Bergstol's 66 leaves him a shot out of the lead heading into final round of NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship

    Brian Bergstol, the director of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, fired a sparkling 6-under-par 66 at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Saturday and moved within a shot of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round of the 45^th National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship.

   The 36-year-old had a pair of eagles on his scorecard as he finished three rounds with an 11-under 205 total.

   Jin Chung, an instructor at the Chateau Elan Golf Club in Braselton, Ga., had carried a three-shot lead into Saturday’s third round and got it to 16-under par after rattling off three straight birdies at the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th holes.

   But Chung, the runnerup in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship a year ago, stumbled late, making a triple bogey at the par-3 17^th hole and a bogey at the finishing hole. That left him at even-par 72 for the round and at 12-under 204 for three rounds in the battle for the $12,000 top prize out of a total purse of $150,000.

   The NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship is supported by Srixon, Cleveland Golf, XXIO and ASICS.

   Bergstol was aggressive right from the start Saturday as he hit driver off the tee at the par-5 first hole, drilled a 3-iron to 12 feet and dropped the putt for an eagle.

   “If there’s one thing I’ve done well in three days it is not panic or really worry too much about the fact that I’m going to make bogey on a hole,” Bergstol told the PGA of America website. “It’s gonna happen. But off the tee fits my eye well, I can hit a lot of drivers and now it’s relatively open with the driver.”

   Bergstol gave a shot back with a bogey at third hole, but bounced back with birdies at the sixth and eighth holes. He stumbled again with a bogey at the ninth hole, but got it going on the incoming nine with birdies at 13 and 15 and his second eagle of the round at the par-5 16^th.

   Bergstol was one of four Philadelphia Section PGA representatives who survived the 36-hole cut and teed it up in Saturday’s third round.

   Sunnybrook Golf Club assistant pro Brett Walker arrived early Saturday morning and completed a solid 4-under 68 in the rain-delayed second round. Walker, who earned his spot in the field by winning the Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship in August at Cedarbrook Country Club, then carded a 2-under 70 in the third round to join a large group of players tied for 16^th place at 3-under 213.

   Earlier this year, Walker made his first appearance in a major championship when he finished in a tie for eighth place in the PGA Professional Championship, also at the PGA Golf Club, to punch his ticket to the PGA Championship in May at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course on the South Carolina coast.

   Walker was joined at 3-under by Zac Oakley, an instructor at Bidermann Golf Club and the Philadelphia Section’s Haverford Trust Rolex Player of the Year for 2021. Oakley matched Walker’s 2-under 70 to also land on 213.

   Walker and Oakley finished 1-2, respectively, in the 100^th Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship at Aronimink Golf Club and Applebrook Golf Club. Both players will represent the Philadelphia Section in next spring’s PGA Professional Championship at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas.

   Rounding out the Philadelphia Section contingent at the PGA Golf Club was Mike Tobiason of Deerfield Golf Club. Tobiason, who had assured himself a tee time Saturday with a 3-under 69 in Friday’s second round, struggled to a 4-over 76 in the third round and was among the group tied for 61^st place at 5-over 221.

   The 33-year-old Chung looked like he was going to run away with the tournament. After starting slowly with bogeys at the first and fourth holes, Chung made three straight birdies at the sixth, seventh and eighth holes and then three more in a row from 13 through 15 to get it to 16-under before struggling on the final two holes.

   Jeremy Wells, the director of player development at the Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers, Fla., was three shots behind Bergstol in third place at 8-under 208. Wells, who had opened with a 2-under 70 Thursday, carded his second straight 3-under 69 in Saturday’s third round.

   Patrick Wilkes-Krier, an assistant coach with the Michigan men’s golf team, was a shot behind Wells in fourth place at 7-under 209 after posting a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s third round. Wilkes-Krier had opened with a 71 and got into contention with a 5-under 67 in Friday’s second round.