Bettencourt and Molder share 54-hole lead in finale
By Joe Chemycz, PGA TOUR Staff
McKINNEY, Texas -- Matt Bettencourt is apparently saving his best for last. Bettencourt, 33, blitzed the TPC Craig Ranch course with an 8-under 63 Saturday and grabbed a share of the 54-hole lead at the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship. Former Georgia Tech All-America Bryce Molder, playing in the group behind Bettencourt, posted a bogey-free 64 to tie for the lead at 15-under 198.
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Bettencourt held a four-shot lead at one point Saturday before a bogey at the par-3 17th cut his lead to one. Molder's fifth of five back-nine birdies came at the closing hole and gave him a piece of the lead heading into Sunday's finale.
Californian Peter Tomasulo, who set the TPC course record with his 63 earlier in the afternoon, heads a trio of players at 12-under 201. Kyle Reifers (65) and second-round leader Darron Stiles (70) are also three back and chasing the first-place check of $180,000.
Australian Marc Leishman (68) and Garrett Osborn (71) are at 11 under and four strokes behind the leaders. Jeff Klauk (69) holds down eighth place, five shots back.
At stake this week is more than the record $1 million dollar purse. Following Sunday's completion, the 25 leading money winners will earn their PGA TOUR cards for the 2009 season. The No. 1 money spot carries with it a full exemption along with a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship.
"My goal at the start of this week, honestly, was to move into the top 10 on the money list," said Bettencourt, who started the week No. 12. "No. 1 is obviously a dream, but I'm just going to try and win a golf tournament."
Bettencourt looked like he was trying to win the tournament on Saturday when he strung together five birdies and an eagle in a six-hole stretch that took him from onlooker to frontrunner.
"Saturday is moving day and my goal was just to stay within three or four of the lead," said Bettencourt, who spent Wednesday night in a hospital with kidney stones and wasn't sure he'd even be able to tee it up in Thursday's opening round. "The hole looked as big as a basketball hoop."
Molder, No. 32 on the money list, birdied two par 5s on the front nine but wasn't making many putts and needed some help midway through the day to change his luck.
"I can't imagine hitting more shots like I tried to," said Molder, who hit 15 of 18 greens. "I felt like I was hitting it 15 to 20 feet on every hole."
Maybe it was just a coincidence that Molder reeled off four birdies in a row shortly after getting a good luck kiss from his wife, Kelley, on the 12th hole.
"At that point, I said let's start making some birdies," said Molder. "Once you make one, the hole seems a lot bigger."
Bettencourt has been on a roll at the end of this year. After spending most of the year hovering in the 70-90 range on the money list, the Greenville, S.C., resident jumped from No. 77 to No. 53 with a fifth-place finish at the Albertsons Boise Open, the 25th of 30 events on the schedule.
"I switched putters the week of Boise," said Bettencourt. "It changed my game."
Bettencourt collected his first career win the following week at the Oregon Classic. After missing the cut at the WNB Golf Classic, he came back with a tie for 18th at the Chattanooga Classic and then lost a playoff to D.A. Points at the final full-field event, the Miccosukee Championship. His loss to Points was worth $67,500 and vaulted him to No. 12 on the money list and locked in a trip to the PGA TOUR in 2009.
Bettencourt also held the third-round lead at the Oregon Classic, where he led by three (and won) and shared the 54-hole lead at Miccosukee.
In contrast to Bettencourt's late run, Molder's season features only three top-10 finishes, but the Arkansas native thinks this year might be as good as any he's had since turning pro in 2001.
"I tend to come on late, not that I'm clutch or anything, but I've had maybe the most consistent year I've had as a professional," said Molder, who has made the cut in 19 of 27 starts. "I haven't had a lot of top-10s so my position is not great. It's been consistent, which is strange for me. I've got a big day tomorrow."
A win, a second or a third-place finish on Sunday should be enough to get Molder into "The 25" and earn a return trip to the TOUR. The 29-year old has had two seasons on Tour, including last year when he made only seven cuts in 21 starts.
Tomasulo came into the week at No. 16 on the money list and seemed certain to join list of rookies on TOUR next year. After matching his season-best effort on Saturday, the 27-year-old now has a chance to earn his second career title.
"That's what I'm here for, to win," said the third-year pro. "Moving up the money list is really important. You don't ever want to fall back. I felt like I put myself in good position.
Third-Round News & Notes: Play for the final round will shift back to twosomes with the first tee time scheduled at 7:40 a.m. CT and the final pairing slated for an 11:55 a.m. start. The expected finish time Sunday is 4:15 p.m. CT. ... Matt Bettencourt ran off a 7-under birdie-eagle streak Saturday starting at the par-5 fifth hole and ending at No.l0. Bettencourt's run of B-B-B-B-E-B is not only the best such streak on the Nationwide Tour this year, it is also the best streak on Tour since 2002 when Doug Barron put together an 8-under streak at the LaSalle Bank Open. ... Colt Knost's bogey-free streak this week came to an end at 43 holes when he bogeyed the par-4 eighth hole. ... Among those in attendance on Saturday: TPC Craig Ranch course designer Tom Weiskopf, TPC Craig Ranch PGA TOUR consultant D.A. Weibring (father of Nationwide Tour member Matt Weibring) and PGA TOUR member Corey Pavin. ... Immediately after final-round play on Sunday, fans will join Nationwide Tour representatives, as well as Salesmanship Club and TPC Craig Ranch members to meet "The 25" at the PGA TOUR card ceremony. Transitions Optical, the PGA TOUR's newest official marketing partner, will host the post-card ceremony party.
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