Amateur update: Jones holds four-shot advantage as Round 4 begins
Dawson Jones of Eagle Oaks maintained his stranglehold on the top of the leaderboard, posting a third round one-under-par 71 to carry a four-shot lead into the fourth round of the 118th NJSGA Amateur Championship at the par-72, 6,942-yard Neshanic Valley Golf Course in Neshanic Station. Jones, at twelve under par after three rounds, leads by four shots over Gregor Tait of Fiddler's Elbow, and by five shots over Thomas Collins of Essex County and Jack Wall of Manasquan River.
Gregor Tait, the Seton Hall University junior from Great Britain, shot 70 (208) to draw closer to Jones, but Jack Wall of Manasquan River, who had been Jones' closest pursuer, fell five shots back following his even-par 72 (209). Veteran Tom Collins of Essex County, fired a four-under-par 68, the lowest score of the third round, to get to 209.
Brendan Hansen of Spring Lake, a high school teammate of Wall’s at Christian Brothers Academy, carded a 70 (210).
“I didn’t play any differently than I did on the first two days,” said Jones, 21, a recent graduate of the University of Rhode Island who on Monday qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship and two weeks ago won the MGA’s Ike Stroke-Play Championship.
“I’m taking it one shot at a time. I’m not getting ahead of myself. I’ll just grind it out and see what the scores look like at the end.”
Jones recorded birdies on the par-5, No. 9 and the par-5, No. 13, while his only bogey came on the par-4 No. 14.
