LITTLE ROCK — Berger
escapes
trouble
Daniel Berger found himself in one of the last places he wanted to be on the Bear Den course Friday at the Southern Amateur Championship.
After a well-placed shot, he ended up right where he hoped to be, in the final group today.
Berger, a 19-year-old from Jupiter, Fla., shot a 4-underpar 68 to move him into a tie for third, in large part thanks to his escape on the par-5 10th.
Berger, who had birdied three of his past four coming into the 535-yard hole at Chenal Country Club, hit his drive left and into a ditch with uncut brush. Berger said he was lucky just to find his ball. Unfortunately, it was only about 10 yards away from a cart-path bridge.
“I’d hit it in the right side of the fairway the first two days and I was blocked out by these trees, so in my mind I just wanted to be left-center of the fairway and I just pulled it a little bit and went into the hazard,” Berger said.
But Berger was able to clear the bridge with a sand wedge and sink a 12-foot birdie putt that temporarily tied him for the lead.
“That probably was the turning point of my round,” Berger said. “You make a bogey there and suddenly you don’t have the momentum.”
Berger added a birdie on the par-4 14th to shoot 34 coming in and post the lowest round of the day.
“One more good round tomorrow and I have a chance to win,” Berger said.
Still fighting it
Nearly every time it looked like the chances of an Arkansan contending at the Southern Amateur seemed to be slipping away, Austin Cook found a way to bounce back.
Cook (Jonesboro, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 2-over-par 74 Friday, putting him in a tie for 16th at even par. He is the top Arkansan in the field, but is seven strokes off the lead.
The deficit could have been far worse. Cook had three double bogeys Friday but limited the damage by rebounding with birdies on the next hole each time.
“Very up and down,” Cook said of his round. “I’m fighting.”
Cook, 21, made double bogey on No. 1, then stuck his approach on No. 2 to within 6 feet. His second shot on the par-5 seventh drifted into the water, but he recovered with a birdie on the 172-yard eighth. Cook hit his second shot on No. 10 into the trees left of the green and took another two shots to get to the green, but a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 11 pulled him back near the top 20.
Despite the roller-coaster scores, Cook remained optimistic about his chances at a good finish.
“If I can get my ballstriking better and make some putts, I feel really good about my chances,” he said.
Moving day
Friday was moving day at the Southern Amateur. The only problem was the field was moving in the wrong direction.
Of the 75 players who made the cut, 46 were over par on the third round (compared to 32 rounds over par Thursday).
Forty players tied or surpassed their highest score in the tournament Friday.
“I think that shows that the course is starting to show its teeth,” Chenal head golf professional John Warburton said.
Warburton attributed the rising scores to several things.
“Stress of later rounds, the fact that they’ve [the players] been playing in this heat now for three, maybe four days, depending on how many practice rounds they played,” he said. “It’s challenging conditions. It wears on you physically and mentally.”
Southern Golf Association officials are in charge of tailoring how difficult the course will play in today’s final round, but Warburton said he has an idea of what to expect.
“I imagine just judging by seeing some of the pins they’ve used so far, and what’s remaining, they’ll be some good Sunday pins out there on Saturday,” he said.
If you go
ADMISSION/PARKING Free. Chenal Country Club is offering a shuttle for spectators who want to avoid the hassle of trying to find a parking spot near the course. General Manager Aaron Dawson said that although there will be on-site parking available for today’s final round, a shuttle will pick up spectators at the Bank of the Ozarks building at the corner of Taylor Loop and Rahling, next to the Promenade shopping area just a few miles from the course. The shuttle is free, and it will make stops about every 10 minutes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
FOOD/DRINK Neither outside food nor coolers are allowed. Concessions are available, but only cash is accepted. Water is allowed.
SEATING Low beach chairs and golf stools are permitted. Umbrellas are allowed.
CELL PHONES Must be set to silent or vibrate.
By the numbers
5 Arkansans who made the 36-hole cut, which was 5 over par
15 Players under par after three rounds
68 Friday’s low round, shot by Daniel Berger, who is tied for third at 6 under par
74 . Third-round scoring aver- . 1 age
108 High temperature in Little Rock on Friday, with heat index reading reaching 111
1,072 Birdies carded over three rounds at Chenal Country Club’s Bear Den course
Sports, Pages 24 on 07/21/2012