Cejka deals an ace to join Vegas PGA title hunt

Germany's Alex Cejka aced the par-3 17th on his way to a five-under par 66, joining the title hunt in the third round of the US PGA Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

The 44-year-old Las Vegas resident sandwiched birdies at 16 and 18 around his hole-in-one with a 6-iron at the 212-yard 17th.

"I struck it well and it was rolling and then it disappeared," Cejka said of his seventh career ace. "It's a great bonus in front of the home crowd."

That put Cejka on 10-under 203 after 54 holes at TPC Summerlin, three strokes off the pace of American Brett Stegmaier, playing only his fifth PGA event.

"I felt really comfortable," Stegmaier said. "It's weird. I thought I would be a lot more nervous. I feel like I belong in this position."

Stegmaier fired a 68 to stand on 200, one stroke ahead of American Morgan Hoffmann and two ahead of countrymen Kevin Na, Jimmy Walker and Chad Campbell.

Then came Cejka, Canada's Nick Taylor and Americans Jason Bohn and Cameron Tringale on 203.

Cejka's only US PGA title came at this year's Puerto Rico Open, when he birdied the first extra hole to win a five-man playoff.

"If I make putts, I can be up there," Cejka said. "I feel pretty comfortable. It depends on who has a hot putter."

Taylor birdied three of four holes starting at the ninth and again over the final four holes, although he took stumbled at 17 after twice blasting out of water, salvaging bogey with a 12-foot putt.

"The last 10 holes I kind of caught fire," Taylor said. "I made my putts, which is what you have to do out here."
Source: AFP