Dain Richie's 68 takes lead into Men's City final round
Dain Richie fired a 4-under-par 68 at Piper Glen Golf Club on Saturday to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Men's City Tournament.
The leaders will tee off at Panther Creek Country Club at 12:18 p.m. on Sunday.
Richie leads seven-time Men's City Tournament champion Jake Erickson by a stroke, 206-207. Erickson, who led Richie at the tournament's halfway point 136-138, carded a 1-under 71. Richie took the lead with a birdie on the par-4 No. 18 hole while Erickson made par.
"I thought I played really, really well from the fairway to the green, it was almost flawless," Richie said. "I made some nice putts, hit some nice chip shots. I handled the weather really well, with off and on rain and 25 to 30 mph gusts of wind."
Richie said he had a few tee shots he would've liked to do over.
"If I am going to struggle, it is going to be off the tee," Richie said. "I have just a couple of loose ends; that’s where I lose a majority of my shots is just off the tee. "
Richie and Erickson are the only two golfers who broke par on each of the three rounds. The tournament's defending champion, Blaine Buente, sits in third place and leads Bobby Sobieski 214-215.
Ryan Schone rounds out the top-five with a 217, 11 strokes off the lead.
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Richie recorded seven birdies in his Saturday round. He also had one bogey and a double bogey. Erickson had four birdies and three bogeys and was 2-under on the back nine.
Richie, of New Berlin, is seeking his first Men's City Tournament title. Erickson won back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021. He won his first title in 2012, repeated the following year and then won three straight from 2015-17.
After a two-year career on the Parkland College men's golf team, Richie signed with and will play at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale this fall. Erickson is an SIU graduate.
"I think we’re both avid competitors and we want to beat each other so badly," Richie said. "It’s stressful but I think we’re both rooting for each other. And it’s cool to have the SIU connection."
The first group will tee off at 10:30 a.m.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield Men's City Golf: Dain Richie holds slim lead into last day
