Seattle's Ryan Benzel shot one of the day's best scores – a 4-under-par 67 – to move up 32 spots in the third round of the PGA Club Professional Championship at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.

Benzel, a former University of Idaho golfer, had five birdies and one bogey – including three birdies on par-4 holes of 470 yards or longer.

"I've missed only two fairways on this course," Benzel said. "I'm just killing the golf ball, and hitting it on a line I want to. As long as I keep in the fairway, I have the opportunity to put the ball where I want to."

He opened with a bogey, but rallied with three more birdies on his opening nine holes, including one on the 472-yard, par-4 18th – his ninth hole – where his 8-iron approach left him 12 feet from the hole. He made the putt.

"It's a golf course I've done well on," he said. "The greens are very, very good, and I'm putting pretty well."

Benzel's 67 leaves him tied for at tied for 11th for the tournament. He is at 3-under 210, five strokes behind leader Mark Sheftic (205). Benzel tees off today for the final round at 10 a.m. PDT.

Ryan Benzel's attempt to play in three PGA Championships in a row is still alive.

Benzel, the Northwest's top club professional from Seattle, shot a 3-over-par 74 Monday, and made the cut at the PGA Professional National Championship in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.

Currently, he sits at 1-over 143, and is tied for 46th. The top 70 and ties in the 309-golfer field made the cut for the final two rounds, which will be played at Twin Warriors Golf Club.

In 2007, Benzel finished tied for second, and last season, he was tied for fifth in this tournament. The top 20 in this event will play at the PGA Championship in Hazeltine National Golf Club in August.

The legend of this tournament continues to grow, and this 16th Sahalee Players Championship will boast as strong a field as it has ever showcased.

Nick Taylor, the top-ranked amateur and recent U.S. Open finisher from the University of Washington, will tee it up. So will USC's Matthew Giles, who shared the co-Pacific-10 Conference player of the year honors with Taylor, and defending Sahalee champion Trent Whitekiller, of Oklahoma State.

Locally, reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion Cameron Peck, of Lacey, and University Place's Andrew Putnam, who plays at Pepperdine, are among the 66 amateurs playing.

16th SAHALEE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
When: July 1-3
Where: Sahalee Country Club, Sammamish
Website: www.sahaleeplayerschampionship.com

Yes, Puyallup's Ryan Moore has heard the collective set of groans from his supporters every time he's missed the cut this season on the PGA Tour.

And he knows they've gotten pretty loud after missing three in a row after the Memorial Tournament earlier this month in Ohio.

Since then, Moore has regained his old form, posting a tied-for-10th at the U.S. Open, and taking home his best finish of 2009 on Sunday afternoon with a tied-for-fourth at The Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.

It was the first time Moore has posted consecutive top-10 finishes since 2006 when he had a pair of tied-for-sixths at the 84 Lumber Classic and Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.

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This week: Nationwide Tour's Players Cup, Thursday through Sunday, Pete Dye Golf Club, Bridgeport, W.Va.

Fourth-round score: 4-under-par 68.

Position: Putnam (9-under 279) finished tied for seven, six strokes behind winner Tom Gillis (273).

Recap: Scores were high, and the Tacoma golfer took advantage by climbing 16 spots in the final round to post his best finish - and first top-10 – of the season. He had three front-nine birdies, and posted his third eagle of the tournament on the par-5 17th, repeating that feat from Saturday.

Next: He has a week off, but will play in the Fort Wayne Gretzky Classic starting July 9 at The Georgian Bay Club in Ontario, Canada.

By his own admission, Lacey's Jon McCaslin had no idea how he was going to try and protect an eight-stroke leading heading into the final round of the 79th Tacoma City Amateur.

So he went for broke – and came out of it OK.

Bombing drives of 330 yards on an Oakbrook Country and Golf Club layout that demands precision over power, McCaslin shot a 4-over-par 75 Sunday to win the title by three strokes over defending champion Jarred Bossio, of Olympia.

The 25-year-old McCaslin finished the three-round championship at 3-under 211. Bossio, who fired the day's best round – a 1-under 70 – was second at 214, followed by Puyallup's Derek Barron (73) in third at 218, and Tacoma's David Talcott (75) and Auburn's Sean Packer (71) in a tie for fourth at 219.

McCaslin became the 50th different champion of the event, dating back to 1931, and third consecutive first-time winner.

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This week: PGA Tour's Travelers Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.

Moore's third-round score: 2-under-par 68.

Stanley's third-round score: Even-par 70.

Position: Moore (11-under 199) is tied for ninth, and Stanley (203) is tied for 26th. Paul Goydos leads at 194.

