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Throughout much of Friday's third round of the eGolf Tour's second Championship at Woodside Plantation, Brian Duncan of Mount Pleasant found himself in and around a veritable plethora of contenders - all jammed between 10- and 14-under par for the week. Three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15, however, vaulted Duncan into the lead - a spot he didn't relinquish. With rounds of 67-66-66, Duncan is on the precipice of notching win No. 1, heading into today's final round with a two-shot lead.
The Championship at Woodside Plantation is the 17th event of the 2012 eGolf Tour season and is being contested this week at the Rees Jones-designed Wisteria Course at Woodside Plantation Country Club.
Aiken native Stephen Poole also had a good day Friday, shooting a 3-under 69 that included four birdies and a bogey.
Duncan entered Friday's third round trailing overnight leader Gordon Strother of St. Simons Island, Ga., by two shots following rounds of 67 and 66 toe conclude with a 133. The fast start marked the sixth time this year that the Clemson product had opened an event with back-to-back rounds in the 60s. However, in 16 rounds played this year on days three and four of an eGolf Tour event, Duncan had only broken 70 four times - a trend he quickly blew past on day three.
Birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 quickly took Duncan to 13-under for the event but gave way to six consecutive pars before a birdie at the par-4 ninth gave him a 3-under 33 on the outward nine of the Rees Jones-designed course.
"I hit some loose tee shots on the front nine and had to really scramble to make a few pars, even on the par-5s," said Duncan, 29.
Pars on 10, 11 and 12 kept Duncan in the mix at 14-under par, but a three-hole stretch of birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15 solidified Duncan's spot atop the leaderboard - then two shots clear of the field.
"I looked at the leaderboard after I hit my tee shot on 13, and that kind of got me going," said Duncan. "I didn't try to do anything differently, I just wanted to make sure I played well down the stretch."
The trifecta of birdies vaulted Duncan up to 17-under par, where he eventually finished with pars on 16, 17 and 18 to finish off a third-round 66 and a 54-hole total of 199.
A member of the Web.com Tour, Duncan has spent the majority of his professional career on the eGolf Tour, still chasing his first win.
"A win would be very important, just to myself," he said. "I know I can do it. Third and fourth rounds have been a disaster to me this year, and I have no idea why."
Duncan's 2012 has been a study in consistency, with 10 of 10 made cuts on the year and six top-25 finishes to his name. His aforementioned fast starts, however, have often led to disappointment in an event's final 36 holes - a conundrum even he can't seem to pinpoint.
"I don't know what the deal has been. I've been playing well early on in a lot of events; I just keep knocking (on the door)," an open Duncan said after his round. "Tomorrow might be different, but it hasn't been nerves."
A native of Greenville, Duncan is 26th on the eGolf Tour money list but is 23rd on the tour's Q-School Bonus money list - where the top 20 players will have PGA TOUR Q-School paid for by eGolf this fall.
"A win would be great, but that Q-School bonus has been my only goal this year, to be honest," Duncan said. "The goal is to play your way up to the next level, and that bonus could be huge in that regard."
Chesson Hadley, who shared the lead for much of Friday's third round, is alone in second place, two shots behind Duncan at 15-under 201.
Hadley, currently No. 2 on the eGolf Tour money list with earnings of $70,210, entered the third round having unseated good friend Drew Weaver as the hottest player on the eGolf Tour, having posted a win, a runner-up and a T6 in his past three starts on tour.
A three-time "All America" selection at NCAA power Georgia Tech, Hadley finally made good on his potential just two weeks ago at the tour's River Landing Open, where rounds of 65-68-71-71-275 netted the Raleigh, N.C., native his first win. The momentum from that win more than carried over into the week at Woodside Plantation, as the gregarious Hadley opened his week with rounds of 67-67-134 to move into a tie for fourth at the event's halfway point.
On Friday, it looked as though Hadley was going to try and run away from the field yet again with birdies on four of his first six holes to briefly take the lead at 14-under par. A rare bogey at the par-5 seventh, however, slowed his torrid pace out of the gate.
Thanks to a birdie at the par-4 ninth, Hadley made the turn at 4-under 32 to move back to 14-under par - a tally that got even lower when he birdied the par-5 11th to reclaim the lead at 15-under for the week. That birdie, however, would be his last, leading to seven consecutive pars to finish off a third-straight 67, and a 54-hole total of 15-under 201.
