J.J. Killeen leads Cox Classic by four, on verge of second straight Nationwide win

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Texan J.J. Killeen fired an 8-under par 63 Saturday at the Cox Classic in Omaha and moved closer to winning for the second week in a row. Killeen, who earned his first career Nationwide Tour title at last week’s Utah Championship, is at 20-under 193 and four strokes in front of four players.

Former U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee (66), Monday qualifier Mike Lavery (67), Scotland’s Russell Knox (68) and veteran Ken Duke (68) share second place at 16 under heading into Sunday’s finale at Champions Run.

England’s Gary Christian (64) and Troy Kelly (62) are tied for sixth place, five back of the leader.

Lee birdied the 440-yard 18th hole to close out a bogey-free round and get to 16 under, but with a dozen players still on the course it appeared he’d wind up in fourth or fifth place. Lavery, Knox and Duke all wound up making bogeys at No. 18 to fall into a second-place tie and give Killeen some extra breathing room. The miscue by Lavery was his only bogey of the day.

“Anybody can shoot a low score out here. Anything can happen,” said Killeen, taking nothing for granted. “There are scorecards here with guys shooting 59s. I’m still going to put the petal to the medal tomorrow.”

Killeen, No. 5 on the money list, set a torrid pace early with seven birdies in his first 11 holes.

“I’m not going to say I left a few out there but I think I could have birdied every hole on the front nine,” he said. “I hit it pretty close all day long.”

Killeen hit 16 greens despite missing half the fairways, but stayed out of trouble for the most part and is in solid position to become the first player to win in back-to-back weeks since Jason Gore did it six years ago.

“He’s playing great and he will be pretty hard to beat,” said Knox, who is looking for his second win in four weeks. “He won’t be afraid to go deep tomorrow. It’s probably going to be reasonably difficult to catch him and we probably need him not to play too well.”

Knox three-putted the final green, which is one of the rare mistakes the 25-year-old Jacksonville, Fla., transplant has made. He has missed only six fairways in 54 holes and only three greens in regulation.

Third-Round Notes:

--J.J. Killeen has been on a blistering pace since missing the cut at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in May. Since then, he has made eight straight cuts and three top-5 finishes. In that stretch he also has a stroke average of 68.225 for his last 31 rounds, 27 of which have been below par. He has posted 15 consecutive rounds under par and his scoring average for that stretch is 67.133.

--Killeen’s 193 total is one off the tournament record for the lowest 54-hole score. Chris Smith (1997) and David Branshaw (2008) both registered 21-under 192 scores. Smith went on to win the tournament and Branshaw lost a playoff to Ryan Hietala. Killeen’s four-stroke lead is the second-largest in tournament history. Chris Smith held a five-shot advantage in 1997 and went to win by a then-Tour record 11 strokes.

--Killeen’s 193 score is the second-lowest 54-hole total on the Nationwide Tour this year. Steve Wheatcroft posted a 191 total (22 under) during the first three rounds of the Melwood Prince George’s County Open, which he went on to win by a Tour-record 12 strokes.  Killeen is trying to become the 11th player in Tour history to register wins in back-to-back starts. The last to do it was Nick Flanagan, who won the 2007 Henrico County Open and the BMW Charity Pro-Am. Killeen is also trying to become the sixth player in Tour history to register wins in consecutive weeks. The last to do it was Jason Gore at the 2005 National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic and the Scholarship America Showdown.

--Gary Christian added a 7-under 64 to the 9-under 62 he posted Friday. His 126 total is a career low for consecuvite rounds. His previous career-best 36-hole score was 127 (63-64/13 under par) in rounds 3-4 at the 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, which he won when he defeated Mathias Gronberg in a playoff that lasted nine holes. Christian stands at 15-under 198 and is tied for sixth heading into the final round.

--Christian’s 126 total (62-64) in rounds 2-3 matches the second-lowest on Tour this year. Steve Wheatcroft had a 125 total (60-65) in the second and third rounds of the Melwood Prince George’s County Open. Christian will celebrate his 40th birthday on Sunday.

