It took three days, but on the eve of the final round at the South Beach International Amateur, Karl Vilips has caught up with Garett Reband, who had so far managed to stay ahead of the pack in Miami.
The more than 200 players who started the week were initially split between Miami Beach Golf Club and Normandy Shores Golf Club for the first 36 holes. After the cut fell on Friday, the second half of the event is playing out solely at Miami Beach.
On Saturday, Vilips had a 4-under 67 there that included six birdies as well as two bogeys. It moved him to 5 under total, where Reband, an Oklahoma senior, also sits. Reband’s card was similar, but with one fewer birdie.
South Beach International Amateur: Leaderboard
Vilips is an 18-year-old Australia native who has signed with Stanford for next season. It has been a big year for the teenager, who made match play at the Western Amateur over the summer, reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur, was in the top 10 at the Asia-Pacific Amateur (where a Masters invitation is on the line), and most recently competed for the Internationals at the Junior Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne near his childhood home.
He is the top-ranked player in Golfweek’s Junior Rankings.
Reband has had several top-10 finishes over the past few months and most recently was fifth at the Sun Bowl All-America Classic.
There’s a five-shot gap between Vilips and Reband and the next-closest player. Ben Shipp, a senior at North Carolina State, also had a 4-under 67 in the third round and moved into solo third. Englishman Jake Bolton is even and in solo fourth.
The field has faced tough weather conditions all week and a strong wind continued to blow during Saturday’s third round. The forecast calls for strong storms over Miami on Sunday, prompting tee times to be moved up to the morning. Players will compete in foursomes and tee times will begin at Nos. 1 and 10 at 7:30 a.m. ET.