What a day that has been for everyone! First off, the weather was great! The temperature was 16 to 18 degrees Celcius (67 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit) this morning, on July 17th. Then the weather warmed up into the afternoon resulting in 20’s C (low 70’s F).
Several golfers have played quite well in spite of difficult pin placement on each green. A pin placement is where a flag is placed on the green that a golfer must strategize on aiming her/his shot. The third round competition has heated up as several top golfers are now vying for the first place at the end of 4th round tomorrow afternoon.
One golfer had to withdraw due to an injury. We wish her a speedy recovery. In the final round tee times, 4 groups with higher scores will be teeing off on the 10th tee of the Bear course. The Rules Committee hopes to have all the players completed by 4 pm at the latest, just in time for the closing ceremony
The top three players in the Ladies’ divisions are Patti Lopez (USA) at 230 alter shooting a good 76. The next two players have traded their positions: Andrea Hjellegjerde (NOR) shot a strong 74 to place 2nd place into the 4th round and Leonie Warringa (NED) shot an 88 that she is now 15 shots behind the leader.
Warringa was the Ladies champion at the 2012 WDGC in Japan. It was her first deaf golf tournament. The experience was wonderful that Warringa has returned for another shot at the title. With the two newcomers, Warringa has a new challenge on her hands — to retain her championship title.
Kenneth Hoffman (CAN) was the Senior Men WDGC champion in 2010 and 2012. This year, we have new names in the top five positions after the today’s round. Charles Mikkers (NED), the 1st timer at the WDGC, is currently leading at the top position with a total of 238 strokes. Keith Worek (USA) is in the second place with 241. Mikkers could have been leading by 7 strokes but he was penalized 4 strokes for riding a golf cart (buggy) without a doctor’s certificate. Two other Americans are in the top five and they are Gerald Isobe and John Rush with a total of 243 each. Hoffman is also sharing the 3rd spot with the two Americans.
The Men’s leader remains Jack Besley (AUS) with continuous performance of shooting a 76 for a total of 227. Hans Elgaard (DEN) remains 2 strokes back in 2nd place and Paul Waring (ENG) is 3 strokes back in 3rd place. Michael Burris (ENG) is sitting in the fourth position after a 79 in the 3rd round. Besley is aiming to win this year’s championship after placing 8th at the Scotland 2010 and 3rd at the Japan 2012. Elgaard is one of the most consistent golfers in the WDGC history, placing in the top 10 since his first WDGC in 2000 (South Africa). Will he win the championship? This remains to be seen at tomorrow’s round!
Here are the complete results — click here.
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The WDGF Board wishes everyone best of luck in the final round of the WDGC 2014!
