Attitude adjustment has Tomasulo accentuating the positive

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BRIDGEPORT, West Va. -- Every dollar counts on the Nationwide Tour, so it stands to reason every stroke does, too. The fewer you take, the more you make.

Peter Tomasulo's season has taken a turn in the right direction. (Martin/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

Tomasulo in 2008

Category Total Rank Driving Distance 298.4 yds. 25 Driving Accuracy 70.75% 46 Greens in Regulation 70.83% 36 Putting Average 1.801 68 Sand Saves 45.45% 74 Scoring Average 71.23 28 Money Leaders $124,026 20

That's why Peter Tomasulo wasn't the happiest camper in the golf world after he finished a 5-under-par 67 Saturday in the third round of the inaugural Nationwide Tour Players Cup at Pete Dye Golf Club. Like a fisherman who fails to land a prize catch after a solid strike, Tomasulo let one get away late in the third round thanks to a three-putt par 5 on the 17th. He would have jumped three spots from a tie for seventh into a tie for fourth with a birdie.

Nevertheless, Tomasulo did a good job of putting the disappointing par behind him Saturday where he might not have done so in the past.

"I misread two putts (on 17), but they weren't easy,'' he said. "You never like to three-putt, but I knew I had to gear up for 18. It's a tough hole.''

A year ago, Tomasulo, 26, would have stewed into the night over the missed opportunity. In September, he admitted he'd get mad on the course. Then he'd get mad at himself for getting mad. Apparently, he is in a better place a little less than a year later.

"I don't want to dwell on last year or anything negative,'' he said. "I really feel like I've taken some big steps.''

And Tomasulo, who came into the week ranked 20th on the 2008 money list, could take a giant one in the final round. He remains solidly in the hunt in the first $1 million event in Nationwide Tour history, where the last man standing Sunday will take home a first-place check for $180,000, practically insuring playing privileges on the PGA TOUR in 2009.

He trails 54-hole leader Rick Price by six strokes entering what will be a very nervous final round considering the stakes on the table on a course that can punish anyone who makes a loose swing at the wrong moment.

"I'm excited about my chances because I've been hitting the ball great for 54 holes,'' Tomasulo said. "I made two weird swings in the second round that cost me (a pair of double bogeys), but otherwise it's good.

"So I hope tomorrow's conditions are tough. I hope the course plays as tough as it can.''

Mother Nature may cooperate. Sunday's forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of precipitation with possible thunderstorms in the mix in the afternoon. The weather threat made Nationwide Tour official move up tee times markedly in an effort to get in the round. The leaders will tee off at 9:19 a.m. ET.

"We'll see what happens,'' Tomasulo said. "But it's important to get off to a good start because some of these early holes can be had.''

This is Tomasulo's fourth season on the Nationwide Tour and many observers feel he has more than enough game to move to golf's highest level. It is no secret that is his primary goal, one he thought he'd snare by now after a grand entrance when he Monday qualified and won the third event of his professional career. He earned $140,896 in just nine events, finished 36th on the money list and looked like a star on the rise.

But Tomasulo regressed to 47th in 2006 and 48th in 2007, playing full seasons. And the frustration mounted.

"I got caught up in thinking it was going to be easier than it was,'' he said. "So there was a lot of frustration. But everyone playing this game gets frustrated at times.''

That prompted Tomasulo to take a different tack this season. He's looking forward, not in the rearview mirror. He has worked as hard on that aspect as he has on his game. And his desire for bigger and better things has never waned.

"I really want to have a good year and have a long career,'' he said.

Tomasulo's season took a turn in the right direction in the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung two weeks ago. He closed with an 8-under-par 63 to move into a tie for third. The money he earned moved him into 'The 25.'

"That round gave me confidence and made me feel like I'm going the right way with my golf game,'' he said. "But I also understand I still have a ton of work to get where I want to be. It's a long process.''

One other turn of events likely has made Tomasulo a cooler and calmer customer. He fought through two rounds of qualifying and made it into the field of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, not far from where he grew up in Long Beach, Calif.

Tomasulo said he drove the ball as poorly at the Open as he had all season. Yet he only missed the cut by two shots. There was disappointment, however, because he said he "wanted to play well so badly.''

That's because family and friends were at Torrey Pines to watch. He remembers leaving the course in a foul mood, but he went out with a large group of supporters that evening. An attitude adjustment soon followed.

"We had so much fun,'' he said. "It was cool to be with my family and lots of buddies. I learned a lesson that night that golf isn't everything in life.''