WATERLOO — Chandler Blanchet and Ethan Brue played together on the first two days of the Waterloo Open.
And they’re going to do it again on the final day.
Blanchet and Brue will be in the final group Sunday after both continued their torrid play in the Professional Division at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course.
Blanchet fired a 10-under-par 62 on Saturday to take the 36-hole lead with an 18-under total. He shot a 64 in the first round Friday.
Brue, the first-round leader, shot a 66 Saturday after carding a 62 in the first round. He is in second place at 16-under entering the final round.
Blanchet, 23, who won an NCAA Division II title for the University of West Florida, started quickly on Day 2 of the 86th Waterloo Open.
He finished the day with an eagle, nine birdies and a bogey. He birdied his first three holes and had seven birdies on the front nine to shoot a 30. He is playing in this event for the first time.
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“I hit my first drive in the trees, but I came right back,” Blanchet said. “I started hitting the ball well and made some putts. Playing with Ethan helped me a lot. We fed off each other. He would make a putt and then I would try to make my putt. This course really suits my game well. I got on a roll and I felt like I wasn’t going to miss. It was really fun.”
Brue had an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys en route to his 66 on Saturday.
“Chandler played great and I think between the two of us we birdied five of the first six holes,” Brue said. “He was really lighting it up and I know I definitely fed off what he was doing. It’s much easier shooting a low score when you’re comfortable playing with a guy and he’s playing well. I just have to keep making birdies because I know Chandler is playing really well.”
The third and final round is set for Sunday at Irv Warren. The winner will earn $50,000.
Nathan Stamey, Matthew Picanso and Ian Snyman are tied for third place at 13-under-par.
Stamey, third in this event the past two years, delivered a huge statement early Saturday morning by shooting an impressive 11-under-par round of 61.
Stamey, 33, who golfed collegiately at North Carolina-Greensboro, posted 11 birdies and seven pars on his scorecard. The 61 was the lowest round he had shot at any level of golf.
“There are a lot of birdie opportunities on this course and you have to capitalize on them,” said Stamey, who is from Bluffton, S.C. “You obviously have to stay aggressive, but you also have to stay patient and play smart. You don’t want to do anything stupid. I was fortunate to get on a roll early and I was able to keep it going.”
Stamey stormed back strong Saturday after opening with a 2-under 70 on Friday. He finished his round Friday night around 7:15 before teeing off Saturday morning at 6:55.
“It was extremely tough out there (Friday) with the heat – it was really rough,” Stamey said. “I saw all of the low scores the guys shot the first day in the morning and I knew I had to come out strong in my second round. I need to have the same mindset in the final round. This is a course where anybody can go low on any day. You definitely have to stay aggressive.”
Piri Borja was another golfer who moved into contention after firing a 65 Saturday following an opening-round 68.
Borja, who was an NCAA Division II runner-up for national team champion Barry (Fla.) University, collected nine birdies and two bogeys Saturday.
“I had an aggressive mentality – I tried to birdie every hole,” he said. “I was really happy with the way I hit the ball. I need to come back in the final round and play the same way. The goal for me is to get to 20-under (overall). I need to try to birdie every hole again.”
Borja, from Coral Springs, Fla., took advantage of the much-improved weather Saturday morning after playing in the blazing heat Friday afternoon.
“It was extremely hot in the first round – the weather was just brutal and it negatively affected how I played,” Borja said. “The weather was so much nicer for the second round. That made a huge difference.”
Defending champion Richie Schembechler experienced an up-and-down day before finishing with a 69. He bounced back from a three-putt bogey on No. 17 by chipping in for birdie on his final hole.
He is tied for 12th place entering the final round.
“I didn’t putt great today – I missed a few short ones,” Schembechler said. “It was good to finish strong on the last hole, but I lost touch with the leaders a little bit. I’m going to have to do something special (Sunday). My game plan is to make birdies and eagles on the par-5s and get what I can after that.”
Blanchet and Brue were the first players to tee off on Friday and the last group on Saturday. They sank their final putts in dark, rainy conditions at 8:20 p.m. Saturday. The tournament was delayed an hour by lightning late Saturday afternoon.
But they didn’t seem to mind.
“It was an awesome day – we had a blast out there,” Blanchet said. “Hopefully, we can have some more fun again in the final round.”
Professional scores
126 – Chandler Blanchet (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) 64-62.
128 – Ethan Brue (Ashland, Ill.) 62-66.
131 – Nathan Stamey (Bluffton, S.C.) 70-61 Matthew Picanso (Vista, Calif.) 67-64 Ian Snyman (Denton, Texas) 68-63.
133 – Chris Gilman (Yorba Linda, Calif.) 68-65 Sean Kelly (Bradenton, Fla.) 66-67 Piri Borja (Coral Springs, Fla.) 68-65.
