Matthias Schwab and Vincent Norrman talk on the 18th green during the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
There are three teams tied for third at 23 under heading into the final round and of the six players only one of them – Taylor Moore – has tasted victory on the PGA Tour, and that was just in March at the Valspar Championship.
His partner, Matthew NeSmith, watched Moore close out the victory on TV at home.
“My heart was through the roof. I couldn’t hardly watch him down the last few holes,” he said. “I feel very comfortable knowing that we’ve got somebody who’s been there and done that in the last few groups, not even six weeks ago.”
Moore and NeSmith teamed for a best-ball 9-under 63 on Saturday, which included birdies on the first three holes.
Nick Hardy and Davis Riley matched the 63 but had an even better start, making birdie at the first five holes to temporarily grab the lead but cooled off a bit on the back nine.
Their partnership came together last minute after his Illini teammate Thomas Detry was asked by Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald to play with Victor Perez as a potential pairing in Rome later this year. “So the Illini pairing was vanished after that,” said Hardy, who texted Riley three weeks.
Riley finished T-4 here last year when he paired with Will Zalatoris. Hardy finished T-21 last year in his tournament debut with Curtis Thompson.
Neither of the teammates entered the week with much momentum.
Riley, 26, withdrew from the Valero Texas Open after an opening-round 78 and missed the cut last week at the RBC Heritage.
Hardy, 27, had missed the cut in six of his last eight starts, and has just one top-10 finish this season in 17 starts (and that was back in October in week two of the season at the Sanderson Farms Championship).
“To get some momentum going in this format with Davis, seeing the ball go in, it’s definitely been nice,” Hardy said. “I think that’s the only difference is a little momentum here and there. That’s really all it takes.”
Whereas Moore-NeSmith and Hardy-Riley came out firing with birdies, Mathias Schwab and Vincent Norrman closed with six birdies in their final seven holes and shot 29 on the back nine.
“Kind of blacked out a little bit,” Normann said.
He and Schwab tied for the low round of the day with 10-under 62.
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