Course record holder Jak Carter makes his move in third round of WA Open

Jak Carter has made his move at the WA Open, surging to the lead with a brilliant third round which had him — at times — in disbelief.

Jak Carter is the pacesetter at Mandurah, where he holds the course record. Picture: Golf Australia

Course record holder Jak Carter put himself in the box seat to win the WA Open at Mandurah Golf Club with a final hole birdie giving him a one-shot lead to take into Sunday’s final round.

The South Australian who shot a course record 62 on Thursday was not far off that same pace again on Saturday, signing off for a 65 to move to the outright lead at 18-under-par ahead of Queensland’s Elvis Smylie.

Carter and Smylie both walked onto the 18th hole tied in the lead at 17-under, after Smylie powered back into contention with two eagles in par five 13th and par four 16th.

But it was Carter who came up trumps on their final hole, sinking his birdie putt to move one stroke clear as he hunts his first Challenger Tour of Australasia victory.

He has been running hot all week with his wedge shot and knows he will need to have his radar on again on Sunday to secure his maiden tour title.

“I’m flagging the wedges real tight, which is just making the game a whole lot easier,” he said.

“I started the day at 12-under and then I looked at the leaderboard and I was like ‘how am I at 17-under?’

“It happens more often when I’m playing in the last groups.

“Whenever I am playing in these situations I’ll just completely switch off to everything, and the only thing I’m trying to focus on is just to make sure that I’m one shot better than the group.”

Jak Carter is in the box seat heading into the final round. Supplied: Golf Australia

Elvis Smylie is Carter’s closest threat. Picture: Golf Australia

The shot of the day was Smylie’s stunning eagle on the par-4, holing out from just inside 100m.

“It was 98 metres, I flighted a really nice 50-degree, and I knew as soon as it came out it was going to be pretty good,” he said.

West Australian Curtis Luck will join Carter and Smylie in the final group of three on Sunday after he moved into outright third with a bogey-free 66 today to move to 15-under, one shot ahead of Zachary Maxwell who carded a 70 on Saturday to be at 14-under.

“I still don’t really know what to say about the form. I guess I’m just riding a bit of luck at the moment,” Luck said.

“My wedge play and putting’s been quite good, so if I hit a couple more fairways, keep it inside the tree line, I think we’re in a good place.”

* The final round of the WA Open will be live and exclusive on Fox Sports and Kayo.

DAY 2: STUNNING EAGLE PUTS MAXWELL IN CHARGE

Queensland’s Zachary Maxwell has put himself in a strong position to win his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title, after a stunning eagle helped him take a one-shot lead into the third round of the WA Open at Mandurah Country Club.

Maxwell shot a five-under-par round of 66 to go with his 63 on Thursday to sit atop the leaderboard at 13-under, ahead of South Australian Jak Carter at 12-under and another Queenslander Elvis Smylie a shot further back at 11-under.

Smylie made the most of the morning conditions on Friday when shot a 7-under-par 64 to be the clubhouse leader only for the round one leaders to keep up their strong form in the afternoon group.

Maxwell would’ve had a bigger lead but bogeyed the 12th and 18th holes in a round that also included a rare eagle on the par four 343m third hole.

Carter, who shot 68 on Friday, had set the standard with a course record in the opening round when he shot a 9-under-par round of 62.

Jak Carter at the WA Open. Photo: Golf Australia

“I’d say the majority of the day I was just flagging anything from inside sort of 120 metres, I was hitting those to inches,” Carter said.

“It was just a nice solid day with shorter clubs, the wedges were good today.

“The course is mint, I absolutely love it, it’s pure.”

Carter is yet to secure his first win on the tour, something he is hoping to finally achieve this weekend.

“Absolutely starving,” he said of his hunger for that first win. “Just got to keep just rocking up and yeah, who knows what’ll happen.”

Originally published as Course record holder Jak Carter makes his move in third round of WA Open