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By John Bush
PGA TOUR Staff

PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Marc Turnesa recorded the round of the day with a 5-under-par 65 on Saturday to move into the lead with just 18 holes remaining at the Nationwide Tour's $550,000 Movistar Panama Championship.

Turnesa, a 28-year-old native of Greenwich, Conn., moved to 6-under-par 204 and a one-stroke lead over Patrick Sheehan (72). Turnesa has a two-shot advantage over Gary Christian (68), Ted Potter Jr. (69) and Hunter Haas (71).

"I hit it solid for the second straight day and made a few putts," said Turnesa, a 2000 graduate of North Carolina State University. "It is nice to play well and be in contention at the first tournament of the year."

Turnesa jumped out of the gate early with birdies on two of his first four holes, including a 25-yard chip-in on the par-4 second hole. After making the turn at 1-under-par 35, he closed with birdies on Nos. 11, 12, 13 and 16 to move into the lead in just his fourth career start on the Nationwide Tour.

The Turnesa name should sound familiar to avid golf fans, as six of his relatives have played on the PGA TOUR and another, Willie, won the 1938 and 1948 U.S. Amateur Championships. Some of the more notable accomplishments of the family include Turnesa's great-uncle, Jim, winning the 1952 PGA Championship, and his grandfather, Mike, winning six TOUR titles and finishing second to Ben Hogan at the 1948 PGA Championship.

"It is nice to get the attention as a result of what some of my family have done in golf," said Turnesa. "But I don't feel any pressure. I've got to make a name for myself out here."

Turnesa has enjoyed plenty of success since joining the Gateway Tour in 2001. Just last year, he earned more than $100,000 and posted 15 top-10 finishes, including nine in the top five. However, the winners' circle proved to be elusive. He hopes to change all that on Sunday.

"I was there every week but never got it done," said Turnesa. "Hopefully things will be different this week. I came here to win, but you never know."

If Turnesa is to prevail, he will need to hold off an expected Sunday charge from Sheehan -- who will be seeking his second Nationwide Tour victory to go along with his win at the 2002 Price Cutter Charity Championship.

"Tomorrow will be all about survival," said Sheehan, who has earned more than $2.9 million during his career on the PGA TOUR. "The course is getting firmer and extremely difficult. If the wind is blowing again like it did today, it will be another very difficult challenge. I'm thinking anything around 6 or 7 under will have a good chance."

Third Round News & Notes: The scoring average for the third round was 72.076, with the par-4 seventh hole ranking the toughest at 4.315. The par-5 fourth hole was the easiest at 4.737. ... With just 18 holes remaining, only 10 players are currently under par. ... There were no bogey-free rounds during the third round. ... The winner of the Movistar Panama Championship has held the 54-hole lead every year since the tournament began in 2004, including Jimmy Walker in 2004, Vance Veazey in 2005 and Tripp Isenhour in 2006.

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