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By Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator

HAVEN, Wis. -- "Country roads, take me home."

John Ross

That was West Virginian John Ross' thought when attempting to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open in mid-June -- get him back to where he belonged so he'd have a shot at making it to Whistling Straits.

Only those country roads first came in the form of a plane ride out of Des Moines, Iowa (where he'd played in the Principal Charity Classic on Sunday before the Senior Open qualifier on Monday) that put him into Charleston, W.Va., at midnight. Next was a two-hour drive home to Freeman, W. Va., which meant Ross didn't get to sleep until 2:30 a.m.

The alarm clock went off early the next morning, since he needed a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call to make the three-hour trek to The Homestead in Hot Springs, Va., where he thought he stood the best chance at qualifying.

"A lot of people ask me why did I go back to the Homestead? Well, I've gone there four times and I'm batting 500," Ross said." I'm 2-for-4 getting through there. I like the golf course and there's a lot of history there."

But it nearly wasn't meant to be for the 55-year-old, as he had to face his friend Tony Green in a playoff for the last spot.

"I three-putted the last green to shoot 68 to go into a playoff. And then I just told my caddie, 'I'm too tired to walk too many more holes,'" he explained. "I rolled in about a 45-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to clinch the second spot.

"I felt like it was a divine appointment for me to be here, going through all that."

Ross has made the most of the opportunity this week, shooting rounds of 72, 71 and 70 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, respectively. That means Ross is tied for third heading into the final round, will be in the second-to-last pairing on Sunday and stands just four shots behind tournament leader Tom Watson.

"The first nine holes (on Saturday) I was a little bit out of rhythm. Playing in twosomes, the pace of play was a lot quicker and I think that got me out of rhythm a little bit," said Ross, who birdied No. 3 but gave one back at No. 7 to play the front nine in 36.

The wind picked up after he made the turn, gusting between 10-20 miles per hour at times, so Ross was relieved to finish with four birdies and two bogeys on the back nine. A disappointing three-putt at No. 18 cut short the momentum he'd gained from a birdie at No. 17, but overall he said he was pleased with his day.

"This is a marathon. And I knew when I came in here I had a couple of goals and No. 1 was to make the cut. No. 2 was to put yourself in a position where you had a chance to make a run at the title in the final round."

A victory would mean a lot to Ross, who did not win in nearly 50 tries on the PGA TOUR from 1989-93. Nor did he win in 88 starts on the Nationwide Tour, where he played from 1990-98, though he did tie for second at the 1991 Hawkeye Open.

Every chance to play on the Champions Tour is a chance to earn fully-exempt Tour status, though Ross has not come close to getting the necessary tournament win that would grant him rights into all Tour events.

John Ross: "If I'm this close, I might as well shoot for the top prize." (WireImage)

By finishing tied for 13th in the Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament in 2006, Ross doesn't have any exemption status in 2007, so he has to qualify for each tournament. In his three previous starts this year, Ross has tied for 32nd, tied for 62nd and tied for 44th, so he's relishing being at the top of the leaderboard.

"It might be a little far-fetched, but if I'm this close I might as well shoot for the top prize," said Ross, who knows that he's got to overcome veterans Watson and Loren Roberts, amongst others, to earn his first win. "I set some goals to try and finish high enough where maybe I could exempt myself into the Senior British Open and the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship later in the year and some of those events that go off the money list."

Does he see it as a Cinderella story if he were to win?

"Probably so. But one of my favorite sayings is, 'Little is much when God is in it,'" said Ross, who also cited his Christian faith as one of the reasons he maintained his patience and calmness on the course on Saturday. "What I observed here in the last few weeks on the PGA TOUR, seeing Brian Bateman win and Woody Austin win again, these types of stories face me and challenge me and inspire me."

After playing in the past two Senior British Opens and making the cut to tie for 23rd in 2006, Ross calls himself a "good wind player" and is prepared to face the estimated 25 mile-per-hour winds on Sunday.

And, while a major championship win might not be almost heaven, it would certainly bring special memories and notoriety for this West Virginian.