--There were five eagles at the short, par-4 ninth hole. The hole played to its approximate yardage of 315 yards. Gary Christian’s drive stopped about two feet from the hole and he made his putt. Matt Weibring also hit driver and had an eagle putt of just 18 inches. Others to make eagle: Martin Flores, Nicholas Thompson and Brendon Todd.

--Danny Lee is a perfect 9-for-9 in cuts made this year. The former U.S. Amateur champion is No. 19 on the money list thanks for four top-10 finishes, including a tie for ninth at last week’s Utah Championship. Lee has only one bogey this week, which came on his third hole on Thursday – giving him a current bogey-free streak of 51 holes.

--Andrew Buckle shot a 4-over 75 but had wildly contrasting nines. Starting on the back, Buckle went out in 8-over 44, including a quadruple-bogey 8 at No. 14. He rebounded with a 4-under 31 on the front side to finish the round.

--Martin Flores had two eagles. The first came at the par-5 17th and the second came at the par-4 ninth. He shot a 65 and at 13 under par through 54 holes.

--Troy Kelly, a two-time runner-up this year and No. 4 on the money list, matched the low round of the week with a 9-under 62. Kelly had 10 birdies on the day and moved up from a tie for 53rd to a tie for sixth.

Jeff Gove ties J.J. Killeen atop Nationwide Utah Championship after three rounds

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With no eagles through the first two rounds of the Utah Championship, Jeff Gove changed that in the third round. He made his first eagle of Saturday on the par-5 third hole, then holed out from the fairway on the 12th hole for another.

The second eagle gave him a temporary four-stroke lead and eventually helped him to a 4-under 67. But his play was only enough by the end of the day to earn him a tie for the lead with J.J. Killeen entering the final round. Killeen made three birdies in a row and four total on his back nine to finish with a 3-under 68. Both players stand at 16 under.

Because of bad weather predicted Sunday afternoon, starting times have been moved up, with Gove and Killeen -- playing partners Saturday -- teeing off at noon.

“I definitely didn’t start the way I wanted to,” said Killeen of his bogeys. “I think it was a timing thing. Maybe I swung a little too quick today. But the bogey I made on one kind of relaxed me.”

After Gove’s hole-out from the fairway, he was at 17 under, but another bogey at No. 14 left him at 16 under. He parred in.

"I flubbed that chip on 14. It was the only bad shot I had all day,” he said. Even with his back-nine struggles, Gove, a three-time Nationwide Tour champion, likes where he stands entering the final round.

“I haven’t been in this position for a long time. It’s been a while,” he said. “But I’ve done it before.” His first Nationwide Tour victory came in 1995 at the Tri-Cities Open in his home state of Washington. He added wins in 1999 (Knoxville Open) and 2005 (Oregon Classic).

This season, Gove, a Pepperdine University graduate, is 47th on the money list and is trying to make up for a bad five-week stretch in which he missed the cut in every tournament.

“I kind of got going in the wrong way this season and got sick in Mexico. I lost 11 pounds, and I still haven’t gained it back,” he said.

His game has looked healthy this week, as he’s tied for third in par-3 scoring average and tied for second on Willow Creek’s par 4s.

Killeen, a TCU product who still makes his home in Fort Worth, has made the course’s par 5s his priority.

“That’s where you score on this course,” he said. He played the five par 5s in 2 under Saturday.

With 18 holes to play, Jason Kokrak, who made only his second cut of the season, is tied for third with David Lingmerth. They are both four behind Gove and Killeen.

“I three-putted the first par 5, No. 1. That’s how I started my round,” Kokrak joked. “But I hit it solid from tee to green. I just went out there and tried to make birdies on the par 5s. I just tried to put myself in good position and didn’t try to do anything special.”

Five players are five back: Danny Lee, Mark Anderson, Jonas Blixt, Bud Cauley and Charles Warren.

