http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/081411/spo_871210661.shtml
Steele storms into tie for lead entering final round at PGA
By DAVID CHING - david.ching@onlineathens.com
Published Sunday, August 14, 2011
JOHNS CREEK -- Brendan Steele took home $2,860 in prize money when he tied for 34th last year at the Nationwide Tour's Stadion Athens Classic at UGA.
Associated Press
Brendan Steele, who played at last year’s Stadion Classic at UGA, is tied for the lead of the PGA Championship with Jason Dufner entering today’s final round at the Atlantic Athletic Club.
He's in position to claim a substantially larger purse -- a $1.445 million winner's check -- today at the PGA Championship.
Thanks to a sparkling 4-under 66 in Saturday's third round at Atlanta Athletic Club, Steele is tied with Jason Dufner for the 54-hole lead at 7 under.
"It's just a great week for me just to be in the field. So to have a chance to actually win in my first major is really something special," said Steele, who sits a stroke ahead of Keegan Bradley and two up on Scott Verplank.
Steele has thus far followed a successful pattern that players throughout the week have said is crucial on the long and demanding Highlands Course. He's driving the ball accurately, hitting the fairway at a 74 percent clip through three rounds, which is tied for second in the field.
However, he missed the fairway with his tee shot on the treacherous 18th hole, and that cost him the opportunity to be alone in first place.
Steele's drive landed in a fairway bunker, forcing him to lay up short of the water protecting the green. He then missed par putt to drop a stroke and fall into a tie with Dufner.
That has been a familiar scenario for players throughout the tournament and Saturday was no different. Four-time major winner Phil Mickelson has two bogeys and a double bogey at 18 this week, while Jim Furyk double bogeyed both 15 and 18 to drop from his perch near the top of the leaderboard into a tie for 13th at 1 under.
The course's final four holes, capped by the 18th -- which has proved far more difficult than any other hole this week - strike fear into even the world's most gifted players, and that sense of foreboding will only ramp up this afternoon with a major championship on the line.
Steele storms into tie for lead entering final round at PGA
By DAVID CHING - david.ching@onlineathens.com
Published Sunday, August 14, 2011
JOHNS CREEK -- Brendan Steele took home $2,860 in prize money when he tied for 34th last year at the Nationwide Tour's Stadion Athens Classic at UGA.
Associated Press
Brendan Steele, who played at last year’s Stadion Classic at UGA, is tied for the lead of the PGA Championship with Jason Dufner entering today’s final round at the Atlantic Athletic Club.
He's in position to claim a substantially larger purse -- a $1.445 million winner's check -- today at the PGA Championship.
Thanks to a sparkling 4-under 66 in Saturday's third round at Atlanta Athletic Club, Steele is tied with Jason Dufner for the 54-hole lead at 7 under.
"It's just a great week for me just to be in the field. So to have a chance to actually win in my first major is really something special," said Steele, who sits a stroke ahead of Keegan Bradley and two up on Scott Verplank.
Steele has thus far followed a successful pattern that players throughout the week have said is crucial on the long and demanding Highlands Course. He's driving the ball accurately, hitting the fairway at a 74 percent clip through three rounds, which is tied for second in the field.
However, he missed the fairway with his tee shot on the treacherous 18th hole, and that cost him the opportunity to be alone in first place.
Steele's drive landed in a fairway bunker, forcing him to lay up short of the water protecting the green. He then missed par putt to drop a stroke and fall into a tie with Dufner.
That has been a familiar scenario for players throughout the tournament and Saturday was no different. Four-time major winner Phil Mickelson has two bogeys and a double bogey at 18 this week, while Jim Furyk double bogeyed both 15 and 18 to drop from his perch near the top of the leaderboard into a tie for 13th at 1 under.
The course's final four holes, capped by the 18th -- which has proved far more difficult than any other hole this week - strike fear into even the world's most gifted players, and that sense of foreboding will only ramp up this afternoon with a major championship on the line.
