Final round at Livermore should be exciting
By Dave Lagarde, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
LIVERMORE, Calif. -- There was an SOS heard around the California foothills approximately 30 miles east of San Francisco Bay on Saturday. It was sounded by the field in the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship at Wente Vineyards.
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It looked like the players needed help -- and for a long while lots of it -- if someone other than rookie J.J. Killeen was going to hoist the distinctive prize -- a miniature oak wine barrel from Wente -- that is awarded to the champion Sunday. But prayers were answered late in the round when The Course at Wente Vineyards did its thing and took a bite out of Kelleen's lead that had grown to a whopping seven strokes midway through the third round.
Killeen, 26, grabbed the lead in the first round when he matched the competitive course record of 7-under-par 65 and stretched it to five strokes at the halfway point with a 69. It appeared that he was threatening to run away and hide Saturday, but four bogeys on his last six holes gave his three closest pursuers -- Tom Gillis, Joe Daley and Aron Price -- a fighting chance.
That's not to say Killeen, who is making his eighth start on the Nationwide Tour, was disappointed with the 1-over 73 he signed for Saturday when the wind howled and the conditions toughened considerably.
"I knew anything around even par would be good,'' he said.
How good? All he lost was a stroke off his 36-hole lead thanks to a golf course that played to a stroke average of 74.77 and yielded just two sub-70 rounds, a pair of 69s.
Gillis had one of them, while Price and Daley matched hard-fought 72s. The trio understands they'll have their work cut out for them Sunday -- unless Killeen arrives in a generous mood.
"He's had the lead all week.'' Gillis said. "Everybody's different, but he doesn't seem to be shaking a whole lot. He seems to be handling it pretty well. Sometimes experience is overrated.''
Price plans to take a simple approach.
"All we can do is hang tough and hole some putts,'' he said.
Daley wants to see a replica of Saturday's weather, with temperatures hovering around 60 and winds that gusted to about 30 mph. More of the same is forecast for Sunday.
"The only thing that would make it better would be if it rained,'' he said. "I'd love it because this course is so demanding.''
If the inexperienced Killeen is nervous about his position atop the leader board, it hasn't shown yet. He did admit the down time between rounds is when his mind races about what's on the line for a guy who played the mini-tours the last two seasons.
"That's when a million things are going on up there,'' he said.
But once Killeen steps between the ropes he has settled down despite early hiccups in his last two rounds. Four birdies between the fifth and 10th holes Saturday likely saved him a lot of sleep Saturday night.
Never say never though. Big comebacks are not out of the question on the Nationwide Tour.
Two players -- John Flannery in 1991 and Gary Hallberg in 2002 -- came from 10 shots behind to win. There has been one nine-stroke rally, two from eight back and five from seven strokes in arrears.
At least there is one thing in the chasers' favor. If there is a course where strokes can be made up in bunches, this 7,181-yard Greg Norman design is it. It has been the toughest track on tour the last two seasons.
What's more, no one is going to give up.
"We've got to have another tough day,'' said Gillis, who will be in the final twosome with Killeen. "I'm going to keep my head down and see what I can do.''
Trouble is Killeen seems undaunted by its degree of difficulty because he arrived with an uncomplicated game plan of picking a club, picking a target and taking a swing. And he has followed it to a 'T.'
"I'm not going to change anything,'' he said. "I hit quality shots all day today. The last few holes were just brutal today.''
So what is it going to take?
A little anxiety from the leader?
"I feel really comfortable out there,'' Killeen said.
An extremely low round from one of three in second place.
"We'll have to play flawless golf,'' Gillis said.
And what kind of lead is safe?
"Give me a tap-in on the last hole with a two-shot lead out here,'' said veteran Dicky Pride.
Pride laughed.
"All you have to do is look at what Omar (Uresti, the 2007 winner) did on the weekend last year,'' he said. "He shot 75-76 and still won.''
So if Killeen can keep it around par, someone is going to have to go get him. But shooting 72 is easier said than done.
"This is the kind of course where you can't get conservative and can't get aggressive,'' he said. "Par is a good score on any hole because there are so many where you have to suck it up and hit some great long irons. The thing is, I feel good. Whatever I shoot that's what I shoot.''
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