By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – On ‘moving day,’ the common term for the third-round shuffling and positioning in four-round tournaments, Colten Girgis made a major move, matching a competition course and Bedford Men’s City Golf Tournament record to vault atop the leaderboard.
With his putter blazing, Girgis fired a sensational 8-under 64 while jumping to the top spot after 54 holes at Otis Park. He finished three rounds at 8-under 208 and claimed a two-shot advantage over four-time winner Aaron Harrell heading into Sunday’s finale.
Girgis recorded nine birdies – that’s half the holes – with a lone bogey on the back nine while matching Harrell’s course mark, set en route to his runaway victory in 2018. Girgis, a three-time Junior City champion, rearranged his plans for a family vacation to play in his first City, now he’s one round from a title in his debut, looking to add his name to the champion’s list in the event that started in 1931.
“I don’t like to think about it because I have one day left,” said Girgis, a former Bedford North Lawrence standout who now wears the IU Indy gear with distinction. “It would mean a ton, for me and the people who sacrificed for me. I just want to give it a run.”
His third round was remarkable, including a front-nine 31 highlighted by four straight birdies on holes 2-5. The best of that run was also his luckiest. His tee shot on the treacherous par-3 third settled above the hole, with the pin on the front of the slick green, and he read three feet of break into the putt. Except he hit the putt too hard, and watched with concern as it sped toward the hole, expecting it to scurry past the target and off the green. But it hit the back of the cup and dropped home, setting the tone for his sizzling round.
He added another uncommon birdie on the tough 8th hole, then made a tough par save on the 11th after chunking his wedge approach. His only mishap came on the 15th, when he three-putted from above that pin, but he recovered with birdies on 16 and 17.
“It all started off with good drives,” Girgis said. “My goal was just getting it in play, getting in a spot where I felt I could score. I was able to focus and capitalize on those opportunities. After that I just got putts to fall. My putter was on, so it was getting it close and giving the hole a scare.”
Harrell remained in second place with a 3-under 69 and three-day total of 6-under 210. If not for the Girgis explosion, he would have taken a huge step toward another championship.
“That’s OK,” Harrell said. “I love it when people shoot really low numbers. It’s good to know it’s out there. I’m happy for Colten.
“My round was just hitting it on the greens and two putts, every now and then I made a birdie. Didn’t do anything really good, didn’t do anything really bad. It just kind of happened.”
Harrell birdied the second and sixth hole during a front-nine 36, then added birdies on 13 and 17 to complete his steady round.
Midpoint leader Trevin Hutchinson remained in contention with a 1-over 73 for a 3-under 213 total. He birdied the fourth and fifth holes on the front, then solved the 14th and 17th holes on the back, setting up a three-man race for the final day. Defending champion Korey Smith withdrew prior to the conclusion of the round.
“I want to ease my way into it, just play my game,” Girgis said. “If I can hit some good tee shots, put myself in good positions, that’s my strategy, that’s my strength. I don’t plan on scoreboard watching or counting Aaron or Trevin’s strokes. I just want to play to my strong suits.”
Harrell, playing only his sixth round of the year, is looking to become the fifth man to win five City crowns.
“I get a front-row seat,” Harrell said. “It will be fun to watch, fun to be a part of it. I’m extremely happy with the way I’m playing and getting it around. I can’t expect anything more.”