134 – Seth Fair (Whitestown, Ind.) 68-66 Thaddeus Obecny II (Wheeling, W.Va.) 65-69 Eric Cole (Delray Beach, Fla.) 67-67.
135 – Dan Woltman (Beaver Dam, Wis.) 67-68 Ryan Cole (Mount Airy, Md.) 69-66 Patrick Stolpe (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 65-70, Richie Schembechler (Memphis, Tenn.) 66-69 Michael Visacki (Sarasota, Fla.) 67-68 Wyatt Worthington II (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) 70-65.
136 – Johnny Watts (Fishers, Ind.) 67-69 Bryan Martin (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) 71-65 Timothy Hildebrand (Carmel, Ind.) 67-69.
137 – Casey Fernandez (Durant, Okla.) 72-65 Brooks Thomas (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 68-69 Jeffrey Kellen (Rockford, Ill.) 67-70 Cristobal Del solar (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) 69-68 Scott Wolfes (Saint Simons Island, Ga.) 69-68 Barrett Kelpin (Kalamazoo, Mich.) 68-69 Ricky Hearden (Phoenix, Ariz.) 65-72 Zander Lozano (Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas) 70-67 Kyle Pilgrim (Colleyville, Texas) 69-68 Matt Hutchins (Naples, Fla.) 70-67 Jeff Berkshire (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 68-69 Brant Peaper (Tequesta, Fla.) 67-70.
138 – David Longmire (Glendora, Calif.) 70-68 Trevor Ullestad (Jewell) 71-67 Corbin Mills (Greenville, S.C.) 69-69 Ryan Siegler (West Windsor, N.J.) 69-69 Kyle Rodes (Plymouth, Mich.) 73-65 Broc Everett (West Des Moines) 72-66 Blake Kennedy 72-66 Brian Hughes (Raleigh, N.C.) 69-69 Patrick Lundy (Longs, S.C.) 71-67 Ted Moon (Lilburn, Ga.) 71-67 Brad Marek (San Francisco, Calif.) 69-69 Matthew Pinizzotto (Los Angeles, Calif.) 70-68 David Ganz (Portland, Ore.) 68-70.
139 – Jerod Turner (Fort Worth, Texas) 70-69 Matt Miller (McKinney, Texas) 71-68, Bryce Emory (Aurora, Ill.) 69-70 Carson Schaake (Omaha, Neb.) 68-71 Kaylor Steger (Mt. Pleasant, Wis.) 69-70 Kyle Slattery (Rockford, Ill.) 67-72 Zach Golembiewski (Sarasota, Fla.) 69-70
Failed to make the cut
140 – Christopher Petefish (Cumming, Ga.) 72-68 Thomas Eldridge (Raleigh, N.C.) 73-67 Brian Ohr (Wheeling, Ill.) 71-69 Michael Davan (Zionsville, Ind.) 75-65 Andrew Buckle (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 70-70, Peter Webb (Madison, Wis.) 71-69 Jon Weiss Jr. (Florence, S.C.) 68-72 Brad Benjamin (Bluffton, S.C.) 73-67 Michael McCabe (Moorpark, Calif.) 65-75 Michael Weaver (Fresno, Calif.) 71-69 Tee Opperman (Pawleys Island, S.C.) 70-70 Josh Montgomery (Tulsa, Okla.) 74-66.
141 – Jonathan Diianni (Charlotte, N.C.) 68-73 Spence Fulford (Davenport, Fla.) 72-69 Austin Graham (Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif.) 72-69 Gavin Hall (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) 72-69 Matthew Mengeghetti (Schererville, Ind.) 68-73 Jordan Cowart (New Braunfels, Texas) 72-69 Dane Worley (Cedar Rapids) 72-69 Hunter O’Mahony (Plantation, Fla.) 70-71 Cody Burrows (Tulsa, Okla.) 73-68.
142 – Wes Buntenbach (Kansas City, Mo.) 68-74 Conner Godsey (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) 70-72 Joseph Gunerman (Apollo Beach, Fla.) 71-71 Kyle Kochevar (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) 72-70 Mark Baker (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 69-73 Michael Schachner (Libertyville, Ill.) 68-74 Daniel Longmire (Glendora, Calif.) 73-69 Brian Bullington (Frankfort, Ill.) 73-69 Nicholas Contini (Granville, Ohio) 71-71 Taylor Davis (Franklin, Tenn.) 74-68 Josh Weems (Lake Quivira, Kan.) 71-71 Jake Lestishen (Thornton, Colo.) 69-73 Ben Albin (Santa Fe, N.M.) 72-70 Spencer Smith (Crawfordsville, Fla.) 73-69 John Henno (Salvang, Calif.) 70-72 John Greco (Sunnyvale, Calif.) 66-76.