Recap: A real solid round again by Moore, who hit all but one green in regulation, but made few of the putts for birdies. He did attack the short par-3 holes on the back nine with 9-irons, and was rewarded, making a 10-footer on the 11th (playing 158 yards), and a 4-footer on the 16th over water (playing 157 yards). … Stanley's mid-range putting hasn't paid dividends this week in his professional debut, and the Gig Harbor product had a golden chance when he peppered a 3-wood from 263 yards out on the par-5 sixth to within 10 feet of the hole. He missed his eagle attempt, but got to 8-under for the tournament. That is as good as it got, because he made two bogeys in the next four holes.

Moore's tee time Sunday: 10:10 a.m. PDT with Jarrod Lyle.

Stanley's tee time Sunday: 8:17 a.m. PDT with Peter Lonard.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Players Cup, Thursday through Sunday, Pete Dye Golf Club, Bridgeport, W.Va.

Third-round score: 2-under-par 70.

Position: Putnam (5-under 211) is tied for 23rd, eight strokes behind leader Tom Gillis (203).

Recap: One thing is for sure about the Tacoma golfer, he never gives in. And he could have Saturday when he had a bogey-bogey-double bogey stretch on Nos. 8 through 10 to fall 3-over on his round. But he responded with four birdies, and another eagle on the par-5 17th to lead to his tour-leading total of 13. He's in search of his first top-20 finish of the season.

Tee time Sunday: 7:05 a.m. PDT with Blake Adams.

Bainbridge Island's Austin Hurt certainly didn't "Coug It" on Friday afternoon for the state's biggest amateur championship on his home course.

Hurt, who plays collegiately at Washington State University, fired a course-record, 7-under-par 65 at Palouse Ridge in Pullman to net the 83rd Washington State Men's Amateur championship, overcoming a nine-stroke deficit.

His chip-in eagle on the par-5 ninth fueled his late rally.

"That’s when I knew I was in the hunt for the title," said Hurt, who started the tournament with an 81, but rebounded with three consecutive rounds in the 60s.

Hurt finished at 4-under 284, one stroke ahead of overnight leader Derek Berg, of Kenmore, who uncharacteristically struggled in the final round, shooting a 75.

Berg had a chance to force a playoff, but his chip attempt for eagle on the final hole slid by the hole. He tied for second with Walla Walla High School star Drew Reinland at 285.

79th TACOMA CITY AMATEUR
Final round at Oakbrook Country and Golf Club, Lakewood
All starting times off first tee Sunday

11 a.m.: Greg Ott (156), Alec Coleman (154), Charlie Stanfill (156)
11:10 a.m.: Larry Redfield (156), Ryan Rudolf (156), Brad Turner (156)
11:20 a.m.: Ben Fosnick (155), Ben Elieff (155), Nathan Harris (154)
11:30 a.m.: Chris Bean (153), Todd Durgan (154), Robert Pasquale (154)
11:40 a.m.: Tom Romberg (151), Jack Whealdon (151), Kurt Niedermeier (152)
11:50 a.m.: Ron Robydek (150), Jon Eisentrout (150), Frank Iacolucci (150)
Noon: Brandon Moore (148), Sean Monaghan (148), Sean McMullen (148)
12:10 p.m.: Sean Packer (148), Avi Singh (148), Tom Lewis (148)
12:20 p.m.: Kyle Kanda(146), Dan Ashlock (146), Dana Christianson (147)
12:30 p.m.: Casey Adams (146), Joey Duwe (145), Derek Barron (145)
12:40 p.m.: Jon McCaslin (7-under 136), Jarred Bossio (144), David Talcott (144)

This week: Nationwide Tour's Players Cup, Thursday through Sunday, Pete Dye Golf Club, Bridgeport, W.Va.

Second-round score: 3-under-par 69.

Position: Putnam (3-under 141) is tied for 24th, seven strokes behind leader David Peoples.

Recap: The Tacoma golfer is putting on a clinic in total driving. He's hitting it long (314.5 yards per drive) and is No. 2 in the field by hitting 27 of the 28 fairways through two rounds. Three front-nine birdies (Nos. 2, 5, 8) had him on his way to making his second consecutive cut.

Tee time Saturday: To be determined.

A lot goes into kicking off a professional golf career, particularly after a Monday finish at the grueling U.S. Open.

That is what Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley was faced with this week – decisions, decisions and more decisions.

With all that off-the-course business settled, Stanley has been able to focus on the one thing he's better than most at – golf.

And, boy, does the Bellarmine Prep and Clemson product mean business. Not only has he comfortably made the cut after his 3-under-par 67 on Friday afternoon at the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., he's hovering near the lead.

