BELLAIRE — After a long day in which the second round was completed and the third round played, too, three players were tied for the lead heading into Thursday’s final round of the Michigan Open.
Cameron Ruge, an assistant professional at Bay Meadows Family Golf Center in Traverse City, Will Preston, a Penn State University golfer from Grand Rapids, and Bentley Coon, the 16-year-old phenom from Horton who won a Drive, Chip and Putt title at Augusta National at age 11, shared the 54-hole lead at 9-under Wednesday.
They will make up the final pairing at 11:50 a.m. for the final round Thursday in the $100,000 event at Shanty Creek Resort.
Ruge, who will be the only one of the three playing for a share of the purse as a professional, shot 4-under 67 on the Cedar River Course to check in at 204.
Preston, who just completed his sophomore season at Penn State with a top-20 finish in the Big Ten Conference Championship, shot 70 for 204 with a big boost from a third-round 66.
But it was Coon, a Parma Western High School golfer who turned 16 on May 27, that had the most people at Shanty Creek abuzz.
He shot a 69 in the third round after completing a 65 in the second round for his 204. If he wins the James D. Standish Trophy, he would be the youngest champion in the 109-year history of the tournament, eclipsing Michigan amateur golf legend Chuck Kocsis, who won his first of three Open titles in 1931 at age 18.
“I just came in trying to play golf, like it’s not even that big of a deal,” Coon said, citing his most recent medalist showing as an MHSAA regional title. “My whole junior golf career I’ve pretty much won, so I’m pretty used to this. I’m pretty confident. I will just try to hit fairways and greens and make some putts like always.”
He showed resilience in the third round overcoming a pair of back-to-back double-bogeys on holes 4 and 5, in part with birdies at holes 7 and 8. In all he had seven birdies, one bogey and the two doubles.
“I made some mistakes, but I played pretty good overall,” he said. “I made some putts.”
The 27-year-old Ruge, who won last fall’s Michigan PGA Match Play Championship, had the best third round of the three leaders with his 67.
“I never really got in trouble at all out there,” he said. “I made mistakes in (Tuesday’s second round) in terms of bogeys that I knew I had to clean up, like not reading the wind right, or mis-clubbing on some of the pin locations. So today, I just made sure to keep it below the hole and didn’t let any shots get away from me.”
He said he is feeling good about the final round, especially after some key birdies at holes, 14, 15 and 18 on the way in.
“Everything feels good in the game, hitting it well and I’ll just need to have the putter keep rolling,” he said.
Preston, too, made three birdies on the way in. His birdies happened at 14, 15 and 17. The 20-year-old junior-to-be at PSU also overcame a double-bogey on No. 11 followed by a bogey at 12.
“It was nice to get those back after a couple of bad mistakes,” he said. “I won a bunch of stuff as a junior golfer (past Michigan Junior Amateur Champion) and I had some success this spring at school, so I feel good about my game and contending this week. I’m looking forward to being in the final group.”
Joe Jusczcyk of Dearborn Heights, the 2023 Michigan Open champion who held the lead for the first two rounds, shot 73 and was just one shot back at 205 following the third round.
Shea Harmeson of Traverse City, who just finished his college career at Kansas State, shot 71 and was also at 205.
Two-time champion Eric Lilleboe of Okemos looms two shots back at 206 after he shot a 68.
Doug Piesk of Davison shot 71 and was at 207, while defending champion Otto Black of Brighton, who shot 74, and Julian Menser, a Michigan State golfer from South Lyon, who shot 68, were at 208, just four shots off the lead. A dozen golfers were within five shots of the lead.
The 36-hole cut was made when the suspended second round was complete at 6-over 148 with 71 players moving on to play in the third round.