William Buhl (Justin Naro/ Golf Canada)
William Buhl of Fairhope, Ala., extended his lead to five strokes on moving day at the 115th Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship held at Glen Arbour Golf Course in Hammond Plains, N.S.
Buhl, who was born in Oslo, Norway, carded a round of 3-under 67, moving to 8 under for the tournament. A member of the University of Arkansas golf team, Buhl made four back-nine birdies to open a convincing lead heading into Thursday’s final round. All three of the 22-year-old’s rounds have been in the 60s.
“I was telling myself ‘be patient’ the whole time,” said Buhl. “I’ve got the lead. There are two guys behind me, but at the same time, I wanted to play aggressive. I’m not going to change anything – that’s not the kind of person I am and that’s not the kind of player I am.”
Buhl is only the second player representing Norway to play the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in the tournament’s 115-year history, joining Kristoffer Ventura. Ventura finished in a tie for fifth in 2016 and is now playing on the Korn Ferry Tour.
“It’s good to represent Norway,” said Buhl. “It’s still part of my heritage, so being able to represent them and being able to be out in front is a great feeling. Glen Arbour is a very good golf course. It’s gettable, but also has its strong points as well.”
Sitting five strokes back of Buhl is Luke Kluver (Norfolk, Neb.) at 3-under par. Kluver entered the third round in a tie for fourth at even-par, but five front-nine birdies vaulted 19-year-old into second place.
Jacob Eklund (Carbondale, Ill.) and Julien Sale, a Gatineau, Que., resident representing France, are tied for third at 2 under. Both shot under par in round three, with Sale carding 3 under and Eklund firing a round of 2 under.
Johnny Travale (Stoney Creek, Ont.) rocketed up the leaderboard with a round of 4-under-par 66 – tied for the lowest score in the third round. Travale is a former member of the Team Canada National Junior Squad and is alone in fifth place at 1 under. The 18-year-old held a share of the lead after round one.
In addition to claiming the title of 2019 Canadian Men’s Amateur champion, the winner will earn exemptions into the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. and the 2020 RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto from June 8-14.
The champion will also be eligible to receive an exemption into the U.S. Junior Amateur, the U.S. Mid-Amateur or the U.S. Senior Amateur, if applicable.
ABOUT THE
Canadian Amateur
This competition is open to male amateur golfers.
Canadian players must be a
member of a golf club in good
standing with Golf Canada or who are Gold level
members of Golf Canada’s
membership program. Foreign
players must be members in good standing with their
respective association.
72-hole stroke play championship with a cut after 36
holes to the low 70
players and ties. The winner earns a spot in the PGA
Tour's Canadian Open.
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