143 – Ryan Williams (Chandler, Ariz.) 74-69 Mike Dominick (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 71-72 Blake Maum (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 76-67 Matthew Walker (Ottumwa) 69-74 Grant Brown (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 72-71 Danny Gorman (Rockford, Ill.) 73-70 Austin Sipe (Dayton, Ohio) 72-71 Jacob Eggers (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) 73-70.
144 – Jack Gustafson (Greenwood, Minn.) 73-71 Matt McClung (Fulshear, Texas) 74-70 Zach Steffen (Des Moines) 74-70 Jake Daly (Cincinnati, Ohio) 75-69 Jeffrey Schmid (Iowa City) 71-73 David Lawrence (Moline, Ill.) 73-71 Ryan Isaacson (Eau Claire, Wis.) 69-75 Jordan Miller (Bradenton, Fla.) 75-69 Keven Fortin-Simard (Chicoutimi, Quebec) 74-70 Tyler Koivisto (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 69-75 Anthony Alex (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) 78-66 Eric Meierdierks (Wilmette, Ill.) 72-72 Justin Bryant (St. Louis, Mo.) 73-71 Vinnie Murphy (Edgewood, Wash.) 71-73 Matthew Jennings (Prairie City) 68-76.
145 – Joshua Butterfield (Naperville, Ill.) 75-70 Joseph Hurn (Mountain Top, Pa.) 75-70 Crawford Reeves (Greer, S.C.) 71-74 Sam DeBartolo (Urbandale), 75-70 Dylan Stein (Flemington, N.J.) 74-71 Eric Hallberg (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 72-73 Quintin Pope (Cheyenne, Wyoming) 72-73 Jacob McBride (Raleigh, N.C.) 72-73 Dave Schultz (Mapleton, N.D.) 71-74 Mike Anderson (Parkland, Fla.) 71-74 Chase Hanna (Leawood, Kan.) 72-73 Nathan Maas (Las Vegas, Nev.) 69-76.
146 – Pablo Medrano Mena (Neptune Beach, Fla.) 73-73 Zahkai Brown (Golden, Colo.) 75-71 Matt Jebavy (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 72-74 Charlie Duensing (Sandy, Utah) 73-73 Shawn Yim (Buford, Ga.) 71-75 Toppie Hogan (St. Louis, Mo.) 69-77 Matt Snyder (Las Vegas, Nev.) 71-75 Jay Monahan (Hutchinson, Kan.) 71-75.
147 – Dominic Piccirillo (Salem, S.C.) 77-70 Marco Scarola (Denton, Texas) 75-72 Trent Jones (Jonesboro, Ark.) 74-73 Kyle Driscoll (Pewaukee, Wis.) 72-75 Willie Wittmann (Menasha, Wis.) 74-73 Jack Lang (Lexington, Mass.) 71-76 Daniel Hudson (Western Springs, Ill.) 72-75 Michael Yaeger (Las Vegas, Nev.) 74-73 Austyn Karle (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 75-72.
148 – Ryan Banwart (West Bend) 76-72 Joo-Young Lee (DeKalb, Ill.) 74-74 Jerred Barley (Tipton, Mich.) 76-72 Avery Schneider (New Albany, Ohio) 75-73 Tanner Gore (El Paso, Texas) 78-70 Aaron Murphy (Holts Summit, Mo.) 73-75.
149 – Alexander Riddle (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 76-73 Ethan Castle (Phoenix, Ariz.) 78-71 Scott Pechacek (Charlotte, N.C.) 78-71 Luke McClellan (Bluffton, S.C.) 74-75 Gerald Harsley Jr. (Phoenix, Ariz.) 76-73 Austin Jordan (Benbrook, Texas) 79-70 Jake Bauer (Portsmouth, R.I.) 75-74 Matt Loiacano (Jonesboro, Ark.) 73-76 Ian Benedict (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) 75-74 Kyle Gaines (Oxford, Mich.) 76-73 Mitchell Homb (Edgerton, Wis.) 73-76 Mackenzie Nelson (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 70-79.
150 – Tyler Gammill (Austin, Texas) 74-76 Graham McAree (Fishers, Ind.) 75-75 Sam Triplett (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) 76-74 Ben Harden (Phoenix, Ariz.) 75-75.
152 – Zach Burry (Appleton, Wis.) 80-72 Robb Taylor (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 76-76 Brent Quade (Madison, Wis.) 75-77 Tyler Smith (Oskaloosa) 75-77 Adam Turner (Galesburg, Ill.).
154 – Caleb Sibley (Davenport, Fla.) 77-77 Alex Romo (Oxnard, Calif.) 75-79.
155 – Blake Jens (Madison, Wis.) 82-73.
159 – Bobby Taggart (West Palm Beach, Fla.) 73-86.
160 – Charles Hahn (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) 79-81.
WD – Kyle Szykowski (St. Charles, Mo.) 77-WD