Incoming University of Southern California freshman Cheng Jin has sole possession of the lead going into the final round of the 17th Annual Players Amateur at the Berkeley Hall Golf Club South Course in Bluffton, SC.
The Beijing native carded one bogie on the front nine but shot three birdies on the back to end up 3-under for the day and 11-under for the tournament. “I just try to play my game and stay patient, I hit a lot of fairways today. That helped a lot,” said Jin after the round.
Jin goes into Monday’s final round three shots ahead of Davis Riley, who shot a bogie free round and birdied three holes to end the day at 8-under. Riley is from Hattiesburg, MS and is on the University of Alabama golf team. The rising sophomore also said patience is important to his game, “I am not putting myself in tough positions. I am leaving myself reasonable birdie chances, I make a few here and there and keep a steady pace.”
Vanderbilt’s Patrick Martin is sitting in third place at 7-under for the tournament.
Local favorite Bryson Nimmer lost his second round lead after carding four bogies on the back nine, knocking him to 6-under.
A cut was made after Sunday’s round to the low 30 and ties. Thirty-five contestants will be competing in the final round which begins at 7 am. The leaders tee off at 9:50 am. The public is welcome to attend and admission is free.
Final round pairings and tee times can be found here: www.playersam.com.