World No. 2 amateur golfer Gordon Sargent had another round in the red as his 5-under 67 propelled the United States team to finally break away at the World Amateur Team Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Friday.
With the the third round seeing some massive movements by teams on the leaderboard going into the third round, the consistent Americans benefitted from the 14 birdies as the best output from their three players and took a four-shot lead on the penultimate day of the biennial tournament, being held for the first time in the UAE.
Sargent, who leads the individual leaderboard at 12-under par, rattled off four birdies in his opening eight holes, highlighted by a 35-foot putt on the par-4 sixth.
“It was probably the best I’ve played all week,” said Sargent, who went 4-0 for the U.S. in last month’s Walker Cup at St Andrews.
“I didn’t necessarily score as well as I hit it, but it was nice to play well on moving day and put ourselves in good position for tomorrow.”
The Americans, who are seeking their first Eisenhower Trophy win since 2014, stand at 24-under par at 408 with France and Norway sharing a tie for second at 412.
The USA’s Nick Dunlap and David Ford each finished with 3-under 69s, bringing the team’s third round tally to an 8-under 136. Only two of each team’s best three scores count toward the total.
“They have been a terrific team, not just playing, but they’ve bonded really well,” said American Captain Mark Newell.
"They know when to stay aggressive, when to stay patient, and I expect we’ll have another really good day tomorrow.”
France, with a 5-under 67 from Bastien Amat and a 72 from Hugo Le Goff, lost ground to the Americans while remaining in second place alongside Norway.
“Today was probably the most difficult day of the tournament for us,” said France Captain Antoine Delon.
“Bastien did a great job for the team and Hugo hung on for even par. Tomorrow we’ll play in the last group with the US and Norway and it’s going to be a very good round.”
Norway, which is eyeing its first medal in team history, climbed nine places on the strength of a 6-under 66 showing from Michael Mjaaseth and a 4-under 68 from Herman Sekne, who is No. 24 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®. The 10-under team total led the field in the third round.
“I think we’re in perfect position for tomorrow,” said Mjaaseth, a sophomore at Arizona State University.
“There were some tough conditions this afternoon. The wind really picked up so that was huge to get two good rounds in for the team.”
Australia remains in solo fourth place with a three-day total of 413 after a 4-under 68 from Jeffrey Guan and a 71 from Jack Buchanon.
Czechia holds fifth place at 414, followed by the Netherlands and South Africa tied for sixth. The defending champion Italians are eight strokes off the lead in solo eighth place.