Calvin Heimburg takes questions after round three of the Las Vegas Challenge. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen

HENDERSON, Nev. – Calvin Heimburg hasn’t blinked. Now, he’s on the cusp of his first career PDGA National Tour victory.

The 23-year-old Florida native extended his lead Saturday at the Las Vegas Challenge with a 12-under par 49 at the Innova Factory Store course, marking his third straight day shooting double digits under par to bring his three-round total at the season opener to a 36-under par 145. He holds a six-shot lead over Dustin Keegan, who blazed up the leaderboard with a 15-under par hot showing, and Paul McBeth, who found his putter en route to a 14-under par performance and a 30-under par total. Josh Anthon snagged the last spot on the final round lead card with a 29-under par 152 total, while everyone on the chase – Kevin Jones, Ricky Wysocki, Nate Sexton, and Austin Hannum – is tied for fifth place at 28-down.

Heimburg’s 36 strokes under par in three rounds already match Eagle McMahon’s winning four-round mark from 2018. He’s averaging 1067.3-rated golf this weekend, 28.3 points clear of his 1039 player rating.

The chemical engineering graduate has kept a stoic presence all week. Both on the course and in post-round interviews, he seems unshakable.

“I try to keep a pretty level head,” Heimburg said. “When you let emotions take control of your game bad things tend to happen, so I try to keep them out of it.”

Heimburg started his day with a 40-foot connection after his tee shot on the 415-foot 1st sailed wide left, then he was off to the races with three more birdies. He was at 7-under through the front nine, then 10-under through 12 before slowing down just slightly.

“I had that bogey where I went for the tough par-3 [13th] and didn’t turn my drive over, then took a par on the hard par-3, 14,” Heimburg said. “I laid up and took the 3.”

He also was the beneficiary of some good fortune, as he rode the power lines up over the top of hole 17 during a four-birdie to close the round.

“I’ll take all the luck I can get,” he said.

Playing on the fifth card, Keegan entered the round in 17th place before a full-on Blitzkrieg. A 60-footer for deuce on the 453-foot 7th was the opening salvo in a run of 12 straight birdies to close the round. He landed 100 percent of his fairways during the 1084-rated performance and hit two putts from beyond the arc.

“Got a couple long putts, got a couple holes I didn’t think I would get and tried to keep it going,” the Oregon pro said. “I didn’t even think of my score till hole 17, then I was going back in my head and I was like, ‘I got 10 in a row’…Then I got 17 and 18 to finish with the 12-pack at the end. My best run, probably, for an NT, for sure.”

In fact, it was the best single round performance of his career, a 1084-rated mark that bested his 1075 during round two of the 2018 Las Vegas Challenge. He followed that up with a 1001-rated showing at the same Innova Factory Store course he shredded yesterday, and he chalked up the difference to having more time with his discs – that was his first tournament playing for Dynamic Discs – and a shoulder that’s back at full strength.

“This was my first event back – I was really two weeks into throwing right-handed again last year,” Keegan said. “Now I’ve been healthy for a year and a half, and I feel great.”

McBeth jumped back into contention after finding his stroke on the putting green. He logged opening performances of 71 and 54 percent inside the circle, respectively, before rebounding with a 90 percent clip in round three.

“Once I had that putting confidence going I wasn’t as stressed out on my drives to put them close,” McBeth said. “Having to put 18 drives close is pretty stressful, so I just knew if I threw the disc smooth and got it within putting range I was confident I was gonna make them. That was the key today.”

Who's In, Who's Out

Jeremy Koling and Paul Ulibarri floated near the cut line for much of the round Saturday but ultimately emerged to see today's final. PDGA World Champion Gregg Barsby, however, didn't make the grade, as eight OB strokes in the tournament derailed his opportunity to cash.

Quote of the Day

Dustin Keegan, after his hot round: "The cliché saying 'one shot at a time' was honestly real. Now I'm exhausted, and it'll soak in tonight and I'll be ready tomorrow."

You Should Have Been Here For...

Andrew Presnell's ace on the 378-foot 10th, a skip ace that caught the top band before falling into the cage:

What's Next

Heimburg didn't seem too daunted by the reputation of the players behind him. McBeth is known for late-round comebacks, but Heimburg took a victory over him last season at the Monster on the Mountain in Florida. Still, Heimburg didn't plan to look back to that event for inspiration, choosing only the day in front of him.

"Those don’t really matter," he said. "Tomorrow I have to go tackle Innova, shoot the best I can."