DALLAS — Reese Roberts of Dallas leads the 115th Texas Amateur after Round 3. Roberts, a senior at Dallas Jesuit, shot a strong 4-under 68 to hold a one-stroke lead heading into the Final Round.
The third round of a golf tournament, often dubbed “moving day,” lived up to its name during the 115th Texas Amateur.
For the first time, the Texas Amateur is an official USGA Exemption Event where the winner will receive an exemption to the 124th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
Roberts committed to the University of Missouri, seized sole possession of the lead after finishing Round 3 with a 4-under 68. It marked his second-lowest score of the tournament, following an earlier 63, putting him atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday.
“Today went really well,” said the senior. “I just took it one shot at a time, and it ended up working pretty well.”
Roberts navigated a challenging front nine, carding four birdies and three bogeys for a 1-under score. He then surged on the back nine, avoiding bogeys while notching consecutive birdies on No. 13 and No. 14.
“On No. 13, I nearly holed out from 120 yards in the fairway, which set up an easy birdie and gave me momentum for more birdies down the stretch,” Roberts shared.
Roberts, a three-time Legends Junior Tour Champion, aims to add the Texas Amateur title to his accolades at just 17 years old.
Tied for second at 13-under 203 are Luke Colton of Frisco, Trinity Forest member Andrew Lawson of Dallas, and Daniel Choi of Keller.
Colton, another standout high school golfer, climbed 13 spots on the leaderboard with his lowest tournament round of 66, positioning himself in the final pairing for Sunday.
“I struggled early on the front nine, but got things going with an eagle and a few birdies on the back,” said Colton, who recently won the Veritex Bank Byron Nelson Junior Championship.
Lawson and Choi both shot 2-under 70 on the day, remaining in contention as they head into the final round.
Tied for fifth at 205 are Finn Burkholder of The Woodlands and Andrew Baucum of Heath.
“My round was a bit scrappy today,” Baucum admitted. “I struggled off the tee but managed to salvage my round with some solid play.”
Baucum, three shots off the lead, looks to execute his game plan at Trinity Forest Golf Club on Sunday.
In solo seventh is Trevor Algya of Highland Village, four strokes behind the leader after a third-round 67 featuring a bogey-free front nine and an eagle on No. 2.
Rounding out the Top 10 at 9-under 207 are Marek Fleming of Tomball, Chris Wheeler of Addison, and Andre Jacobs of League City.
Fleming, committed to Purdue University, matched his lowest round with a 4-under 68, highlighted by five birdies on the back nine.
Wheeler, a seasoned contender in Texas Golf Association events, aims to add the Texas Amateur title to his resume after a 1-under 71 on Saturday.
Jacobs, a former University of North Alabama golfer, rebounded from a tough front nine to shoot 1-under 70 in Round 3.
The third round played at 7,232 yards, with No. 11 once again proving the toughest hole.
The Final Round of the 115th Texas Amateur tees off at 8:00 a.m. Sunday from No. 1 and No. 10.
To see results and learn more on the Texas Golf Association, click here.