Polland Leads PGA LatinoAmerica Event in Guatemala

FUEGO MAYA, ANTIGUA, Guatemala -- Ben Polland didn't exactly get off to the most promising start at the La Reunion Golf Resort course on Saturday in the third round of the Guatemala Stella Artois Open. 

The 27-year-old former Bloomington Jefferson High School star began the day one stroke off the lead, but he opened his round with two pars and a bogey. No matter. He bounced back about as well as you can -- with four birdies in a row and seven birdies in eight holes. He added two more birdies, and even though he cooled off a bit at the end (bogey-par-par), he still managed to shoot a 7-under-par 65. With that, he grabbed a three-stroke head start for Sunday's final round. 

His 54-hole total is 198 (minus 18).

Fellow American Bryan Martin shot 68, and he is in second place. Actually, the top six players in the standings are all Americans. Tyler McCumber is another stroke behind Martin, alone in third at 202, following a 69. Nicola Galletti, Skyler Finnell and Derek Bard are tied for fourth at 203. Galletti and Finnell both got there by way of third-round 67's. Bard has gone 71-61-71.

This is the first tournament on the 2018 PGA LatinoAmerica Tour, and a victory would be a good start on the way toward graduating to the Web.com Tour, which could then be used as a stepping stone to the PGA Tour.

Polland finished eighth in the Class AAA portion of the 2008 Minnesota state high school tournament. At that time, however, he had never broken par for 18 holes, and he was not considered a top-tier Division I college prospect. But he wanted to play college golf and get into the golf business; so he enrolled in the Golf Management Program at Campbell University. While he was there, he transformed himself from about a 4- or 5-handicapper to a scratch or better.

He graduated in 2013, got a job as an assistant at the ritzy Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, N.Y. After having some success in regional tournaments, he finished second in the 2015 PGA National Club Pro Championship. Polland should have won the tournament. A bad decision on the 72nd hole -- he hit a 3-wood off the tee and failed to carry a fairway bunker -- along with some bad luck led to a double bogey. The guy who was in second place at the start of the hole, Matt Dobyns, made a birdie and won by a single stroke. 

Sixteen months later, Polland turned in a virtuoso performance to win the National Assistants Club Pro crown. In conditions that were less than optimal the final two days, he hit 32 of his last 33 greens and played those holes in 5 under on his way to a one-stroke victory.

On Saturday, he started his birdie binge at the 536-yard, par-5 fourth hole, added birdiies at the fifth and sixth, both par-4's of just under 400 yards, and made another birdie at the lengthy, 682-yard, par-5 seventh. Polland caught his breath with a par at the eighth, then birdied the ninth (491 yards, par 4), 10th (392, par 4) and 11th (200, par 3) holes. He parred the 12th, before making a 2 at the 170-yard 13th, and he took advantage of the 531-yard, par-5 15th for his ninth birdie in a span of 13 holes.    

MEN'S PROFESSIONAL GOLF

PGA LatinoAmerica Tour

Guatemala Stella Artois Open

At La Reunion Golf Resort

Par 72

Fuego Maya, Antigua, Guatemala

Third-round results 

1. Ben Polland, USA     68-65-65-198

2. Bryan Martin, USA    68-65-68--201

3. Tyler McCumber, USA 68-65-69--202

T4. Nicola Galletti, USA 66-70-67--203

T4. Skyler Finnell, USA  68-68-67--203

T4. Derek Bard, USA     71-61-71--203
.