Third-Round Notes:

--This is Jason Kokrak’s fifth start of the season and only his second made cut, and he’s tied for third. His 64 tied him for low-round honors with Mark Anderson. Kokrak, an Ohio native who played collegiately at Xavier University in Cincinnati, had his top finish earlier this year -- a tie for 34th at the Rex Hospital Open. In his career, he’s only made eight Nationwide Tour starts, with one coming as an amateur in 2007. His career-best finish is a tie for 13th in 2010, at the South Georgia Classic in Valdosta.

--Jeff Gove played bogey-free golf for the first 41 holes, but finally bogeyed when he missed the green on No. 6. He elected to putt from the fringe, came up short and missed his par putt. He added a second bogey on No. 14.

--Charles Warren has split his time evenly between the Nationwide Tour and PGA Tour in 2011. Warren, who is tied for fifth, is playing in his ninth Nationwide Tour event this season, with a tie for third at the South Georgia Classic his best performance. He’s only missed one cut and is 39th on the money list. In nine PGA Tour starts, Warren’s best showing was a tie for 18th at the John Deere Classic. Warren’s best finish in Utah was a tie for 11th in 2000.

--Danny Lee put together a 6-under 65 to move into contention. After opening with an even-par 71, he’s gone 66-65 in his last two rounds and has been bogey-free for 25 consecutive holes.

--There were seven eagles Saturday, with Jeff Gove making two of them (No. 3 and No. 12). The other eagles came courtesy of Mark Anderson (No. 12), Joel Edwards (No. 12), Carlos Franco (No. 17), David Lingmerth (No. 12) and Dan Woltman (No. 10). There have been 35 eagles this week, with Nos. 1, 3 and 12 all yielding eight. Interestingly enough, a tournament that has seen 23 aces in its history has not had a hole-in-one this week.

--The par-4 fourth hole was the most difficult hole of the day after the par-4 eighth was the toughest for the first two days of the tournament. No. 4 had six birdies against 24 bogeys in the third round and a stroke average of 4.277. Overall, No. 4 is the most difficult (4.231). There have only been 31 birdies there all week. Jeff Gove has three pars there, while J.J. Killeen has a birdie, a par and a bogey on No. 4 for an even-par showing.

--Only three players had bogey-free rounds Saturday. They came from Mark Anderson (64, tied for fifth), Danny Lee (65, tied for fifth) and Casey Wittenberg (66, tied for 10th).

Trevor Immelman leads after round one at The Greenbrier

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Trevor Immelman had seven birdies and only one bogey in a sizzling first round.

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 WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) -- Trevor Immelman's best round of the year reinforced the former Masters champion's belief that he can regain his top form less than two years after wrist surgery.

The South African shot a 6-under 64 Thursday to take the first-round lead by a stroke over five others at the Greenbrier Classic.

"I hope I'm close," Immelman said. "You never know with this game. It's been a frustrating couple of years not being able to swing the way I want to swing and practice the way I want to practice. For the most part this year, I've been able to get back to working on the things I used to work on back then.

"I'm definitely seeing signs of improvement. Albeit slow progress, it's been progress."

Shooting 65s were Gary Woodland, Billy Mayfair, Derek Lamely, Webb Simpson and Australian Steven Bowditch.

The Old White TPC course underwent a makeover since Stuart Appleby shot 59 in the final round last year to beat Jeff Overton by a stroke. The renovations included lengthened tee boxes and reseeded greens that are less receptive to approach shots.

The course surrendered 81 under-par rounds on the first day last year; 41 players broke par Thursday.

Immelman, who failed to advance to weekend play in the 2010 tournament, carded seven birdies and a bogey. Although erratic off the tee, his iron play was solid. He missed one green in regulation and five of his birdies came from less than 11 feet.

Immelman began having trouble with his left wrist at the end of 2008. He had surgery in October 2009 and underwent several months of rehabilitation. The closest he's come to a top-10 finish in the past three seasons is a tie for 12th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.

