By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – On Moving Day, otherwise known as the critical third round of a four-day tournament, the guy who made the biggest move toward the title is the one who can move it the greatest distance.
Rather appropriately, Nick Bellush is a Mastodon, the mascot for Purdue Fort Wayne, and his scary ability with the driver in hand is the elephant in the room (or in this case, the golf course) with his advantage in length. Oh, to be young and powerful, fearless and almost invincible. Bellush has battered Otis Park to its knees with a tee-box assault and a dart-thrower’s touch.
Bellush took control of the Bedford Men’s City Tournament during Saturday’s third round, carding a 4-under 68 while surging to a four-shot lead heading into the final tour of the short course that offers little defense for the powerful. Bellush finished 36 holes at 9-under 207, pulling away to that advantage during a mistake-free back nine. Defending champion Colten Girgis fired a third-round 70 to stay within striking range at 211 total.
What started as a wide-open race has been whittled down to a two-man battle, which is how these tournaments often play out. Bellush got off to a scuffling start with bogeys on two of the first three holes, then made six birdies from that point to make his move as he chases his first City crown.
“The mindset changed, and I started hitting my driver well,” Bellush said. “I didn’t really miss one coming in. It’s my biggest advantage. I’m able to drive a lot of greens, or at least get close. And a bad chip is a lot better than a bad wedge shot.“
How far can Bellush hit it? There are five par-fours within his reach off the tee, and the par-fives are mere playgrounds of power. After he bogeyed the first (for the third straight round) and third holes, he crushed it during the final five holes on the front nine, carding four birdies (and a three-putt for par after driving the 350-yard seventh) to reclaim the frontrunner’s position.
”It’s nice when you have three holes in a row (holes 5-7), putting for eagle,” Bellush said. “It makes it a lot easier.”
On the back nine, Bellush added birdies on 14 (featuring a wedge to four feet) and 17 (with a 340-yard shot off the cliff-side tee on the par-five and an iron approach from 200 yards) to create space for the final round.
Girgis, who started the day two shots off the lead, kept pace with a front-side 35 (birdies on 6, 7 and 9) and hit a spectacular flip wedge on the 11th (lofting a pitch from far left of the green and landing it softly with spin, stopping a foot from the flag). But he caught a bad break on 15 when his tee shot bounded off the fairway hillside and into the hazard ditch that cuts through the hole, leading to a bogey. After his birdie on 17, he flaired his tee shot on the par-3 18th and couldn’t save it, finishing with another bogey for his 2-under round.
All that work from a guy who was battling the shanks (a forbidden word around most golfers) last week. He got some instructional help from former champion Ken Hackney to solve that issue. Now he needs to make peace with his putter.
“I didn’t make a putt,” Girgis said. “I didn’t get anything close enough to make a putt. Out here, it’s drive, pitch and putt. If you hit solid drives, it leaves you a lot of opportunities. From there, you have to hit the shot and make a putt.”
Five-time champion Aaron Harrell, who started the second weekend tied for the top spot and briefly assumed the lead alone to start the round, fell back with a 76 and finished eight shots out of the lead. Connor Byon, who was only three shots back after the first two rounds, understandably withdrew to attend the funeral for a close friend.
Bellush, heading into his senior season at Purdue Fort Wayne, will not alter his approach. Why would he? He’s been in red numbers all three rounds, and he has the experience of multiple tournament wins as a prep star at Bloomington South.
”I don’t think so,” Bellush said. “Maybe down the stretch, if it makes more sense to hit less club off the tee to secure par. But to start, I don’t want to give them the opportunity to get close and apply pressure.
“It takes very few mistakes, you can’t give shots back to the field. Just stay steady. If you’re too aggressive, it can cost you. But if you’re hitting it well, you might as well be aggressive.”
Girgis will have to juggle the temptation to get super aggressive, in order to make up the four shots, with the more reasonable strategy of patience. Don’t forget, he did fire a record 64 in last year’s final round en route to victory.
“Just stay patient,” Girgis said. ”If things start flowing, it should be easy to go deep tomorrow.”
The final threesome is scheduled to tee off at 9:50 a.m.
