RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. -- Tom Gillis braved the elements and moved into solo possession of the lead on Saturday at the $525,000 Mark Christopher Charity Classic presented by the County of San Bernardino.
For the second consecutive day, windy conditions played havoc on the field at the Nationwide Tour's 28th event of the season. Despite that, Gillis bettered his score for the third day, following up an opening round 70 with rounds of 68-67 to pull one shot in front of Richard Johnson (69).
"Except for a three-putt on the sixth hole, I played a pretty solid round," said Gillis, who hit eight of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation. "The winds were coming out of four different directions today, so it was quite a challenge. You have to keep your wits about you."
Gillis, playing this week on a sponsor's exemption, made his only cut this season on the PGA TOUR at the Buick Open with a tie for 52nd place. He has also played on the Gateway Tour -- and is currently scheduled to tee it up next week at the Gateway Tour Championship.
"I've actually played good all summer," said Gillis, who finished No. 110 on the money list during his rookie season on the 2006 Nationwide Tour. "I've been working with Jeff Leishman ... who works with (Nationwide Tour member) Rick Price ... and it has been paying off."
Gillis is seeking his first win on the Nationwide Tour, with his previous best finish a third-place effort at the 2006 Athens Regional Foundation Classic.
"I just want to control my nerves and stay in the present ... all of those cliches you hear every week," said Gillis, who has battled a range of ailments during his career, including a broken wrist in 2004 and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
As for Johnson, his only bogeys on Saturday came at the par-4 opening hole and the par-4 10th hole. But birdies on Nos. 2, 6, 15 and 18 were enough to propel him near the top of the leaderboard.
"I was getting annoyed because I was going nowhere," said Johnson, currently No. 12 on the money list. "But I looked up and I was right there. I didn't make many birdies today, but everyone was coming in the opposite direction."
Entering the final round with a chance to win is familiar territory for Johnson. He will be playing in the final group for the fifth time this season. In four previous final groupings, he has finished runner-up at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic and the Utah EnergySolutions Championship, third at the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs and sixth at the Oregon Classic.
"I've been here before," said Johnson, who carried a one-stroke lead into three of those four events. "It is good to be there a lot and make your money that way. I'm still able to laugh about it. I completely blew one of them ? but these guys are so good that sometimes you can play good and still lose."
The winner's circle isn't totally unfamiliar to the former Augusta State University All-American, having won the 1999 Florida Classic and the 2000 Monterey Peninsula Classic.
B.J. Staten (69), Matthew Jones (69), Bob Burns (71), Jeremy Anderson (71) and Keoke Cotner (72) are all two shots back at 6-under 207. Second-round leaders Jon Mills (75), Chris Baryla (77) and Jeff Wood (79) all struggled during the third round.
Third-Round News & Notes: This represents the first 54-hole lead of Tim Gillis' career. ... The shot of the day was turned in by Lee Williams with a hole-in-one on the par-3 second hole. Williams hit a 7-iron from 164 yards and in the process recorded the 30th ace of the season and the 10th in tournament history. It was the first ever on No. 2 at Empire Lakes. ... Should a player record an ace on Sunday at the par-3 17th hole, he will be the recipient of a 2007 H3 Hummer. Last year, Chris Baryla performed the feat on Saturday and won an H2 Hummer, courtesy of tournament sponsor Mark Christopher Auto Center. ... The round of the day was turned in by Tommy Tolles with a 6-under 65. ... Through the first 27 events, the 54-hole leader has won 14 times, including most recently Franklin Langham at the Utah EnergySolutions Championship. In 11 previous 72-hole events at the Mark Christopher Charity Classic, the 54-hole leader has gone on to win five times -- most recently wire-to-wire winner Kevin Na in 2006. ... There were no bogey-free rounds on Saturday. The total for the week stands at five. ... Sunday's winner will take home $94,500 out of the overall purse of $525,000.
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