Toby Wilt Grabs Lead in Third Round of 116th Texas Amateur Presented by Hytera US
WACO – Toby Wilt of Fort Worth surged to the top of the leaderboard in Saturday’s third round of the 116th Texas Amateur presented by Hytera US. The TCU golfer fired a 6-under 64 to grab a one-shot lead heading into the final round at Ridgewood Country Club.
The course welcomed back 54 players who made the cut for what’s known as “moving day” – the round where players look to position themselves for a Sunday charge at the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy.
Wilt, a rising senior at TCU, carded the second-lowest round of the day to vault into the lead. After opening with a bogey on No. 1, he rebounded with three birdies over the next six holes. Another bogey on the long par-four 8th hole was followed up with a birdie on the par-five 9th to make the turn. A bogey-free back nine en route to a four-under par 31 that included a birdie at No. 18, secured his spot atop a crowded leaderboard.
Wilt credited his part of his steady play to his caddie, Sam Johnson.
“Yeah, I had my buddy on the bag today, Sam Johnson, which really helped,” Wilt said. “He helped me stay present, calm, and collected. The main thing today was staying disciplined to my targets and not forcing any birdies – knowing they will come eventually.”
Over the last 36 holes, Wilt has climbed the board thanks to smart course management and timely putting.
“Again, I think it’s just staying disciplined and making some good putts when it matters,” he said. “The big thing out here is bogey avoidance and making sure you don’t make big numbers.”
Wilt will try to close out the victory Sunday and claim the Texas Golf Association’s most prestigious prize in what promises to be a test of endurance. The Texas Amateur is the Association’s only state championship contested over four rounds.
“In college, we’re used to playing 54- and 72-hole tournaments while walking 36-hole days,” Wilt said. “The heat here is nice, and I’m used to it by now, so I’m just looking forward to competing tomorrow.”
Chasing Wilt is second-round leader and former Texas Mid-Amateur champion Ryan O’Rear of Leander. O’Rear sits one stroke back after a 1-under 69 and hopes to join the short list of players who have won both the Texas Amateur and Texas Mid-Amateur.
Lucas Latimer of Rockwall, a University of Mary Hardin-Baylor commit, fired a 3-under 67 and is three shots off the lead. He’ll join Wilt and O’Rear in Sunday’s final group.
Tied for fourth at 9 under are Hudson Wilt of Fort Worth; Andrew Paysse of Temple; 2024 Southern Junior Amateur champion Tyler Sanford of Montgomery; and 97th Texas Junior Amateur champion Price Hill of Boerne.
Rounding out the top 10 are Carson Gallaher of New Braunfels in solo eighth and Chase Williams of Odessa and Jaxon Bandelier of Austin tied for ninth at 6-under par for the championship.
Weather for Round 3 started in the high 70s and climbed into the high 80s, peaking at 90 degrees by day’s end. The course played to an official yardage of 6,661 yards.
The final round of the 116th Texas Amateur presented by Hytera US will begin at 8 a.m. off Nos. 1 and 10 tees. The Texas Amateur is an official USGA Exemption Event where the champion will earn an exemption into the 125th U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club.
To view results from Round 3 click here. To learn more about the 116th Texas Amateur presented by Hytera US, click here.