- May 8, 2024
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Danny Walker hits his tee shot on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Walker, a Lakewood Ranch High graduate, shot eight under par Saturday and is 13 under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnParker Gillam putts on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Gillam shot even par on Saturday and is five under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnRoss Steelman hits his second shot on the No. 16 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Steelman shot four under par Saturday and is 11 under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnBraden Thornberry hits his tee shot on the No. 17 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Thornberry shot one over par Saturday and is five under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnSam Bennett watches his putt on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic go astray. Bennett shot seven under par Saturday and is 12 under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnCristobal Del Solar swings from the bunker on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Del Solar shot even par in round three. He finished 11 under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnAlistair Docherty putts on the No. 16 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Docherty shot six under par Saturday and is 13 under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnRoss Steelman talks with his caddy about his tee shot on the No. 17 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Steelman would par the hole.
Photo by Ryan KohnCristobal Del Solar and Danny Walker shake hands following their third rounds in the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic, held at Lakewood National Golf Club. Walker, a Lakewood Ranch High graduate, shot eight under par in round three, tied for the day's best performance. Walker finished the tournament tied for 20th at 14 under par.
Photo by Ryan KohnBrett Drewitt examines his putter and the green on the No. 17 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Drewitt shot seven over par in round three. He finished one over par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnJack Maguire hits his tee shot on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Maguire shot one under par Saturday and is seven under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnBrandon Harkins hits his second shot on the No. 16 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Harkins shot three over par Saturday and is four under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnHank Lebioda hits his second shot on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Lebioda shot four under par Saturday and is nine under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnScott Harrington hits his tee shot on the No. 17 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Harrington shot two under par Saturday and is nine under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnBrian Campbell thinks about his putt on the No. 16 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Campbell shot one under par Saturday and is eight under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnChase Seiffert hits his tee shot on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Seiffert shot two under par Saturday and is eight under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnEmilio Gonzalez putts on the No. 17 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Gonzalez shot two under par Saturday and is eight under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnTaylor Dickson his his tee shot on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Dickson shot one under par Saturday and is six under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnCole Hammer winces after his second shot on the No. 18 hole at Lakewood National Golf Club on day three of the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic. Hammer shot three under par Saturday and is eight under par for the tournament.
Photo by Ryan KohnPatrick Cover tied for the best round of the day Saturday at the 2024 LECOM Suncoast Classic, shooting an eight-under-par 63, and has positioned himself as the tournament leader at 18 under par heading into the final day of play at Lakewood National Golf Club.
Cover's round was marked by eight birdies and an eagle on the No. 9 hole, plus two bogeys. Cover's big day came one day after the golf shot just two under par. The difference? Putting himself in the fairway with consistency, he said, which led to putts he could read.
Cover previously played the Suncoast Classic in 2022, when he missed the cut, and in 2023, when he finished tied for 16th at 15 under par.
"I know the course well," Cover said. "I like how it lets you play your game. There are not many forced shots. There are no holes that tell you you have to hit a draw or you have to hit a fade. You can kind of hit your shot at a target and it gives you room on both sides. It's not the most demanding golf course off the tee, but it will penalize you for a big miss."
For Cover, a win at the Suncoast Classic would be his first Korn Ferry Tour win. To get it, Cover will have to hold off several golfers close behind him. Steven Fisk is in second place at 17 under par after a seven-under-par performance Saturday. Kris Ventura and Tim Widing are tied for third place at 15 under par. Cody Blick and Jackson Suber are tied for fifth at 14 under par.
Behind Blick and Suber, 10 golfers are tied for seventh place at 13 under par. Lakewood Ranch High alumnus Danny Walker is among them after shooting an eight-under-par 63 on Saturday, tied with Cover for the best performance of the round. Walker made nine birdies and one bogey. The performance came one day after making the tournament cut on the number (five under par).
"It was a little bit of everything (Saturday)," Walker said. "(I) was hitting fairways, hitting good iron shots. Rolled in a few more putts today. First two days I didn't really make any 15-footers, but today I rolled in a few. Stayed out of trouble. It was just a good, solid, clean round throughout the bag."
Walker joked that his tee times were too early to draw a big crowd the first few days of the tournament, but hoped to see some familiar faces Sunday. He has a tee time of 12:17 p.m. alongside Chris Petefish (13 under par) and Alistair Docherty (13 under par).
Miles Russell, the 15-year-old junior golfer who Friday became the youngest player to make the cut at a Korn Ferry Tour event, is tied for 48th at nine under par.