Although he's missed the cut four times in his last six tournaments, Immelman is poised to improve on his No. 108 position in FedEx Cup points. He failed to qualify for the playoffs the last two seasons.

"For the most part this year I've been working on some of those old feels and trying to get some consistency back," Immelman said. "I've seen signs of some good play and some good shots at the right time. I'm just trying to stay patient with it."

The top 125 in the FedEx standings qualify for the playoff opener at The Barclays next month. Mayfair is 113th, while former Nationwide Tour players Bowditch (128th) and Lamely (195) are among others trying to move up.

Simpson, in his fifth year on the PGA Tour, is still chasing his first career win and hopes to earn a spot in next week's Bridgestone Invitational. The top 50 in the world rankings receive exemptions. He's 53rd.

Mayfair is still looking for his first win since 1998. He earned his PGA Tour card for 2011 after winning qualifying school in December.

Mayfair's lone top 10 this year was a tie for eighth at the Zurich Classic. Earlier this month he was 9 under midway through the John Deere Classic but finished 7 under.

"It's been a disappointing year," Mayfair said. "But as we all say, one week out here can change a lot of things."

Lamely won the Puerto Rico Open last year but has missed the cut in 25 of 39 events since.

After starting with 12 straight pars, Lamely made birdies on five of his last six holes Thursday, including a chip-in on the par-3 18th.

Woodland, whose first tour win came at the Transitions Championship in March, holed his approach shot from 101 yards for eagle at No. 4 and improved to 5 under after a birdie at No. 14. He had a chance to tie for the lead but overshot the green on the par-5 17th and made bogey. He finished with a 4-footer for birdie on No. 18.

Two strokes behind Immelman were Kyle Stanley, Chris DiMarco, Canadian David Hearn and Brendon de Jonge of Zimbabwe.

The crowd favorite was the group that included Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson and Appleby. It marked the first pairing together for Watson and Mickelson.

Mickelson, who can take over the FedEx Cup points lead with a win, shot a 70 that included five birdies and five bogeys. He then left to meet up with his family for a scheduled white-water rafting trip.

"That's the game plan," he said.

Appleby bogeyed his first two holes and shot 71 while Watson, the Greenbrier's pro emeritus who skipped this week's U.S. Senior Open in Toledo, Ohio, shot 75.

"Very different golf course," Appleby said. "I was definitely the third wheel out there."

NOTES: Sean O'Hair withdrew after winning last week's Canadian Open, which earned him a spot at Bridgestone ... Overton, the 2010 Greenbrier runner-up, shot 74. ... J.B. Holmes, who tied Sam Snead's course record of 60 last year before Appleby erased it, had a 76 Thursday that included double bogeys on both par 5s. ... Only four players had bogey-free rounds: Lamely, Will Strickler (67), J.P. Hayes (68), and Spencer Levin (70).

Received 07/28/11 08:06 pm ET

LSU's John Peterson still leads Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational

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Saturday was College Spirit Day at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational, so it seemed only fitting that a couple of recent college graduates stole the spotlight from the professionals.

LSU’s John Peterson birdied three of his final five holes and maintained his lead after three rounds at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course. Peterson’s 14-under 199 total is one shot better than college rival Harris English of Georgia, who carded a bogey-free 68.

“We had our college stuff on and it was just the two of us out there together. It really didn’t feel like a professional tournament,” said English, dressed in his red Bulldogs shirt. “We were joking on the range that we thought our college coaches were going to show up at some point, and they still might.”

If they do, they’ll find a couple of relaxed 22-year-olds who aren’t feeling any pressure and have nothing to lose. Neither will count in the money payoff in the $800,000 event, so the first-place check of $144,000 will go to the highest finishing professional.

Currently, that honor falls to TCU rookie James Sacheck, who charged into contention by matching the course record with an 8-under 63. Sacheck’s 11-under total puts him three back of the leader, Peterson, who has held a one-shot advantage after each of the first three rounds.

