But Saturday's high winds made bogeys almost inevitable, and Herman was not immune. And after the mishap, Herman did what a leader should do - avoid mistakes the rest of the way.
Herman finished his round strong with an up-and-down for birdie at the short par-5 18th, shooting a 3-under 68 and opening a two-stroke lead over Casey Wittenberg (67) heading into Sunday's final round of the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open.
"68, pretty pleased with that," Herman said. "It was very windy in the afternoon. Pleased to get the (birdie) on the last."
Justin Hicks teed off a couple hours before the leaders and shot the best score of the day, a 65 that shot him into contention. Hicks shares third with Jason Gore (68) going into Sunday.
With the toughest conditions of the week - the course played over par Saturday with a scoring average of 71.169 - low-scoring players had the chance to shoot up the leaderboard. In a less windy situation, it would be more likely for the leaders to go low and pull away from the rest of the field.
Hicks took advantage, doing well to avoid bogeys on the day, and finishing strong with birdies on four of his last five holes. As a result, Hicks will have a chance Sunday - along with Gore and Wittenberg.
But it is Herman who has the advantage. The 2010 Moonah Classic champion played steady golf on the day, spreading three birdies across his round before the strong finish on 18. Staying in control and not trying to do too much, Herman was able to maintain his 36-hole lead.
"Just controlling the ball (is key)," Herman said. "Sometimes you've got to take more club and swing a little easier, play to the centers of greens instead of going at a flag."
And Herman even feels his lead could be even greater. Aside from the three-putt, Herman said he was unhappy when he failed to get up-and-down from short of the green on the short par-4 11th. He also failed to birdie the par-5 2nd and 14th - holes that were reachable in two for the field.
But without a top-5 finish on the year, Herman is relishing the opportunity to contend on a Sunday. Winless since 2010, a strong finish could help him greatly in his quest to return to the PGA Tour.
Currently No. 28 on the Nationwide money list, Herman is close, and ready to go for Sunday.
"It's pretty exciting," Herman said. "Going out again tomorrow in the final group, I'll see if I can get it done."
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-Brice Garnett is well-positioned for a good finish, after a solid 69 Saturday left him in solo 5th at 11-under par. Garnett made four birdies on the day - including a two-putt birdie at the last.
Garnett has been consistent but not great this year, making 7 of 8 cuts - but with just two top-25 finishes. The Missouri native and resident said he has played well on Thursday and Friday, but that his weekend performances have left much to be desired.
"I've actually played really well before the cut," Garnett said. "Throughout the whole year I've struggled on the weekends, just not getting under par. The focus this week is just to play steady and smart, try to get 5 or 6-under on the weekend, and see where that puts me."
A 69 would have likely left Garnett disappointed in conditions akin to Thursday or Friday. But considering the wind, the Missouri Western State grad was content with his effort Saturday.
"It was tough, it's just kind of tough to get close to some pins," Garnett said. "They had some good pins out there today, so I definitely thought anything under par starting the day would be a good number."
Four back going into Sunday, Garnett will need to go low in order to contend down the stretch. One thing he has going for him? He played in last week's U.S. Open, and he won't be scared to be aggressive if conditions get tough.
"This definitely feels a little softer," Garnett said. "Olympic was so firm and so fast, I feel like I can attack pins a little more this week. The drives are staying in the fairway, so that's always good."
-Although Gore's four-birdie, one-bogey 68 puts him right in the thick of things for Sunday, the Pepperdine grad is not satisfied with where he stands. He said he struggled to control his ball down the stretch, and an errant approach on 18 kept him from birdieing the short par-5.
When asked if he was happy with his position, Gore paused and then responded - simply and softly:
"No."
"The job is to get the lead," Gore said.
But still, Gore had to admit that the conditions weren't making things easy.
"The golf ball's a lot lighter than the wind, come to find out" Gore said.
-Wittenberg finished strong after a disappointing front side, birdieing five holes on the back to close his 67.
Despite the rough start, Wittenberg remained positive, knowing the the back is the side to score on.
"The back nine's definitely easier than the front," Wittenberg said. "Turning that corner, I just tried to put my head down and get myself in position to have a good round."
Job well done, Casey.
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