MIDLAND, Texas -- With winds gusting 25-30 mph at the WNB Golf Classic and pushing the scoring average above par for the first time this week on Saturday, Brian Guetz and Greg Chalmers survived the conditions for a share of the third-round lead.
Playing in his third Nationwide Tour event of the season, Guetz (pronounced Gootz), has no status on the Nationwide Tour this year, but can earn a spot in next week's Chattanooga Classic with a top-25 finish this week.
"Monday morning, the goals were to qualify for the tournament, make the cut and finish in the top 25," he said. "It looks like I should go ahead and add trying to win the tournament to that list."
The Oklahoma State University graduate pulled his first tee shot of the day and put himself in an instant hole with a double bogey on No. 1. But the 33-year-old said that a birdie on the second hole may have been the most important part of his round.
"It meant a lot to get that shot back. The tee shot on No. 1 is nothing like me. I'm usually a very straight hitter," Guetz said. "It was a day of survival out there with the wind. It feels good that I was able to get through today and I'm happy where I am."
Second-round leader Greg Chalmers birdied No. 18 to capitalize on a bogey by Guetz and move into a share of the lead. In a round that started with Chalmers hitting just one green in regulation on the first nine holes, the 34-year-old Australian rebounded from a 2-over 38 on the front nine with a 3-under-par 33 on the final nine holes.
"I felt like I kept dodging bullets all day. I made up-and-down after up-and-down on the front. One of the up-and-downs was even for bogey," Chalmers said. "I was real proud of the way I rebounded to shoot 3 under on the back in these conditions."
Chalmers, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Thursday, ranks 35th on the money list with three top-10 finishes this year and eight top-25 finishes. Chalmers needs a strong finish this week to move toward the ultimate goal of finishing the season inside THE 25 and earning a 2008 PGA TOUR card. Chalmers is searching for his second Nationwide Tour victory and his first since the 2005 Albertsons Boise Open.
Guetz has never held or shared the third-round lead on the Nationwide Tour. For Chalmers, it is the second time he has held a share of a third-round lead on this tour. The last time was a good experience for Chalmers, as he went on to win the 2005 Albertsons Boise Open.
"Standing on the 18th green, I saw the leaderboard and I knew I needed a birdie to get into the final group tomorrow," Chalmers said. "Now I just have to go out and continue to play well."
LaSalle Bank Open winner John Riegger is one stroke off the lead. Tom Gillis, who gained entry into this event with a tie for fifth as a Sponsor's Exemption at last week's Mark Christopher Charity Classic, made the most of the conditions with a 4-under-par 68 and is two strokes off the lead.
With four weeks left in the season, players continue to jockey for position inside THE 25. Jeremy Anderson started the day one stroke off the lead. Anderson is approximately $1,200 behind No. 25-ranked Brenden Pappas on the money list. After a third-round 73, Anderson is 9 under par for the tournament and tied for fifth while Pappas is 6 under par for the tournament.
News and Notes: The third-round scoring average was 73.086, nearly two strokes higher than the first-round average of 71.125. ... The second round was completed at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday due to weather delays on Thursday that pushed play back. 70 players made the cut at 2 under par. ... Matthew Jones and Jon Mills, two of the most successful players on tour in recent weeks are each 8 under par. Jones matched the round of the day with a 5-under-par 67. Jones has three runner-up finishes in the last five events while Mills leads the tour with 10 consecutive cuts made.
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