Hagestad leading into final round

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Stewart Hagestad plans to have a bad memory as he begins play in today’s final round of the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships.

It doesn’t mean much to the Newport Beach resident that he leads the boys’ 16-18 division by one shot through three rounds at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He wants to forget the past, and not just what has happened recently. He also doesn’t want to think about last year when he finished second at the Optimist.

“I just want to forget about everything,” Hagestad said in a phone interview after a four-under-par-68 performance that included six birdies Saturday. “I have to forget about what I did, all I’ve done, and concentrate on [today] and we’ll see what happens.”

Hagestad’s three-day total of 65-71-68 for 12-under 204 is good enough for a slight lead ahead of Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, who shot a 69 Saturday, 70 Friday and 66 Thursday for 205.

Hagestad, 17, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship earlier this week, was grouped with Grillo Saturday and said he enjoyed his time.

“We were having fun out there,” said Hagestad, who has committed to USC. “We were high-fiving each other after some of the holes. It was fun, but I want to keep focused and keep going to try to win this tournament.”

Ryan Black of Port St. Lucie, Fla. is third (71-74-67, 212), Jorge Fernandez Valdes of Argentina is fourth (72-69-73, 214) and Landon Tujague is fifth (71-75-69, 215).

“I still have a lot of work to do,” Hagestad said. “It’s definitely not over yet. There’s a lot of golf left.”

Hagestad tees off today at 5:42 a.m. (PST). His final round can be tracked online at www.optimist.org/golf.

— From staff reports