Hadley's solid start this week gave him 14 rounds carded at 68 or better in his 18 rounds on the eGolf Tour, a stretch in which he has recorded just one round over par - a 1-over 72 in the first round of the Southern Open.![]()
Throughout much of Friday's third round of the eGolf Tour's second Championship at Woodside Plantation, Brian Duncan of Mount Pleasant found himself in and around a veritable plethora of contenders - all jammed between 10- and 14-under par for the week. Three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15, however, vaulted Duncan into the lead - a spot he didn't relinquish. With rounds of 67-66-66, Duncan is on the precipice of notching win No. 1, heading into today's final round with a two-shot lead.
The Championship at Woodside Plantation is the 17th event of the 2012 eGolf Tour season and is being contested this week at the Rees Jones-designed Wisteria Course at Woodside Plantation Country Club.
Aiken native Stephen Poole also had a good day Friday, shooting a 3-under 69 that included four birdies and a bogey.
Duncan entered Friday's third round trailing overnight leader Gordon Strother of St. Simons Island, Ga., by two shots following rounds of 67 and 66 toe conclude with a 133. The fast start marked the sixth time this year that the Clemson product had opened an event with back-to-back rounds in the 60s. However, in 16 rounds played this year on days three and four of an eGolf Tour event, Duncan had only broken 70 four times - a trend he quickly blew past on day three.
Birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 quickly took Duncan to 13-under for the event but gave way to six consecutive pars before a birdie at the par-4 ninth gave him a 3-under 33 on the outward nine of the Rees Jones-designed course.
"I hit some loose tee shots on the front nine and had to really scramble to make a few pars, even on the par-5s," said Duncan, 29.
Pars on 10, 11 and 12 kept Duncan in the mix at 14-under par, but a three-hole stretch of birdies on Nos. 13, 14 and 15 solidified Duncan's spot atop the leaderboard - then two shots clear of the field.
"I looked at the leaderboard after I hit my tee shot on 13, and that kind of got me going," said Duncan. "I didn't try to do anything differently, I just wanted to make sure I played well down the stretch."
The trifecta of birdies vaulted Duncan up to 17-under par, where he eventually finished with pars on 16, 17 and 18 to finish off a third-round 66 and a 54-hole total of 199.
A member of the Web.com Tour, Duncan has spent the majority of his professional career on the eGolf Tour, still chasing his first win.
"A win would be very important, just to myself," he said. "I know I can do it. Third and fourth rounds have been a disaster to me this year, and I have no idea why."
Duncan's 2012 has been a study in consistency, with 10 of 10 made cuts on the year and six top-25 finishes to his name. His aforementioned fast starts, however, have often led to disappointment in an event's final 36 holes - a conundrum even he can't seem to pinpoint.
"I don't know what the deal has been. I've been playing well early on in a lot of events; I just keep knocking (on the door)," an open Duncan said after his round. "Tomorrow might be different, but it hasn't been nerves."
A native of Greenville, Duncan is 26th on the eGolf Tour money list but is 23rd on the tour's Q-School Bonus money list - where the top 20 players will have PGA TOUR Q-School paid for by eGolf this fall.
"A win would be great, but that Q-School bonus has been my only goal this year, to be honest," Duncan said. "The goal is to play your way up to the next level, and that bonus could be huge in that regard."
Chesson Hadley, who shared the lead for much of Friday's third round, is alone in second place, two shots behind Duncan at 15-under 201.
Hadley, currently No. 2 on the eGolf Tour money list with earnings of $70,210, entered the third round having unseated good friend Drew Weaver as the hottest player on the eGolf Tour, having posted a win, a runner-up and a T6 in his past three starts on tour.
A three-time "All America" selection at NCAA power Georgia Tech, Hadley finally made good on his potential just two weeks ago at the tour's River Landing Open, where rounds of 65-68-71-71-275 netted the Raleigh, N.C., native his first win. The momentum from that win more than carried over into the week at Woodside Plantation, as the gregarious Hadley opened his week with rounds of 67-67-134 to move into a tie for fourth at the event's halfway point.
On Friday, it looked as though Hadley was going to try and run away from the field yet again with birdies on four of his first six holes to briefly take the lead at 14-under par. A rare bogey at the par-5 seventh, however, slowed his torrid pace out of the gate.
Thanks to a birdie at the par-4 ninth, Hadley made the turn at 4-under 32 to move back to 14-under par - a tally that got even lower when he birdied the par-5 11th to reclaim the lead at 15-under for the week. That birdie, however, would be his last, leading to seven consecutive pars to finish off a third-straight 67, and a 54-hole total of 15-under 201.
Hadley's solid start this week gave him 14 rounds carded at 68 or better in his 18 rounds on the eGolf Tour, a stretch in which he has recorded just one round over par - a 1-over 72 in the first round of the Southern Open.