Second straight 69 gives Uresti three-shot lead in Livermore  PGA TOUR Staff LIVERMORE, Calif. -- Omar Uresti shot a second consecutive 3-under 69 Friday to surge to the top of the leaderboard at the Nationwide Tour's $625,000 Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship.  In front of a scoreboard showing him in the lead, Omar Uresti practiced his putting after his round Friday. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
At 6-under 138, the 10-year PGA TOUR veteran holds a three-shot advantage over Ben Bates (70), while Aaron Watkins (72) and Jon Mills (73) are four strokes back after two rounds. "I'm happy with how I've played," said Uresti, who hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation. "Three days ago I would have never guessed I would be this position. I was really struggling with my game." Among the things Uresti credits his success to are a hot putter -- he made three birdie putts on Friday in excess of 15 feet, including a 45-foot bomb on the par-5 8th hole -- and, surprisingly, infrequent trips to the driving range at the Greg Norman-designed Course at Wente Vineyards. "I putted awful the first seven holes during the first round but I made a little adjustment to my grip and now I'm rolling them in," said Uresti, winner of the 1994 Shreveport Open. "Also, I didn't hit any range balls until Thursday. Instead I've been swinging a weighted club in my hotel room ... and not worrying about where the ball is going but on the mechanics of the swing. Perhaps that is why I feel a little fresher this week." Uresti's lead could have been even bigger. The 38-year-old native of Austin, Texas, was cruising along with 34 consecutive bogey-free holes until a double bogey on the par-4 17th hole cracked the door just a little for his fellow competitors. One of those to take advantage of the opening was Bates, who is playing in his 332nd Nationwide Tour event. The two-time Nationwide Tour winner (1997 Wichita Open, 2004 Reese's Cup Classic) enjoyed a solid ball-striking day, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation. "I've played two solid rounds of golf," said Bates, who owns the Tour record with 194 career cuts made. "This is one of the most demanding golf courses you'll ever play. Thank goodness the wind hasn't blown yet. Steady is the way to go this week. If you're steady every day, you're going to be close on Sunday." Like Uresti, Bates credits a hot putter to his success up to this point. "I've been struggling with my putting for four or five years now," said Bates, who finished a distant 120th in putting a year ago. "I picked up a new putter this week and they have started going in the hole. I usually take a new putter home and test it for awhile, but I put this one right in the bag." Bates, who has played on the Nationwide Tour and PGA TOUR since 1990, is looking to rebound from a career-low No. 183 finish on the 2006 money list. "Last year was a disaster," said Bates. "I had so many health problems and other issues to deal with. I came so close to quitting. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me ... and they still don't know what is wrong. But I'm feeling better. I'm thrilled to be playing well and feeling good again." Second-Round News & Notes: The cut came at 4-over 148, with 60 professionals and one amateur (Jason Anthony) advancing to the weekend ... Jason Caron, Todd Demsey, D.A. Points and Peter Tomasulo have now made the cut in all five starts this season ... Two of the four winners so far this season are still in the hunt for their second victory, including Skip Kendall (T9, even par) and Miguel Carballo (T20, 1 over) ... First-round leader Henrik Bjornstad struggled to a 6-over 78, falling to T28 ... One day after Dan Forsman fell from 3 under to 3 over after a 10 on the par-4 18th hole, Greg Chalmers posted a 13 on the par-3 14th hole to fall 100 spots at the time -- from T9 (1 under) to T109 (9 over). To his credit, he bounced back with birdies on the next two holes and eventually finished with a 7-over 79 to finish T86, missing the cut by three strokes ... The scoring average on Friday was 74.894. The toughest hole during the second round was the par-4 ninth hole with a 4.437 average. The par-5 15th hole ranked the easiest at 4.789 ... A total of 22 players posted sub-72 rounds on Friday, bringing the total for the week to just 41 ... Chris Baryla withdrew prior to the start of the second round, while Garrett Willis withdrew during the round with a back injury. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
