Hayden Wood

“Over the past three days, I have played very consistent golf and have managed my game quite well,” Wood said. “With the tightly bunched field, I will have to play very well tomorrow to close the deal.”

The current Oklahoma State Sophomore and native of Edmond, Okla. played the back nine in 3-under 32 and currently sits at 5-under par total. Second round leader Dylan Healy found trouble on the back nine with double bogeys on holes 12 and 18, leading to a round of 74 and a 1-under par total.

The biggest move of the day was made by Ryan Burgess of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, whose 65 pushed him forward 18 spots into a tie for 2nd place at 3-under par. Burgess, who played at this year’s NCCA Division 1 Championship for SMU, caught fire on the start of the back nine with a birdie on hole 10, followed by an eagle on hole 12 and two more birdies on nos. 13 and 14. Burgess is tied with the 2015 Conference USA Golfer of the Year Victor Lange, a native of South Africa.

Lange's 67 today puts him in good position going into tomorrow, where he'll be in the final threesome with Burgess and leader Wood, and stands to be Wood’s biggest challenger to the trophy.

Based on how players have handled the Geronimo Course so far this week, the players near the lead who can survive the long and narrow holes on the front nine, and best take advantage of the scoreable par 4s on the back will surely walk away as the champion of the 100th Southwestern Amateur.

ABOUT THE SOUTHWESTERN AMATEUR

The Southwestern Amateur is the longest running regional amateur men's golf championship in the western United States. With origins dating back as early as 1908, the tournament was formally organized into a regional competition in 1915. Since then the championship has grown to many more players and a stepping stone for many great future PGA Tour stars.

The 100th annual Southwestern Amateur is being held at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. As the highest-ranked amateur golf tournament in the Southwest, the championship attracts the world’s best amateur golfers and has helped launch the careers of many of today’s PGA champions. Desert Mountain is one of the world’s premier, private golf meccas offering six award-winning Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses, more than any other private community in the world. Its Geronimo Course will play host to this year's tournament with the Cochise Course also used for the first two rounds.