FALMOUTH — Chad Ramey has been a model of consistency on the highly competitive Korn Ferry Tour. But on Saturday in the third round of the Live and Work in Maine Open at Falmouth Country Club he did something he has never done.
He ended a round with the lead.
It’s a shocking statistic considering Ramey, a pro since 2014, is having a tremendous season in his third year on the Korn Ferry Tour. Just last week, the 28-year-old from Fulton, Mississippi, cinched his first PGA Tour card by going over the tour’s fail-safe standard for promotion of 1,700 points this season. He has finished second twice, third twice, and recorded eight top-10s and 17 top-25s this season alone. He hasn’t missed a cut since August 2020. But before Saturday, Ramey had never led at the end of a round.
Sunday, he’ll try to get his first career win, with his father, Stanley, filling in for his regular caddie. Befitting his emphasis on building a solid, repeatable swing, Ramey has a straightforward approach to how he wants to play Sunday.
“Fairways and greens. Fairways and greens,” Ramey said. “The putter has been rolling pretty well this week, so if I can just give myself a lot of good looks, then I think I can do it.”
Ramey started the day in second place, two shots off the lead but playing in the final group in front of a large gallery that helped make up a daily attendance of 1,700. While his playing partner and second-round leader, Brent Grant, shot a 3-over 74 to drop to 9 under, Ramey took advantage with a 3-under 68 and is 13 under for the tournament.
“I know somebody’s going to play good, but that doesn’t change my game plan. I just have to take care of what I can and just see what happens,” Ramey said. “I don’t feel like I have to play perfect by any means, just go out and play a pretty solid round.”
Fifteen players are within four strokes of the lead and – and as shown by Ben Kohles’ 8-under 63 on Saturday – players even further back can’t be counted out.
Kohles started the day at 4 under, closer to Friday’s cutline than the lead. Now he’s one of three players tied for second at 12 under
Kohles is trying return to the PGA Tour for the first time since 2013. Currently 20th on the points list (the top 25 get PGA Tour cards), he needs 330 points over the final six tournaments of the regular season (including this week) to reach the 1,700-point threshold. A win is worth 500 points, solo second place is good for 300.
Kohles agreed that keeping the ball in the fairway off the tee is critical.
“This course, if you’re in the fairway, you can really attack a lot of holes,” Kohles said. “It’s not that long, and out in the fairway you’re able to get the spin. And the greens are very slopey, but where the pins are, they’re almost all in bowls. So if you get a good (yardage) in the fairway and hit a good shot, you’re not going to have more than 12 feet for your putt.”
Ramey and Kohles will be in the final group Sunday, with a 12:30 p.m. tee time. The first group begins at 7:10 a.m.
Brady Schnell, 36, of Omaha, Nebraska, and Jim Knous, 31, of Littleton, Colorado, are also tied for second. Schnell, who played on the PGA Tour in 2019 but is currently 160th on the Korn Ferry list, has been one of the most consistent performers this week, with rounds of 66-67-68.
Schnell, who won a Korn Ferry event in 2018, said he would just, “go out and have some fun. I haven’t been in this position in awhile and it’s good to be back after a rough couple of years, and hopefully I haven’t forgotten how to chase the lead down.”
Knous also shot a 68, with birdies on his final three holes.
Veteran pros Spencer Levin of Sacramento, California, and Connecticut native Brett Stegmaier of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida are at 11 under.
Levin rolled in a testing par putt on the 18th green after having to purposely play his second shot short from one of the two-dozen bunkers that flank the fairway on the challenging finishing hole.
“One stroke is huge. One stroke is the whole deal out here,” Levin said. “So any time you can save a shot or pick up a shot, it all adds up in the end, whether it’s the first hole or the last hole.”
On Friday, playing a few groups behind Maine golfers Shawn Warren and Caleb Manuel, neither of whom made the cut, Levin’s gallery consisted of four fans. On Saturday, the former regular on the PGA Tour noticed he had picked up a few more appreciative followers.
“I saw a group of dudes, you know having a good time, and they were watching me. I don’t know them, but they were cheering me on and when they showed up, I seemed to make a few putts. I’m hoping they show up tomorrow,” Levin said.
Anders Albertson of Atlanta, who at one point was in the lead at 13 under, and Lee Hodges, No. 8 on the points list, are tied for eighth at 10 under.
Dylan Wu, 24, of Medford, Oregon, shot a 64 and is one of five players at 9 under.
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