PGA TOUR Canada – All five players inside top five looking for first PGA TOUR Canada victory

Third Round Leaderboard – Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON
(Bold denotes Canadian)

T-1. Joel Dahmen – 67 (-9)
T-1. Lucas Lee – 67 (-9)
T-3. Brett Lederer – 68 (-8)
T-3. Tyler Aldridge – 69 (-8)
T-3. David Dragoo – 70 (-8)
T-3. Riley Wheeldon – 68 (-7)

(July 13, 2013 – Fort McMurray, AB) – Clarkston, Washington’s Joel Dahmen and Sao Paolo, Brazil’s Lucas Lee shot a pair of 5-under par 67s Friday at Fort McMurray Golf Club to reach 9-under par through 54 holes and share the lead at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON.

Dahmen and Lee were one stroke clear of Lakewood, California’s Brett Lederer, Nampa, Idaho’s Tyler Aldridge and Carefree, Arizona’s David Dragoo, all of whom will enter Sunday’s final round in search of their first career PGA TOUR Canada victories.

“I put myself in a good position for tomorrow and that’s all I was trying to do,” said the 25-year old Dahmen, who finished tied for eighth at last week’s Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel. “I had a lot of confidence after last week when I finished off well there, so I thought ‘why can’t I play well here too?’”

Lee, who now calls Torrance, California home, will head to Sunday looking to top one of his four runner-up finishes on PGA TOUR Canada.

“I’ve finished second here four times and I’m ready to try and win tomorrow,” said the 25-year old Lee. “I played very solid today, but I think it’s going to take another good round to win.”

36-hole leader Nick Taylor and hometown favourite Stuart Anderson, playing together in the day’s final group, both stumbled to 1-over par 73s on Sunday, sitting tied for sixth and tied for 10th respectively.

Dahmen eyes RBC Canadian Open, Web.com Tour spots

With an opportunity to win on Sunday, Dahmen said he wasn’t thinking just about winning the tournament, but moving up the Order of Merit and trying to move in position for the three RBC Canadian Open exemptions available following The Players Cup next week.

“I’ve never played in a PGA TOUR event before, so that would be pretty darn cool,” said Dahmen, currently 19th on the Order of Merit. “You don’t think about it when you’re playing, but when you’re talking about it with your buddies, it’s a pretty big deal.”

The top three players on the Order of Merit will gain exemptions into the Open, set to take place July 22-28 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

“There’s still so much golf left to be played to get those exemptions but that’s my immediate thought,” said Dahmen. “There’s a lot more on the line this year, but you just have to take it one shot at a time and deal with it.”

Lee looks to get the monkey off his back

Lee has had his share of close calls, not only on PGA TOUR Canada, but around the world in his six-year professional career. In addition to his four runner-up finishes in Canada, Lee took the lead into the final round of the OneAsia Tour’s Thailand Open before stumbling to a final-round 73 and finishing tied for 12th.

“I had a little hiccup there,” said Lee. “I was in a similar situation. I have a better idea what I should do tomorrow to keep up with the lead. I’m going to rely on my past experiences and see what I can do.”

Lee’s runner-up finishes came at the 2012 Times Colonist Island Savings Open (T-2), 2010 Riviera Nayarit Classic (2nd), 2009 Players Cup (2nd) and 2009 TOUR Championship (lost in a playoff)

Notes:
– Weather: Mix of sun and cloud, 15 degree Celsius, wind 10 km/h
– 19 players were within four shots of the lead heading to Sunday, including 2012 champion Cory Renfrew (-6, T-10) and Fort McMurray native Stuart Anderson (-6, T-10)
– Of the 12 players tied for 10th or better, only two – Wil Collins and Stuart Anderson – have won on PGA TOUR Canada
– Three players inside The Five are in the top-10 through 54 holes – Tyler Aldridge (T-3), Nick Taylor (T-6) and Wil Collins (T-10)
– Three players shared the round of the day at 5-under par 67: Joel Dahmen, Lucas Lee and Garrett Sapp
– Round 3 tee times will begin at 7:40 AM, with players going off in twosomes off the first tee. The final pairing of Lee and Dahmen will tee off at 1:20 PM.