“You never know who’s going to play well. It might be you, it might be the guy you’re playing with, it might ba a guy three or four back and they beat you by five,” said Peterson, who hit 16 greens but had 32 putts. “You’ve always got to stay aggressive, especially on this tour. It’s not like you’re playing a U.S. Open where pars are good, pars don’t get you anywhere here.”

Columbus native Kyle Reifers (68), Kansas State’s Aaron Watkins (68) and 38-year-old Brian Smock (69) of San Diego are tied for fourth place, four off the pace.

Leading money winner Mathew Goggin (66) of Australia and Clemson’s Matt Hendrix (68) are tied for seventh, five back.

Reigning U.S. Amateur Champion Peter Uihlein (70) of Oklahoma State is one of four players tied for ninth heading into Sunday chase

Peterson, dressed in a yellow LSU shirt and purple pants, struggled through most the day and had fallen back to even-par for the day after a bogey at No. 12. He was at 11-under and two back of his playing partner, English.

“I didn’t hit it good early,” said Peterson, winner of the 2011 NCAA individual championship. “I needed to finish strong because Harry had me by a few.”

Birdies at Nos. 14, 16 and 18 restored the order just as it stood after the second round.

English, who celebrated his 22nd birthday Saturday, turned the front nine in 3 under par to overtake his playing partner and friend for the lead.

“I played solid today and kept the ball in front of me and felt like I hit a lot of greens,” said English, winner of last week’s prestigious Southern Amateur in Palm Harbor, Fla. “I left myself in good spots, which is what you have to do out here. I didn’t really let anything get away from me and made a lot of pars.”

English also hit 16 greens in regulation but faced a bundle of birdie putts from 20-feet-plus on the back nine and had to settle for nine consecutive pars coming in.

Third-Round Notes:

--In anticipation of possible afternoon storms on Sunday, tee times have been moved up and fourth-round play will be in threesomes off the first and 10th tees between 8-10:00 a.m. with an expected finish time of 3:00 p.m. ET.

--Harris English is making his third career start on the Nationwide Tour. He tied for 28th at this year’s Stadion Classic at UGA, which was won by college teammate Russell Henley. He tied for 27th in that same event last year.

--John Peterson is making his first career start on the Nationwide Tour. A total of 12 players have been victorious in their first career start. The last player to win in his initial start was Miguel Carballo at the 2007 Movistar Panama Championship.

--Peterson had held the outright lead after each of the first three rounds and will try to become the first player since Colt Knost at the 2008 Price Cutter Charity Championship to go wire-to-wire on the Nationwide Tour.

--There are three amateurs currently in the top-10 : Peterson (first), English (second) and Peter Uihlein (tied for ninth). None of the three are eligible to receive any money and the final payouts will be divided only among the professionals. First-place money is worth $144,000 and second-place money is $86,400.

--Rookie James Sacheck tied the Scarlet Course record with his 8-under 63. Sacheck, who was born in South Bend and grew up in Indianapolis, matched Jonathan Kaye’s opening-day 63 from last year. Sacheck entered the week having missed his last three cuts. For the year, he had made the cut in eight of his 12 starts with his best finish a tie for seventh at the Melwood Prince George’s County Open. He is No. 60 on the money list.

--Leading money winner Mathew Goggin also moved into contention with a 5-under 66. Goggin won the Panama Claro Championship to open the season and was also victorious at the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. A win here would give Goggin the Tour’s “3-win promotion” to the PGA Tour for the rest of this season. He is 9-under for the tournament and tied for seventh.

--Kyle Reifers is tied for second in Driving Accuracy (31 of 42/73.8%) and first in Greens in Regulation (46 of 54/85.2%). He is tied for 48th in Total Putts with 92. Harris English continues to lead in Total Putts (80) despite 31 on Saturday. John Peterson leads the field in Total Birdies with 20.