Van Sickle chasing his 3rd Western Pa. Golf Association Open Championship

Mike Van Sickle hasn’t won the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association’s Open Championship since 2015.

But the 37-year-old Pittsburgh native finds himself atop of the leaderboard at the 121st Open heading into Wednesday’s final round at Indiana Country Club.

Van Sickle shot a 6-under-­par 65 during the second round Tuesday for a two-day total of 8-under 134 and leads Greensburg native Kevin Fajt by a shot and Irwin native Dan Obremski by two shots.

Fajt also shot a 6-under 65 during the second round and is at 7-under 135, while Obremski had his second consecutive 3-under 68 and is 6 under at 136.

The trio will tee off at 9:50 a.m. for the final round.

The field was trimmed to 34 players after the second round.

Van Sickle started fast during the second round with three-consecutive birdies. He added a fourth birdie on No. 6 and then two more on the back nine — Nos. 11 and 18.

The birdie on No. 18 gave him the lead after he got up and down from a bunker.

“I didn’t have much room,” Van Sickle said. “My third shot was in the back of the bunker near the lip. I had a foot between my ball and the back lip, and I hit a good shot to 12 feet and then made the putt. I was a little surprised.”

Van Sickle said when he talked to his wife and mom Monday night, they said, “you don’t sound too concerned.” “I told them if I played like I did on Monday, I’d be OK. I was.”

Van Sickle also won the Open in 2013.

“All I am going to do during the final round is play the best I can and make some birdies,” Van Sickle said. “I made the putts early. It would be nice to get a sizeable exemption into this.”

Fajt, 46, got off to another good start and played well throughout the round.

“I’ve played here a lot,” Fajt said. “This is where I played when I went to college. I know the course fairly well and it certainly went well.”

Fajt just missed an eagle putt on No. 18 when he hit a 3-wood 240 yards to the front of the green. He rebounded from a bogey on No. 16 by dropping a 25-foot putt on No. 17 for birdie and getting another birdie on No. 18.

“I made a really good putt for birdie on No. 17,” Fajt said. “I finished OK Monday, but I didn’t let that bad stretch in the middle of the round bother me. I got off to another good start again.”

Obremski was a tri-leader with Scott Jordan and Gregor Meyer. He finished with four birdies and a bogey. He birdied Nos. 16 and 17 after a bogey on No. 15.

Peters Township’s Jake Sollon is fourth at 5 under, while Easton Renwick and Nathan Platt are tied for fifth at 4 under. Justin Griffith is seventh at 3 under. Tied for eighth at 2 under are Louis Olsakovsky, Alec Stopperich, last year’s winner Beau Titsworth, Matthew Mattioli and Jordan.