Lehi • A lot of professional golfers would have fallen apart after being confronted by a rules official after making a gutsy, somewhat controversial decision that could have led to a disqualification if it had not been made properly.
But as former Auburn standout Patton Kizzire showed Friday with his course-record 62 at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, he's no ordinary golfer.
Rebounding nicely after a drop he took upon hitting his tee shot on the No. 12 hole into a hazard was questioned by Web.com Tour director Jim Duncan, Kizzire mostly kept his composure on Saturday, made a birdie on No. 14 and held onto his lead heading into Sunday's final round of the Utah Championship.
"It rattled me a little bit," Kizzire said of his impromptu meeting with Duncan between the 12th green and No. 13 tee box. "I didn't hit my best shot on the next tee, but I gathered myself and had a nice up-and-down and was able to get past that [nervous feeling] once they came and told me they had a different [television] angle and agreed that we did the right thing."
Kizzire finished his round with a 1-under-par 71 to get to 16-under for the tournament and leads South Korea's 28-year-old Sung Kang by two shots. The leaders will go off at 2:10 p.m. Sunday as Kizzire tries to win for the first time this year despite being the tour's leading money winner.
"It is unchartered waters for me," Kizzire admitted. "I learn something new every time I get in contention. … I feel like I handled it OK [after taking a four-shot lead into Saturday's third round]. I certainly wanted to go out there and free wheel it and post a 6-under, but it didn't happen. I will be prepared for it tomorrow."
Scott Harrington is alone in third at 13-under after shooting the day's best round (along with Adam Long), a 65 that included a 32 on the difficult back nine. Two other tour veterans, Steve Marino and Alex Aragon, are tied for fourth and four shots behind Kizzire at 12-under.
"If I play like I did today, I am going to have a great shot [of winning]," Harrington said. "Starting the day I wasn't thinking about having a chance to win the golf tournament. I was nine back, but things have changed a little bit now."
The attention-grabber for Golf Channel's audience on Saturday night was Kizzire's tee shot on the 12th hole, and how he and playing partner Kelly Kraft and their caddies decided what the line of flight was. They all decided on the tee, Kizzire said, that "it started out right of the first [red] stake, and crossed in between the stakes. … We all agreed that it crossed [land] and I had to drop 200 and something yards out."
The alternative would have been dropping in front of the pond, some 300-plus yards from the green.
Duncan said television viewers called to dispute the drop because replays shown by Golf Channel seemed to indicate the ball never crossed land. However, he said a different angle not shown on TV indicated the shot went right off the tee and hooked over land, albeit briefly.
Duncan said it was up to Kraft, who protects the field in instances like these, and that Kraft "was adamant" that they got the line of flight right.
Duncan said he had a discussion with the twosome after Kizzire bogeyed the hole and was "comfortable" they made the right call.
Asked whether this sort of thing has ever happened to him before, Kizzire shook his head and said, "I don't play on TV enough."
Just after Kizzire made the bogey to drop to 15-under, Aragon rolled in a 25-footer on No. 14 to pull into a tie for the lead. But Aragon, 36, made a double bogey on 16 and a bogey on 17 to plummet down the leaderboard.
Kang took his turn sharing the lead with Kizzire when he birdied hole Nos. 14 and 15, but Kizzire got to 16-under with a birdie on 14. Kang lamented a missed 4-footer for birdie on 17 and a bogey on 18 that kept him from owning a piece of the lead.
Kizzire said he always sleeps well and predicted he would have no trouble doing that Saturday. He planned to play some gin rummy with his roommate and perhaps have a beer and watch a baseball game on television.
"I am certainly going to be excited about tomorrow," he said. "I will be excited on that first tee. Like my buddy says, [having a lead] it is like a rental car … I will just have to get the seat adjusted quickly."
drew@sltrib.com
Twitter: @drewjay
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Patton Kizzire reacts after chipping onto the 18th green, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Patton Kizzire lines up a putt in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Patton Kizzire shakes hands with Kelly Kraft, after finishing their round, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kelly Kraft lines up a putt in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kelly Kraft hits a shot on the fairway, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kelly Kraft tosses his ball into the lake, after missing a close putt in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kelly Kraft hits a drive in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Kelly Kraft lines up a putt in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Sung Kang hits a drive in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Sung Kang putts the ball in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Sung Kang hits a fairway shot n the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Sung Kang hits a drive in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Sung Kang hits a shot from the rough, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Sung Kang chips onto the green, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Sung Kang watches his shot drop onto the green near the pin, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Patton Kizzire hits a fairway shot, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Trey Mullinax hits a drive, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Trey Mullinax reacts after missing a putt, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Trey Mullinax lines up a putt, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Trey Mullinax chips onto the green, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Patton Kizzire reacts after missing a putt in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tyler McCumber hits a drive in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tyler McCumber lines up his putt, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tyler McCumber reacts after chipping onto the green, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Tyler McCumber lines up his putt, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Alex Aragon hits a drive in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Alex Aragon chips onto the green, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Alex Aragon lines up his putt, in the Web.com Utah Championship golf tournament at Thanksgiving Point Golf Club, in Lehi, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
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