Coffs Harbour’s Andrew Campbell ended up as he started the third round, with a one-shot lead at 10-under-par, after posting an even-par 70, despite the setback of immediately losing his advantage with a messy double-bogey on the par-4 first hole.

A group of three players, one shot behind, contains Corey Lamb (66) and Josh Greer (69), who are in the early stages of their pro careers, as well as Josh Clarke (70) who has one top-10 finish on Tour

On a congested leaderboard, 11 players are within four shots of Campbell, who thinks it will take a score much better than he managed today to earn his first title after two top-10s already in the 2023/24 season.

“The aim tomorrow is to start fast and then improve from there,” the 33-year-old said.

“We’re going to have to shoot four to six (under-par) to really close it out.

“What I’ve been doing for my whole life is to get into positions like this.

“I got off to a bad start and got myself back in it so I’m proud of the way I played and held myself together today.”

Clarke, who could have tied Campbell at the top had he not missed a birdie putt from inside two metres on the final hole, is feeling similar excitement about his foray into Tour tournament contention – and the extra attention that goes with being amongst the leaders.

“I’ve never been in a spot like this before,” the 30-year-old said.

“I loved having the crowd walking around, the cameras and all that type of stuff is pretty cool.

“This is why we get up early in the morning and hit thousands and thousands of balls.”

Willunga is Lamb’s debut on Tour for 2023/24 after a wrist injury he sustained the week before the WA Open kept the Hunter Valley professional away from the Tour’s events in Western Australia.

Not wanting to risk having to withdraw after paying for flights to Perth, he stayed at home and that decision is paying dividends on a layout that reminds him off the course where he learned the game, a nine-hole course at Branxton.

“I had a game of golf and woke up the next morning with a real bad pain,” the 22-year-old said of his pre-WA mishap.

“There was nothing more than bruising. I had a few days off. The doctor said ‘whenever it feels good, it’s right to go’. I waited for as long as possible, but I’m happy to get back out there.”

After a difficult first season on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Lamb’s first taste of being on the leaderboard came in this year’s NSW Open where he ended up in a tie of eighth after closing with a 66.

“My first year (on Tour) was horrendous. I think I made two cuts,” he said.

The other significant moves from back in the pack in round three came in the morning from Queensland duo Aaron Pike and Dillon Hart who jumped into the top 10 with rounds of 66, equalling Lamb for low rounds of the day.

They are joined at 6-under-par in South Australia’s first mixed gender professional tournament by the only woman to make the weekend play, Epson Tour member Robyn Choi, who made a hot start with two birdies in her first four holes but couldn’t do better than par from then on, eventually signing for an even-par 70.

Order of Merit leader Lachlan Barker turned in a 1-under 70 to be 4-under for the tournament and the leading South Australian on the course where he learned the game.

– Another hometown favourite, Steve Alderson, leads the 36-hole All-Abilities event after a 1-under 71, four shots ahead of Cameron Pollard and six clear of Lachlan Wood.

Known as Spud to his mates, Alderson mixed in three birdies with two bogeys.

– Kooyonga’s Malachy Marshall (73) leads the way in the elite juniors competition by two shots from Hunter Whetstone (The Grange) and Rebecca Hardy (Glenelg).

The only place to see the final round of Webex Players Series South Australia is on Fox Sports through either Foxtel or Kayo Sports.

Image: Andrew Campbell and Josh Clarke meet up on the first tee at Willunga Golf Course before round three.