Brent Grant heats up, ties Austin Smotherman for lead at Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation

COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. – Brent Grant’s game is spicier than a plate of Nashville-style hot chicken, while Austin Smotherman is staying cool, calm and collected, hitting fairways and throwing darts into The Grove’s elevated greens. Although their games and demeanors are practically polar opposites, Grant and Smotherman find themselves tied atop the leaderboard with matching 13-under 203s through three rounds at the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation.

Grant fired the lowest round of the tournament, a bogey-free 8-under 64, which tied the lowest score of his Korn Ferry Tour career (and was actually a career-low score relative to par). A rookie making his 27th start, Grant opened the week with a 2-over 74 and stood T96 prior to a 7-under 65 – highlighted by a flawless 5-under 31 on the back nine – Friday evening. Grant has played bogey-free golf the last 30 holes, and he is 16-under par in his last 35 holes.

“It wasn’t anything incredibly impressive,” Grant said of his 64 Saturday. “Yesterday I stuffed a couple and got it going a little bit. Today was just steady. Made some really good putts early on, played it smart.”

Grant held the outright 36-hole lead at February’s LECOM Suncoast Classic, but lost his form on the weekend, finished T5 (his highest finish to date), and missed four of his next six cuts. This week, Grant is tied for second in the field in birdies (18) and one of three players with multiple eagles.

“This game is fickle,” Grant said. “I had a bit of a swing issue after the three weeks off. Just couldn’t quite get it in line. I’ve been finding a bit of rhythm each and every day just trying to make micro-improvements, and fortunately this week I’ve been able to minimize mistakes an capitalize on some of the opportunities.”

Smotherman shared the 18-hole lead with Stephan Jaeger after a bogey-free 7-under 65, followed it up with a 3-under 69 for the outright lead Friday, and carded another 3-under 69 Saturday to once again share the top spot on the leaderboard.

The Loomis, California native only had one bogey in his first 36 holes, but made three Saturday. Two of them were three-putt bogeys on the front nine. Still, Smotherman plugged away and fired approach after approach inside 10 feet. By the time Smotherman made the turn, he was even par with nothing to show for his ball striking. Smotherman turned to his yardage book and read his daily inscription: when you focus on the good, the good gets better.

“Just being positive. We could’ve been talking about how we were missing every 6-7-footer, but unreal to have that many looks inside 10 feet,” Smotherman said. “Called my mom (this morning) and told her what I put in it, too. She said, ‘I like what you wrote.’ It’s something I’m definitely going to keep doing. I’ve done it in the past. I don’t know why I stopped doing it. We’re our own coach out there.”

Putts which grazed the edge on the front nine fell on the back side for birdies at Nos. 10, 11, and 14. Following a bogey at No. 17, Smotherman lipped out an eagle chip at the par-5 18th and moved back to 13-under for the tournament with a tap-in birdie.

Smotherman, who leads the field in greens in regulation (45 of 54), has never held a 54-hole lead in his three years on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“I’m having a good time. Having the fans out, crossing some of these bridges, I feel like I’m a spectator out here. This is awesome,” Smotherman said. “The first hole is probably as uncomfortable as you’re going to be until you see what’s going on and how the course is playing, how other guys are playing. That’s the benefit of being in one of the last groups. You know what’s ahead of you and kind of control your own fate.”

Final-round tee times will be in threesomes and run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:46 a.m. local time Sunday off the first and 10th tees.