ANCASTER, Ontario: Robert Garrigus broke the 54-hole scoring record at the Canadian Open that was first set more than a half-century ago by Arnold Palmer.
On rain-softened greens that took the bite out of Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Garrigus combined his power with some timely putts for a 6-under 64 on Saturday that gave him a one-shot lead over William McGirt, who lost ground despite a 66.
Scott Piercy had a 67 and was another shot behind.
Garrigus was at 16-under 194, one shot better than Palmer in 1955 at Weston Golf & Country Club outside Toronto, and matched two years ago by Dean Wilson at St. George's Golf & Country Club. Palmer went on to win the 1955 Canadian Open for the first of his 62 titles on the PGA Tour.
Garrigus will be going for his second win, though this tournament is a long way from being settled.
"Oops. Sorry, Arnie," Garrigus said when told about the record.
He was fortunate to escape with par, not to mention his health, on the final hole when his 3-iron off the tee ran out 290 yards and just into the hazard short of the bridge. He had to clip the ball to avoid smacking the bridge and damaging his wrist, and the wedge came out perfectly.
Scott Stallings, who won last week in Mississippi, birdied his last two holes for a 63 and was four shots behind, along with Chris Kirk (63) and Bo Van Pelt (67). Stallings ended a streak of nine consecutive PGA Tour events in which the 54-hole leader failed to win. The ninth was Ernie Els coming from six shots behind at the British Open. Stalling won later that day.
"A lot of guys haven't been able to hold leads this year," said Garrigus, still known for losing a three-shot lead on the final hole in Memphis two years ago.
No matter the difficulty of any course — Hamilton rates among the best in the Canadian Open rotation — soft greens are no match for the best players. And now, the 72-hole record for golf's third-oldest championship is in jeopardy. That belongs to another Palmer — Johnny Palmer — who had a 263 in 1952 at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Garrigus' goal?
"Foot to the floor, as much as possible," he said.
He wasn't speaking about the scoring record as much as leaving town with the trophy, which would put him in a World Golf Championship next week at Firestone and the Masters next April. He might not have a choice the way scoring has been this week.
McGirt, who started the day atop the leaderboard for the first time in his career, was never more than two shots behind. That came on the par-3 13th, when his tee shot came up well short and into a bunker, leading to his lone bogey. He atoned for that with a birdie on the next par 3 at No. 16, and recovered from a poor tee shot with an up-and-down from some 45 yards short of the 18th green.
Garrigus wasted no time joining the chase with a 316-yard tee shot that left him only a 5-iron that he stuffed inside 3 feet on the 530-yard fourth hole. He followed by driving through the green on the 329-yard fourth hole into a back bunker for an up-and-down, then made another strong move around the turn with three birdies in a four-hole stretch, courtesy of a couple of tricky putts.
He played the last six holes in par, wasting a birdie chance on the par-5 17th when he failed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker. Garrigus is thrilled with having made only one bogey for the week, though he knows making pars won't help him much Sunday.
The third round started late and in threesomes to cope with overnight rain, though Hamilton began to dry out in the afternoon. Proof of that was the 3-iron Garrigus hit off the 18th tee to stay well short of the creek. He was stunned to see it go through the fairway near the bridge.
The forecast Sunday is for sunshine, which could make Hamilton the test it typically is.
Piercy dropped two shots on the back nine to fall off the lead, though he stayed close to the leaders. So did Kirk, who began the third round six shots behind. Starting with the third hole, Kirk made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch. He was 7 under for his round with eight holes remaining, needing birdie on half of them for a 59. He was never thinking about golf's magic number, though, which was a good thing. He closed with eight pars, and he was OK with that.
"I was just trying to keep my head down and keep going," he said. "When you have those days where everything is going in the hole, you make as many as you can."