LOCAL HERO ANDERSON LEADS US NATIONWIDE TOUR CH/SHIP
FROM THE US NATIONWIDE TOUR WEBSITE
By Joe Chemycz, Nationwide Tour staff
CHARLESTON, South Carolina: Mark Anderson is going to need more guest tickets. The South Carolina native shot a six-under-par 66 Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island, about 60 miles from his home in Beaufort, South Carolina.
"I had about six or seven family and friends following me today but I anticipate it getting bigger throughout the week," he said of his vocal contingent. "I've had a lot of requests for tickets so I'm scrounging around for those."
Anderson holds the lead over Camilo Benedetti of Colombia and a pair of two-time winners this year, Jason Kokrak and Ted Potter junior.
Roger Tambellini, the last man to qualify for the field of 60, heads a group of five players two shots off the pace. Tambellini is joined at 68 by Darron Stiles, Roberto Castro, Steve Wheatcroft and another South Carolina resident, Kyle Thompson of Greenville.
Anderson entered the 2011 Nationwide Tour season finale No. 19 on the money list -- the top-25 will move up to the US PGA Tour in 2012.
"They try to talk about it," he said of the constant calculations. "I don't really talk about it. They ask what I need to finish and I just tell them I'm trying to play as good as I can this week and try to win the thing, just like I do every week. I'm not thinking about the details of who needs to finish where."
Anderson has pocketed $182,017 in his 24 starts this year, or $17 more than first place is worth on Sunday -- and a win would send him to the Big League for the first time.
The former University of South Carolina Gamecock has finished second and T7 the past two weeks, thanks largely to a late-season switch to a belly putter.
"It's been rolling really good and I've made a lot of putts," he said after needing only 21 putts in his round. "I'm making those short ones you need to make, those five-footers."
Anderson got off to a rocky start and managed to save par five times in the first seven holes.
"My short game kept me in it the first six or seven holes," he said. "After that, I got into a good flow."
Anderson rolled in a couple of short birdies, made a 30-footer, a 40-footer and chipped in on successive holes to give him six birdies in a seven-hole stretch.
Benedetti put together a solid, all-around day and moved into contention.
"I played great and I putted very well," said Benedetti, No. 49 on the money list. "To make it to the top-25, I have to win or finish second I guess. This is my first time here and I'm happy where I'm at. I know I'm playing well so I can make it happen."
First-Round Notes:
• This week's purse is $1million with the winner collecting $180,000 at the conclusion of play on Sunday. The last-place finisher (No. 60) will collect $3,000. J.J. Killeen entered the week No. 1 on the money list with $409,473. There are only 10 other players who could mathematically unseat Killeen from the top spot, and two of those would have to win while Killeen would have to finish last for that scenario to come true.
• Killeen three-putted twice in his first five holes and was five-over par through the first 10 holes. He settled down with three birdies, including his final two holes, and shot a two-over 74. He is T51 heading into Friday's second round.
+The three British players in the field - Scotland's Russell Knox and England's Greg Owen and Gary Christian are all on the one-under 71 mark, sharing 20th place. Knox turned in four-under-par 32 after birdie 3s at the second, third, fifth and eighth but ran into a sticky patch after the turn with three bogeys over four consecutive holes - the 10th, 11th and 13th. The Inverness exile, whose position on the money table almost guarantees he will be one of the leading 25 promoted to the US PGA Tour next year, stopped the rot, finishing with five straight pars for 39 home.
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
By Joe Chemycz, Nationwide Tour staff
CHARLESTON, South Carolina: Mark Anderson is going to need more guest tickets. The South Carolina native shot a six-under-par 66 Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island, about 60 miles from his home in Beaufort, South Carolina.
"I had about six or seven family and friends following me today but I anticipate it getting bigger throughout the week," he said of his vocal contingent. "I've had a lot of requests for tickets so I'm scrounging around for those."
Anderson holds the lead over Camilo Benedetti of Colombia and a pair of two-time winners this year, Jason Kokrak and Ted Potter junior.
Roger Tambellini, the last man to qualify for the field of 60, heads a group of five players two shots off the pace. Tambellini is joined at 68 by Darron Stiles, Roberto Castro, Steve Wheatcroft and another South Carolina resident, Kyle Thompson of Greenville.
Anderson entered the 2011 Nationwide Tour season finale No. 19 on the money list -- the top-25 will move up to the US PGA Tour in 2012.
"They try to talk about it," he said of the constant calculations. "I don't really talk about it. They ask what I need to finish and I just tell them I'm trying to play as good as I can this week and try to win the thing, just like I do every week. I'm not thinking about the details of who needs to finish where."
Anderson has pocketed $182,017 in his 24 starts this year, or $17 more than first place is worth on Sunday -- and a win would send him to the Big League for the first time.
The former University of South Carolina Gamecock has finished second and T7 the past two weeks, thanks largely to a late-season switch to a belly putter.
"It's been rolling really good and I've made a lot of putts," he said after needing only 21 putts in his round. "I'm making those short ones you need to make, those five-footers."
Anderson got off to a rocky start and managed to save par five times in the first seven holes.
"My short game kept me in it the first six or seven holes," he said. "After that, I got into a good flow."
Anderson rolled in a couple of short birdies, made a 30-footer, a 40-footer and chipped in on successive holes to give him six birdies in a seven-hole stretch.
Benedetti put together a solid, all-around day and moved into contention.
"I played great and I putted very well," said Benedetti, No. 49 on the money list. "To make it to the top-25, I have to win or finish second I guess. This is my first time here and I'm happy where I'm at. I know I'm playing well so I can make it happen."
First-Round Notes:
• This week's purse is $1million with the winner collecting $180,000 at the conclusion of play on Sunday. The last-place finisher (No. 60) will collect $3,000. J.J. Killeen entered the week No. 1 on the money list with $409,473. There are only 10 other players who could mathematically unseat Killeen from the top spot, and two of those would have to win while Killeen would have to finish last for that scenario to come true.
• Killeen three-putted twice in his first five holes and was five-over par through the first 10 holes. He settled down with three birdies, including his final two holes, and shot a two-over 74. He is T51 heading into Friday's second round.
+The three British players in the field - Scotland's Russell Knox and England's Greg Owen and Gary Christian are all on the one-under 71 mark, sharing 20th place. Knox turned in four-under-par 32 after birdie 3s at the second, third, fifth and eighth but ran into a sticky patch after the turn with three bogeys over four consecutive holes - the 10th, 11th and 13th. The Inverness exile, whose position on the money table almost guarantees he will be one of the leading 25 promoted to the US PGA Tour next year, stopped the rot, finishing with five straight pars for 39 home.
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: NATIONWIDE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, October 28, 2011
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home