werenski of Georgia Tech. The winner of the 2012 Porter Cup started the third round in the middle of the pack but used a 3-under 66 to jump into the Top 20. Incidentally, Werenski, who grew up in the northeast, made his move on the front nine. He birdied Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 7 before shooting even-par 35 on the back nine.

Todd White of South Carolina also made a move towards the top. Starting the day at 5-over, the md-amateur Walker Cup hopeful fired a 2-under 67 to move into a tie for 15th place.

White, of course, was one of a few mid-amateurs that caught the eye of U.S. Walker Cup captain Jim Holtgrieve, who was in attendance the first two days of the tournament. Nathan Smith, the four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, Mike McCoy and North Carolina’s Scott Harvey and Rhode Island native Bobby Leopold are also being considered.

Smith is tied for 19th while Bobby Leopold shot 4-over 73 after starting the day at 2-under and in the third group from the last. Leopold’s tied for 10th place.

Amateurgolf.com will have more coverage from the Northeast Amateur, along with highlights from the long drive contest to celebrate longtime tournament chairman Denny Glass’ retirement.

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