Toledo, Delsing tied after three rounds; Eight others within two BYRON, Minn. -- Esteban Toledo and Jay Delsing will call upon their combined 44 years of professional golf experience in the final group on Sunday as the two share the third-round lead at 15-under-par at the $500,000 Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby presented by Think. ![]() Esteban Toledo was bogey-free on Saturday. (WireImage) Toledo spent last week relaxing in Acapulco, Mexico, with his family taking a break from golf. The trip paid off; as the native of Mexico shot a bogey-free 66 to hold a share of the third-round lead for the first time since the 2005 Peek'n Peak Classic -- a tournament Toledo went on to win. "We had a wonderful time on the beach," Toledo said. "It was great to be with my family. I came back very fresh and ready to go. This course is beautiful, the people are great. The food here is fantastic. I really enjoy this place." Delsing, who won the 2001 Ft. Smith Classic and the 2002 Omaha Classic, has spent time on both the Nationwide Tour and PGA TOUR since 1985. He has played in four events on the Nationwide Tour this season and three events on the PGA TOUR. The 46-year-old was a college teammate of Steve Pate, Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldorf and a two-time All-American at UCLA. "I'm fired up for tomorrow. I am excited, but tonight will be a restful night," Delsing said. "I hope to come out tomorrow to do the same things I've been doing. I'll be mentally prepared and I'll be looking forward to it." Chris Riley, winner of the 2002 Reno-Tahoe Open on the PGA TOUR and member of the 2004 Ryder Cup team, has shot rounds of 67-68-67 and is one shot off the lead. Riley finished 150th on the PGA TOUR Money List last season.
"I'm right there, so I'm really looking forward to tomorrow," said the UNLV graduate. "It's been awhile since I've been in contention. It feels good to make some putts. This course is so nice and the greens are just great to putt on." The players took advantage of softer conditions after morning thunderstorms. While the total number of eagles went from 22 and 20 during the opening rounds to 4 on Saturday, the scoring average went from 70.981 on Thursday to 69.870 on Saturday. "It was a totally different course today," Riley said. "Some holes I went from using wedges the last two days to long irons today. Joining Riley one stroke off the lead are Greg Chalmers and Jason Enloe. Patrick Sheehan, Richard Johnson, Jeremy Anderson, Lee Williamson and Brad Elder finished the day at 13-under-par. The winner will join the list of champions from this event that includes Snedeker, 2005 champion and Nationwide Tour Player of the Year Jason Gore and 2004 champion Kevin Stadler. Each player went on to secure their PGA TOUR card for the following season. There is a good chance that the winner will get a nice Father's day bonus with the $90,000 winner's check on Sunday. Toledo has two children, including his 16-year-old son Nicholas who is caddying for him this week. Delsing has four children. Riley has two children, each under three years old. Greg Chalmers, also one-stroke back, has two children as well. Third Round News & Notes: Esteban Toledo, Jay Delsing, Brad Elder, Gary Christian, Tommy Biershenk, David McKenzie, Jerry Smith, John Riegger, Skip Kendall, Ben Bates and Keith Nolan shot bogey-free rounds.... The impact of the Nationwide Tour is being felt at this week's U.S. Open. Of the 63 players who made the cut, 30 previously played full-time on the Nationwide Tour.... The start of the third rounds was delayed by 90 minutes due to morning thunderstorms. Weather forced pairings into groups of three starting on both 1 and 10 tee. |