Sterling, Lutterus, Senior share lead at Jacob's Creek Open  Nationwide Tour Staff ADELAIDE, Australia -- Young, old, big bombers and short hitters are all welcome at the Jacob's Creek Open Championship this week. The first 54 holes at the Kooyonga Golf Club have proven that, other than an oppressive summer heat that has pushed temperatures to 105 degrees, the tournament favors no one.  Veteran Greg Kraft made a nice move up to the fringe of contention on Saturday. (McDonald/WireImage)
Short-hitting American Scott Sterling, second-year local pro David Lutterus and 47-year old Aussie Peter Senior share the third-round lead in the $600,000 event that is being co-sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour and the PGA TOUR of Australasia. Sterling and Lutterus posted Saturday's best rounds, 6-under 66s, while playing together and were the first to make it to the air-conditioned clubhouse with 11-under 205 totals. Senior, playing in the final threesome, saved par from a greenside bunker on the final hole for a 69 and a share of the lead. American Brad Ott is alone in fourth, one shot back. Chris Nallen, Brendan Jones, Gabriel Hjertstedt and lefty Greg Chalmers are just two behind the leaders. All in all, the top 21 golfers are separated by just five shots. "The first two days it's been pretty warm and I haven't felt anything," said the senior Senior. "Today it felt like it was 10 degrees hotter." Sterling says the dry heat this week beats the humid summers he's used to back in Baton Rouge, La. "The sun feels hotter but I'll take this over 90 (degrees) and 100 percent humidity," he said. The hottest thing going Saturday was Sterling's putter. The 35-year old LSU grad rolled in four birdie putts ranging from 25 to 40 feet. "I made everything I was supposed to make and then I made those long ones. It was just one of those days," admitted Sterling, who hasn't held a Nationwide Tour lead since the second round of the 2002 Knoxville Open. "I made one putt over 10 feet the first two days. I didn't do anything different. They just happened to go in today. When you start seeing the ball go in it certainly helps your confidence. I just don't remember the last time I made this many long putts." Sterling's confidence took a beating in 2005, his fourth season on the Nationwide Tour, when he made just seven cuts in 27 starts, finished No. 111 on the money list and lost his status for the 2006 season. A season on the mini-tours produced a couple of wins, top finishes nearly every start and a renewed effort. "Winning again was nice," said Sterling, who has never been better than a T4 in his 121 career starts on the Nationwide Tour. "You need that to build on things. It helps you week after week and it just goes from there." Sterling took advantage of his accuracy Saturday -- he hit 12 of 14 fairways -- to make his run up the leaderboard. "This course can get you at any time," he said. "I'm a big fan of this course. You don't have to hit it far out here. You have some options off the tee. I play it pretty conservatively off the tees and just try to hit the greens." Sterling may be a fan of the course, but Lutterus knows the 6,794-yard layout like the back of his hand. The 6-foot, 4-inch bomber has been a member at Kooyonga for seven years and used that inside information to rebound from a second-round 75 after his opening 64 on Thursday was good for a two-stroke lead. "I knew how I played Thursday and I thought I was capable of doing that today," he said. "I went out there with that same mindset today. It's hard in front of family and friends but I'm just trying to remember to take it one shot at a time and treat it as a normal round of golf." Lutterus turned the front nine in 5 under, thanks in large part to a wedge shot he dunked for an eagle 2 on the 408-yard sixth hole. A couple of errant putts early on the back nine nearly spelled doom for the Adelaide resident. He missed a two-foot birdie putt on No. 12 and then three-putted from 20 feet for bogey on No. 13. Senior, who made his first start in the British Open in 1984, also missed a couple of putts that could have propelled him into a big lead. "I probably played a lot better today than the first two days but I didn't putt as well," said Senior after his 31-putt effort. "I had a lot of chances and with a few putts it could have been quite a few less." One putt he didn't need back was a two-foot eagle putt at the par-5 ninth. To the untrained eye, Senior hooked a nasty 3-iron from 217 yards and looked to be in real trouble. When the ball followed the high bank and made a right turn in front of a bunker, it eventually scooted across the green and stopped amazingly close to the cup. "When I walked up everyone was telling me I got a lucky kick," Senior said with a smile. "That's how I normally play that hole when the pin's up. I can't land a long iron on and stop it. "I'd be at the back of the green with a 50-foot putt and a lot of break. I play it near the bunker and even if I go in there I still have a relatively easy shot down the hill. It just stopped close as a bonus." Third-Round Notes: David Lutterus and David Smail both holed shots for eagle at the 408-yard sixth hole. It is interesting to note that Lutterus and Smail played in back-to-back pairings. ... Greg Kraft opened his round with a tournament-record five consecutive bogeys, yet shot a 3-under 69. ... The only player who was bogey-free on Saturday was Scott Hend (67). Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
