With 36 holes awaiting him, Turnesa enters Sunday in the lead  MIAMI -- Marc Turnesa moved into solo-possession of the lead after the third day of action at the darkness-delayed Miccosukee Championship, the final full-field event of the season on the Nationwide Tour. Turnesa and the rest of the field are playing catch up after lengthy weather delays on Friday. He finished up his second round on Saturday morning with a stellar 8-under 63, moving to a tournament record 12-under 130.  Turnesa will play 36 holes Sunday. (Badz/PGA TOUR)
With a 6:40 p.m. tee time on Saturday, Turnesa had just teed off for the third round when darkness forced a suspension of play at 6:43 p.m. Thirty-six holes of competition will await Turnesa as he seeks his first career Nationwide Tour win on Sunday. Players will be back in position on the course at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, with Turnesa holding a four-stroke lead over Andrew Johnson (9-under/through one hole), Jon Mills and Jon Turcott. The latter two players are playing in the final group with Turnesa, and all three are in the middle of the fairway after their opening drives. "Patience is definitely needed when the weather plays as big of a factor as it has this week," said Turnesa. "I played the Gateway Tour down here for five years, so I'm certainly used to the weather delays. The key to tomorrow will be getting off to a good start. If you have to play 36 holes, you really want a good start to be able to carry that momentum with you the rest of the day." Momentum wasn't a problem for Turnesa during the second round. His only bogey came at the par-4 sixth hole, but he more than compensated with five birdies on the front nine and four birdies on the back nine at the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club. "I did everything really good," said Turnesa, who hit 12 of 14 fairways and needed just 23 putts. "I drove it well, hit my irons well and putted really good, too. I'm hitting a lot of fairways and greens, and that is the main objective for all of us. I'm really happy with my game right now." The Miccosukee Championship is almost a home tournament for Turnesa, who moved to Jupiter, Fla., in 2001 after graduating from North Carolina State University. "I'm commuting each day, so it is nice to be able to sleep in my own bed at night," said Turnesa, of the approximately 100-mile drive. "I love South Florida ... so I'm comfortable playing here this week." Turnesa's comfort level isn't limited to the region, he has quickly grown to love the host course as well. "This course suits my eye," said Turnesa. "The key is you have to hit the ball in the fairway, and I've been doing that. If you keep the ball in the fairway, you're going to have a lot of birdie chances ... and I've certainly had my share the first two rounds." Turnesa is a lock to make it to the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek next week -- as he ranks No. 43 on the money list. But a good finish this week will continue the momentum he has built over the last few weeks -- including top-20 finishes at the Chattanooga Classic (T11) and the Mark Christopher Charity Classic (T17). "I've been playing good, so I came into the week with a lot of confidence," said Turnesa. "I was expecting to play well ... but I wasn't necessarily expecting to be 12 under after two rounds. I'll certainly take where I'm at."
Second and third-round news & notes |
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