KELOWNA, British Columbia—Friday’s action at the GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf Club began with a five-way tie for the lead, but through 54 holes everybody is chasing Callum Davison heading into Saturday’s final round. The Duncan, British Columbia, native shot a 3-under round of 68 to get to 11-under, taking a one-shot lead over Brendan Leonard.

Davison made four birdies on the front nine to set the pace for the day. “On the back nine, I hit (the ball) just as good, probably better, I just didn’t make anything. I missed five putts consecutively from within 10 feet. If I can just make a couple [Saturday], I’ll hopefully have a good result.”

Leonard, of Cambridge, Ontario, signed off on a 2-under round of 69 that featured five birdies.

“It was a pretty good day,” said Leonard. “I just had three sloppy bogeys. On No. 10 I didn’t get rewarded with a good drive, but the other two were just two bad swings. Other than that, it was a pretty solid day.”

Leonard and Davison have both won Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada events this season, with Leonard taking home the trophy at the Mackenzie Investments Open in Blainville, and Davison besting the field at the Brudenell River Classic on Prince Edward Island. Davison is third on the Points List, Leonard a spot above him. Both players know that winning a second tournament, will put them in a strong position to lock up the points title, gaining full exemption for the 2022 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

“You have to learn how to win out here,” said Leonard. “[Davison] knows how to do it, and I know how to do it. It’s going to be a good battle. I’m just going to push him as hard as I can and try to make as many birdies as possible to get ahead of him.”

“I’m not just going out there to play him,” added Davison of Leonard. “I’m going out there to win the tournament. I’m just going to play as well as a I can.”

A trio of British Columbia golfers head into the final round tied for third, at 9-under; Coquitlam’s Will Barnett, Zach Olson of Abbotsford and Delta’s Yi Cao, who finished his round holing out for eagle from the 18th fairway.

“Obviously, I’m probably going to stick with my plan,” said Cao on his approach to Saturday’s final round. “Two shots off the lead, anything can happen.”

Three more players are tied for sixth, at 7-under.

Key Information

• Seventeen players shot under par in the third round, with 12 firing rounds in the 60s.
• Callum Davison, Brendan Leonard and Ilirian Zalli, of Vancouver, are the only players to shoot all three rounds in the 60s this week
• Current points leader, amateur Noah Steele of Kingston, Ontario, shot a 1-under round of 70 and is tied for 13th place, at 4-under.
• Zach Olson of Abbotsford, British Columbia, rocketed up the leaderboard. His 6-under 65 was the low round of the day, moving him all the way into a tie for third.
• Mitchell Sutton had the biggest improvement of the day. The London, Ontario, native posted a 5-under round of 66, six shots better than his 72 Thursday. As a result, he moved up 15 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for sixth.
• The top-five players on the final Points List will earn 2022 PGA TOUR Canada membership. First place on the Points List will receive fully exempt status for the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season, while those in the second-through-fifth positions will earn exempt status up until the first reshuffle based on player performance.

Quotable

“I love being in that spot. I love trying to come from behind and just making as many birdies as I can to put pressure on the guys in front of me.” –Brendan Leonard on entering the final round one shot off the lead

“You just have to put the ball on the right side of the hole out here. If you get it on the wrong side of the hole, you’ve got some slippery little putts to deal with.” –Brendan Leonard on the greens at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf Club

 “I just have to continue to play solid golf, and I have to heat up the putter.” –Yi Cao

  Third-Round Weather:

Warm and sunny. High of 21. Wind SW at 5 kph.