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Virginia Golf Club Associate Zach Ion leads the PGA Associate National Championship yet remains stuck on the couch through three rounds at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Ion’s round of 4-under 68 on Thursday was the only bogey-free round of the day, his 14-under par total through 54 holes giving him a four-stroke buffer from Mount Osmond Golf Club’s Joe Hodgson (68).
What it hasn’t done, however, is improve his sleeping arrangements at the house he is sharing with fellow Queenslanders this week.
“I’ve actually still been on the couch all week, which is outrageous,” said Ion.
“I think a couple of them have left now so hopefully I can squeeze onto a double bed.”
Wherever he ends up, it could still be a restless night for Ion who is seeking to claim the biggest win of his three years in the Membership Pathway Program.
Co-leader after Round 1, Ion trailed by one after the second round and now very much finds himself as the hunted as the tournament nears its climax.
“It’s a new feeling to be up – and I didn’t know I was up four – but game-plan wise, I’ve probably got to stick with pretty much the same thing again,” said the tall left-hander.
“It’s working. I’m not really taking too many risks. Just keep focused, keep relaxed and enjoy tomorrow.”
A prodigious bomber off the tee, Ion had to lean on his short game to stay bogey-free in Round 3, particularly early in his round.
He conjured a couple of crucial par saves and then made birdie at the 161-metre par-3 fifth.
Five more pars followed before he built a handy advantage with birdies at 11, 14 and 18.
“It was actually a bit more scrambling than it’s been this week,” Ion conceded.
“Got off to a bit of a nervous start. I’ve normally been hunting guys down rather than being up there third and fourth round of state champs so it was a bit nervy around the start.
“I made a couple of good putts early, kind of pushed my momentum forward for the rest of the round and then started playing a bit more like myself for the rest of it.”
A double-bogey at the par-4 17th made Hodgson’s assignment that little bit tougher, 36-hole leader Ethan Chambers (The Lakes GC) one shot further back at 9-under after a round of 2-over 74 highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 11th.
