MALLINGER IS NOT HANGING AROUND - NATIONWIDE TOUR LEADER
FROM THE US NATIONWIDE TOUR WEBSITE
By Joe Chemycz, Nationwide Tour staff
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee -- John Mallinger continued his near-perfect week in Chattanooga by firing a 7-under 65 in Saturday's third round of the Children's Hospital Classic and took a two-stroke lead over playing partner Billy Hurley (66).
Mallinger hit all 18 greens in regulation for the second time in three days and moved one step closer to his elusive first Nationwide Tour win. His 20-under 196 total is two ahead of Hurley and three better than Monday qualifier Brice Garnett (66).
Argentina's Miguel Carballo (66) is four back, while Australian Peter Lonard (64) and 2004 champion Justin Bolli (69) are five off the lead.
Reigning NCAA Individual Champion John Peterson of LSU, who is making his professional debut this week, shot a 10-under 62 to get to 14-under par, where he is tied for seventh with Matt Every (66) and Aaron Goldberg (67).
Peterson made the cut on the number and was in the first pairing off the tee early Saturday morning. When he finished his round, Peterson was in first place and Mallinger, the second-round leader, was more than two hours away from his afternoon starting time.
"I turned on the Internet and saw somebody was at 10-under but that was about it," said Mallinger about checking early scores. "Everyone's going to shoot between three and six-under out here on average."
Mallinger has been anything but average for the first three days. He has hit 53 of 54 greens in regulation and his only miss on Friday resulted in his only bogey of the week.
"I played solid today but I think yesterday was better," he said. "I hit a couple of squirrelly ones today and got away with it."
Mallinger's biggest nemesis this week is the front nine, where he has made six pars on the two par-5 holes, Nos. 4 and 6, two of the three easiest holes on the Black Creek Mountain course.
"I don't know what's going on. My main goal tomorrow is to hit six fairway," he said after missing it for the third consecutive day. "Two right, one in the bunker. That's the only one that's been bugging me."
The 32-year old Californian hasn't been bothered by much ever since he missed out on the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup on the US PGA Tour at the end of August. He has finished T3, 2nd, 2nd and T6 in his four starts and has risen to No. 11 on the money list despite playing only six events.
"I have been in this position for the past several weeks," he said. "I just have to stay patient and keep doing what I'm doing. There could be some movement tomorrow so I've still got to go out there and fire at pins."
Third-Round Notes
• This is the first time that John Mallinger has held the outright lead after 54 holes in a Nationwide Tour event. He shared the third-round lead with Kevin Kisner and Gary Christian last month at the Mylan Classic near Pittsburgh, where he finished second by one stroke to Christian.
• Sunday's winner will collect a check for $90,000 from the $500,000 purse. Mallinger is currently No. 11 on the money list with $212,331 and a win could boost him as high as No. 4.
• The last Monday qualifier to win on the Nationwide Tour was Ted Potter Jr., at the South Georgia Classic earlier this year.
• There have been 20 Monday qualifiers who have won on Tour since 1990, including Kyle Reifers, who won this event in 2006 shortly after turning professional following his graduation from Wake Forest University.
• Daniel Chopra had eagles on the par-5, 6th and 14th holes today. Chopra shot a 7-under 65.
• Notah Begay (70) birdied five of his first six holes today. Bubba Dickerson (69) birdied five of his final six holes today.
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
By Joe Chemycz, Nationwide Tour staff
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee -- John Mallinger continued his near-perfect week in Chattanooga by firing a 7-under 65 in Saturday's third round of the Children's Hospital Classic and took a two-stroke lead over playing partner Billy Hurley (66).
Mallinger hit all 18 greens in regulation for the second time in three days and moved one step closer to his elusive first Nationwide Tour win. His 20-under 196 total is two ahead of Hurley and three better than Monday qualifier Brice Garnett (66).
Argentina's Miguel Carballo (66) is four back, while Australian Peter Lonard (64) and 2004 champion Justin Bolli (69) are five off the lead.
Reigning NCAA Individual Champion John Peterson of LSU, who is making his professional debut this week, shot a 10-under 62 to get to 14-under par, where he is tied for seventh with Matt Every (66) and Aaron Goldberg (67).
Peterson made the cut on the number and was in the first pairing off the tee early Saturday morning. When he finished his round, Peterson was in first place and Mallinger, the second-round leader, was more than two hours away from his afternoon starting time.
"I turned on the Internet and saw somebody was at 10-under but that was about it," said Mallinger about checking early scores. "Everyone's going to shoot between three and six-under out here on average."
Mallinger has been anything but average for the first three days. He has hit 53 of 54 greens in regulation and his only miss on Friday resulted in his only bogey of the week.
"I played solid today but I think yesterday was better," he said. "I hit a couple of squirrelly ones today and got away with it."
Mallinger's biggest nemesis this week is the front nine, where he has made six pars on the two par-5 holes, Nos. 4 and 6, two of the three easiest holes on the Black Creek Mountain course.
"I don't know what's going on. My main goal tomorrow is to hit six fairway," he said after missing it for the third consecutive day. "Two right, one in the bunker. That's the only one that's been bugging me."
The 32-year old Californian hasn't been bothered by much ever since he missed out on the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup on the US PGA Tour at the end of August. He has finished T3, 2nd, 2nd and T6 in his four starts and has risen to No. 11 on the money list despite playing only six events.
"I have been in this position for the past several weeks," he said. "I just have to stay patient and keep doing what I'm doing. There could be some movement tomorrow so I've still got to go out there and fire at pins."
Third-Round Notes
• This is the first time that John Mallinger has held the outright lead after 54 holes in a Nationwide Tour event. He shared the third-round lead with Kevin Kisner and Gary Christian last month at the Mylan Classic near Pittsburgh, where he finished second by one stroke to Christian.
• Sunday's winner will collect a check for $90,000 from the $500,000 purse. Mallinger is currently No. 11 on the money list with $212,331 and a win could boost him as high as No. 4.
• The last Monday qualifier to win on the Nationwide Tour was Ted Potter Jr., at the South Georgia Classic earlier this year.
• There have been 20 Monday qualifiers who have won on Tour since 1990, including Kyle Reifers, who won this event in 2006 shortly after turning professional following his graduation from Wake Forest University.
• Daniel Chopra had eagles on the par-5, 6th and 14th holes today. Chopra shot a 7-under 65.
• Notah Begay (70) birdied five of his first six holes today. Bubba Dickerson (69) birdied five of his final six holes today.
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: NATIONWIDE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Sunday, October 09, 2011
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