Evergreen – Jack Nicklaus liked to say he loved playing in difficult weather because it eliminated half the field.
Broomfield’s Steve Ziegler was thinking along those lines Saturday as he slogged through soggy conditions and somehow posted a 3-under-par 67 for the best round of the day in the Rolex Tournament of Champions at Hiwan Golf Club.
“It’s fun to trudge around and play well in this stuff because you’re really going to move up (on the leaderboard),” Ziegler said.
He did just that. A senior-to- be at Legacy High School, Ziegler begins the final round of this prestigious American Junior Golf Association invitational tied for third place at even- par 210 through 54 holes.
Ziegler, playing a national junior schedule for the first time, has distinguished company at the top.
Philip Francis of Scottsdale, Ariz., the leader at 2-under-par 208, is ranked No. 1 among the nation’s junior players by Golfweek magazine. Andrew Yun (209) of Tacoma, Wash., already has won an AJGA major this summer: the Footjoy Boys Invitational in Greensboro, N.C. And Peter Uihlein (210) of Bradenton, Fla., is ranked No. 1 by the AJGA and No. 2 by Golfweek.
“I’d never heard of the local kid (Ziegler) before this tournament,” Francis said. “He must be playing well.”
In the girls division, South Africa’s Ashleigh Simon takes a five-stroke lead into today’s final round. A 17-year-old from Johannesburg, Simon sits at 1-over 211 after an even-par 70 on Saturday. The only girl to break par during the third round was a Coloradan, Andrea Watts of Lone Tree, with a 69.
Among the boys, only Yun (69) joined Ziegler in red numbers. Being from the Northwest, it’s no surprise that Yun thrived in the steady rain. But Ziegler and Watts have been playing most of the year in near-drought conditions.
“Yeah, this isn’t exactly Colorado weather,” Watts said with a grin.
With her sub-par round Saturday, Watts jumped from a tie for 27th place to a tie for 13th. She chipped in from 35 yards for a birdie on No. 8 and saved par on the uphill 18th by getting up and down from 50 yards with a wedge shot to within 5 feet.
“For some reason, weather like this brings out more focus in me,” said Watts, who won the Colorado girls high school state championship as a Kent Denver sophomore but plans to transfer to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Ziegler bogeyed his first hole (the 385-yard No. 10) but birdied three of his next four. Ziegler, who never has won an AJGA event, began the third round tied for 12th. But he arrived here brimming with confidence, coming off a three- stroke victory Monday in a qualifying round for the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Ziegler is in today’s final threesome with Francis and Yun.
“A lot of these guys have been kicking my tail, but the more I play with them, the more I get into a comfort zone,” Ziegler said.
Tee times begin at 7 a.m. today. The final group goes off at 8:57 a.m. There is no admission charge.
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-820-5456 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
