Austin Smotherman’s Record Pace Leaves No Room to Coast in Utah

Austin Smotherman shot 65 on Saturday, broke the Bank of Utah Championship’s 54-hole scoring record and still lost a stroke of his lead. That is the trouble with trying to get comfortable at Black Desert.

At 23 under, he has given himself a chance to win his first PGA Tour title in his 100th start. Doug Ghim is one shot behind after a back-nine 29, with his own first victory within reach in start No. 192. Smotherman has done almost everything a leader could want through three rounds in Ivins, Utah. Ghim has made sure none of it feels sufficient.

The temptation Sunday will be to look at those totals and assume somebody needs to fire at every flag. Saturday offered a more useful explanation for how the two leaders got there. Ghim described playing conservatively into a tricky pin at the 16th, then making birdie. Smotherman kept trusting putts from 15 and 20 feet rather than demanding that every approach finish beside the hole.

Smotherman called it “good boring golf” in his post-round interview. For a player trying to win for the first time, keeping that description accurate for another 18 holes may be harder than anything he has done all week.

Ghim’s 29 Was Built on More Than Putting

Ghim made his first bogey of the tournament at the ninth Saturday. He went on to shoot 64, closing with birdies at 16, 17 and 18 to reach 22 under. His explanation of that finish was refreshingly specific about where the shots were good and where he benefited from a little help.

At 16, he respected a pin with trouble short and long on the right side and gave himself a reasonable putt. At 17, a wedge he did not particularly like caught a favorable bounce and left him an 8- or 9-footer. His second shot at 18 also fell short of his intention, but the position left plenty of green for his next shot. He got it to 3 or 4 feet and made another birdie.

That account should temper the idea that a 29 requires nine holes of flawless golf. Ghim could describe two imperfect shots in his closing stretch without either becoming a repair job on the scorecard. He still had room to play.

His tee shots have provided that room all week. The official post-round interview cited 41 fairways hit out of 42, and Ghim explained that keeping the ball in position had received more attention than usual in his preparation. At a course lined by lava rock, chasing a few extra yards has to be weighed against what happens when the ball leaves the playable ground.

The putter gets plenty of attention when someone comes home in 29. Ghim’s account points back to decisions made before those putts existed. Sunday, with one stroke separating him from Smotherman, that same willingness to choose a sensible target could matter every bit as much as another hot stretch on the greens.

Smotherman Has a Wedge Shot Worth Remembering

Smotherman’s 63-62-65 start adds up to 190, four strokes below the tournament’s previous 54-hole record. The official third-round notes also put it nine shots below his own previous best opening 54-hole total on Tour. He has earned the lead through sustained scoring, with eight more birdies Saturday overcoming bogeys at the third and 10th.

His birdie at 17 contained a detail worth carrying into Sunday. Earlier, at the eighth, he had hit a wedge about 30 feet beyond the hole. The number for that shot matched the distance he later faced to the flag at 17. Smotherman and his caddie recognized it, and he used the same swing with his 54-degree wedge to set up a birdie.

An approach that finished long had supplied information he could use. In a round this low, the next useful adjustment may be sitting inside a shot that initially looks disappointing. Smotherman remembered the distance instead of discarding the swing.

At 18, he admitted getting a little nervous over a 6-iron after a strong drive. He still chipped well and made a 10-footer to finish. He planned to make a few more swings afterward to check that the ball was starting on line.

Smotherman was pleased with his play and specific about the shot he wanted to check. The nerves had already shown up at 18, and he had finished the hole with another birdie. He has a recovery to draw on Sunday if that feeling returns.

The more pressing danger Sunday may be impatience. Smotherman explained that the course offers enough scoring holes for him to keep hitting fairways, control his approaches and wait for opportunities. A slow start would test that belief, especially if Ghim began making birdies beside him. Changing targets simply to answer the other player could undo the approach that has produced 23 under.

Ben James Has a Reason to Keep Firing

Five shots back, Ben James has recent evidence that a Sunday charge can close a substantial gap. PGA Tour reporting noted that he shot final-round 61s in his previous two starts, finishing third at the Wyndham Championship and second at the Biltmore Championship Asheville. He entered both Sundays seven behind.

James’ bogey-free 64 Saturday put him at 18 under alongside Trace Crowe and Kevin Streelman. Crowe has improved by a shot each day, going 66-65-64, and leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green. Johnny Keefer, another stroke back at 17 under, shot a bogey-free 62 Saturday. There are players capable of making the leaders keep working.

James put his position plainly in his official interview: “I had nothing to lose, and I have nothing to lose tomorrow.” The freedom makes sense. He needs birdies, and his recent Sundays give him a reason to believe he can make enough of them. Smotherman and Ghim have a much different calculation, because a mistake would give away ground they already own.

Streelman brings another possibility at 18 under: a third Tour victory at 47, in his 489th start. His 68 gave up ground to the chasers shooting 64, but birdies at two of his last three holes kept him alongside James and Crowe.

Smotherman said a win would give everyone in his camp a chance to celebrate the work together. Ghim, asked how he would prepare for the final pairing, offered a quieter answer. He has a daily routine, and he intends to follow it.

“Whether I’m in 75th or first, it’ll all be the same.”

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on RG.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.