Zac Oakley, an instructor in the Bidermann Golf Club pro shop, moved up a couple of spots on the leaderboard at the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship in Saturday’s third round, but was no closer to the leader.
Domenico Geminiani of Old Corkscrew Golf Course in Estero, Fla. took a six-shot lead into the third round at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. and widened it by a shot with a 2-under-par 70 that left him with a 14-under 202 total.
The 28-year-old Italian, who captured the title in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship two years ago, will be tough to catch in Sunday’s final round as he tries to win this event for the second time in three years.
Like Geminiani, Oakley is very comfortable on the Wanamaker Course. He finished in a tie for third place a year ago and was tied for fourth in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship two years ago.
Oakley’s 2-under 70 in Saturday’s third round was his third round under par this week and left him in a tie for fifth place with a 5-under 211 total, nine shots behind Geminiani. Oakley began the day in a tie for eighth place.
Oakley started fast with birdies at the first and third holes. He bounced back from a bogey at the sixth hole with a birdie at seven. He fell back to even-par for the round with back-to-back bogeys at the ninth and 10th holes, but finished strong with birdies at 14 and 17.
It is, however, Geminiani’s tournament to lose. If he hadn’t finished his round with back-to-back bogeys at the 17th and 18th holes, his lead would be even larger, but Geminiani will still take a whopping seven-shot advantage into Sunday’s final round.
After opening his third round with a bogey at the first hole Geminiani continued his dominant run at the Wanamaker Course as he rattled off birdies at the third, seventh, 10th, 15th and 16th holes to get it to 4-under for the round. The bogeys at the last two holes left Geminiani 2-under for the round and 14-under for the championship.
Geminiani’s closest pursuer is Preston Cole of the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. Cole put together a solid 3-under 69 that left him alone in second place with a 7-under 209 total.
Jin Chung, an instructor at the Chateau Elan Golf Club in Braselton, Ga. and the winner of the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship in 2021, made the biggest move of the day with a sparkling 6-under 66 that enabled him to surge into a tie for third place with Alan Morin of The Club at Ibis in West Palm Beach, Fla., each landing on 6-under 210.
Morin registered a solid 4-under 68 to get a share of third place with Chung at 6-under.
Trevor Bensel, an assistant pro at Sandy Run Country Club, finished in seventh place in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship a year ago and is playing well again at the Wanamaker Course. Bensel signed for a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s third round and was in a tie for 11th place with a 2-under 214 total going into Sunday’s final round.
Brian Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, was the runnerup to Chung in 2021 and finished in second place behind Geminiani in 2022. He is in familiar surroundings at the Wanamaker Course.
Bergstrol struggled a little in Saturday’s third round with a 3-over 75 that left him among the group tied for 26th place at 3-over 219 heading into Sunday’s final round. Bergstol finished in a tie for 26th place in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship a year ago.
Two other Philadelphia Section PGA representatives who survived the 36-hole cut, Rusty Harbold, who works out of the pro shop at Philadelphia Cricket Club, and Jeff Fick of Moselem Springs Golf Club, struggled in Saturday’s third round.
Harbold posted an 81 that left him in the group tied for 54th place with an 8 -over 224 total. Fick recorded an 80 and was in the group tied for 62nd place at 10-over 226.
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