Potter Rips Ivanhoe Course for 9-Under 63

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Golfer Magazine

It all came together for Ted Potter at the $600,000 Rust-Oleum Championship yesterday, as Ocala's pride tore up the Ivanhoe Golf Club for a 9-under-par 63, vaulting him into a first-place tie with popular veteran Jason Gore at 10-under 134. Gore put up rounds of 68-66. There is a four-way deadlock for third at 9 under.

Ted began on the front nine and made birdies at 2, 3, 6 and 8 for a 4-under 32. He took his lone bogey of the round at No. 10, then ripped off birdies at 11, 14, 16 and 18, plus an eagle three at 15, and came home in 5-under 31.

Ted and Gore tee off in the final group today at 1:40, and if one or both are still near the top when Golf Channel begins its coverage at 5 p. m., we should get to see a lot of them.

The next 36 holes can prove to be crucial for Ted, who is sitting in 14th place on the Web.com Tour money list. With earnings of just over $113,000, he's about $37,000 away from reaching what it took last year to make "the 25," which would ensure his return to the PGA Tour in the fall. First place this week is worth $108,000, second $64,800, and third - $40,800. Even fourth - $28,800 - would put him on the threshhold, so that he could coast for the rest of the season. Gore is in the same position - he's two spots below Ted on the list with $104,657 in the till.

Ted hit nine of 14 fairways during his stellar round, plus 12 of 18 greens. But he took just 24 putts, and in the tour's all-important category of "putts per greens in regulation," he recorded a low 1.250.

EVERY STALLS, RECOVERS - At the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Gator Matt Every began innocently enough with a par at No. 10. But he bogeyed four straight holes, and blew the lead that he held overnight at 6 under par. However, Matt hung in there, making birdies at 16-17-18 to turn in 1-over 36. He then birdied two more holes on the front to get back to 1 under, before ending with a bogey on 18 to finish at even-par 70. Still at 6 under, he's only three off the lead of 9 under shared by Chez Reavie, Charl Schwartzel and Sebastian Munoz. Stewart Cink is alone in fourth at 8 under.

Both Seminoles are still alive, Brooks Koepka (69-66-135) at 5 under and tied for 11th, and Daniel Berger (70-68-138) at 2 under and tied for 34th. Billy Horschel fared best of the remaining Gators with 72-66-138, deadlocking with Berger at 2 under. Missing the cut of 1 over were Camilo Villegas (70-72-142), Brett Stegmaier (73-70-143) and Brian Gay (76-68-144).