Arizona State sophomore Alejandro Canizares fired a six-under 66 yesterday as the Sun Devils built a nine-stroke lead over the Arizona men's golf team heading into today's final round of the Pac-10 Championships in Marana.
Canizares' third-round tally was the low of the day and proved to be the difference as Arizona State separated itself from the 10-team field, posting a 4-under-par total of 356. The Sun Devils' 54-hole total stands at 1,076 (-4), 9 strokes ahead of the tournament host Wildcats (1,085). UCLA (1,087) seems the only other team in contention, as fourth-place Washington (1,106) sits 30 strokes behind ASU.
The defending champion Bruins made the biggest move of the day, carding an 8-under 352 to shave four strokes off their deficit entering the round.
Coming into the third round with a share of the lead, Arizona failed to capitalize on some good scoring opportunities that kept the team in second place. Senior Chris Nallen's struggles highlighted the Wildcats' efforts as a team. The Hackettstown, N.J., native hit five birdies on the first seven holes of the back nine to get to 1-under on the day before posting back-to-back double bogeys on the final two holes.
"When Nallen doesn't play well, it hurts," said UA head coach Rick LaRose. "When your low score is 69, you need a stud to come out and carry the team."
LaRose used two words to assess the Wildcats' chances to catch ASU today: "Not impossible."
"Certainly to challenge, you need to have someone carry your team," he said.
The Sun Devils seek their 12th Pacific 10 Conference championship since joining the league in 1978-79 and their first since 2000.
The Gallery at Dove Mountain, a par-72, 7,435-yard layout, continues to provide a test. Just nine players are below par heading into today's final round. Canizares, the 2003 NCAA individual medalist, and teammate Chez Reavie share the third-round lead with 7-under par 209 totals.
Arizona freshman Henry Liaw is tied with UCLA's Travis Johnson for third, sitting two strokes back at 211 (-5).
"I played really bad on the front but was able to turn it around on the back," Liaw said. "On the back, I started hitting fairways. I just started with the basics and that helped to find the fairways.
"(Today), I just need to continue to play the back 2- or 3-under. On the front nine, I need to get off to a quick start by making a few birdies and a few quick pars."
The conference championship is determined by teams of six players, with the low five scores for each round counting toward the team total.