Stanley is at 7-under 133, which is four strokes behind leader Kenny Perry, who is at 129 after his second-round 68.

"Obviously I'm pretty happy with where I am," Stanley said. "I've been putting great on anything inside 6 feet. From 10 to 20 feet, I haven't made anything, but I've had a lot of great looks. All I can do is continue to give myself more opportunities. Hopefully putts will start to fall."

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The mountain-man beard is gone, the Bobby Jones-style golf tie is back – and apparently, so is Ryan Moore's feel for the game.

Moore, of Puyallup, climbed into contention at the midway point of the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship on Friday, tying for the morning's best round – a 5-under-par 65 – to move into second place at 9-under 131, two strokes behind overnight leader Kenny Perry (129) with afternoon action still underway.

This is an event and place – TPC River Highlands – that Moore, a Cascade Christian graduate and All-American from UNLV, has enjoyed success at. One of his four career runner-up finishes came at this tournament in 2006 when it was known as the Buick Championship.

"You know, I've won a lot of tournaments. I just haven't won out here yet, and I think that it's the same thing anywhere, you know, at any level," Moore said after his round Friday. "You just got to get it done when it matters – just coming down the stretch, you've got to hit good shots, and you make putts and it's as simple as that."

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This week: PGA Tour's Travelers Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.

First-round score: 4-under-par 66.

Position: Stanley is tied for 17th, five strokes behind leader Kenny Perry (61).

Recap: A pretty sparkling professional debut for the Gig Harbor resident, and Bellarmine Prep graduate – five birdies and one bogey. He finished strong, too, bombing a 314-yard drive to set up a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-4 seventh – his 16th hole. Then, he sank a 23-footer for birdie after an approach shot from a fairway bunker. He averaged 301 yards per drive Thursday, sixth-longest in a strong field.

Tee time Friday: 5:45 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: PGA Tour's Travelers Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.

First-round score: 4-under-par 66.

Position: Moore is tied for 17th, five strokes behind leader Kenny Perry (61).

Recap: The back nine at TPC River Highlands has lots of scoring opportunities, and Moore, the Puyallup product, found them with four birdies (Nos. 12, 13, 15 and 17). He got home in two shots on the par-5 13th, and two-putted from 36 feet for a birdie. He nearly drove the green on the 296-yard, par-4 15th, and chipped up to within 17 inches for a tap-in birdie. And he chipped in for his final birdie on the par-4 18th. The 66 is Moore's best opening-round score of the season.

Tee time Friday: 4:11 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: PGA Tour's Travelers Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Conn.

First-round score: 6-over-par 76.

Position: Kelly is tied for 152nd, 15 strokes behind leader Kenny Perry (61).

Recap: A poor start only compounded a difficult day for the Tacoma native. He had a bogey-double bogey start on Nos. 1 and 2, and was 5-over through five holes. Kelly did have back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth holes, the last coming after a 95-yard pitch shot that settled 61/2 feet from the cup.

Tee time Friday: 10:55 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Players Cup, Thursday through Sunday, Pete Dye Golf Club, Bridgeport, W.Va.

First-round score: Even-par 72.

Position: Putnam is tied for 69th, six strokes behind leader Brad Fritsch, of Canada (66).

Recap: Putnam, the Tacoma native, notched his tour-leading 12th eagle of the season on the par-5 first hole (his 10th) to get to 3-under, which was his high-water point Thursday. He gave it back with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth.

Tee time Friday: 4:33 a.m. PDT. off the first tee.

Pamela Burneski, of Surrey, B.C., and a member of Homestead Farms Golf Resort in Bellingham, sits with a comfortable three-stroke lead going into the final round of the Washington State women's amateur championships at Oakbrook Country and Golf Club in Lakewood.

Burneski shot a 3-over-par 75 Wednesday, and leads at 5-over 149.

Alone in second place is first round leader, Cathy Kim of Bellevue, who carded a 79, including a 41 on the front nine, but rallied with three birdies coming in.

Seattle's Leslie Folsom also played her way into the final pairing group after rounds of 78 and 77.

Defending champion Stephanie Corey, of Seattle, and a member of the Gonzaga women's squad, sits in eighth place after opening rounds of 80 and 81.

Renton's Stefan Richardson, a sophomore on the University of Idaho men's golf team, is making his familiar surroundings in the Palouse stand up at the 83rd Washington State men's amateur championship.

Richardson fired a 3-under-par 69 to take a one stroke lead over Kenmore's Derek Berg after two rounds at Palouse Ridge Golf Club. Richardson is at 7-under 137 for the tournament.

Berg shot the day's best round, a 67 that included seven birdies to grab second place alone at 138.

Olympia's Jarred Bossio, the reigning Tacoma City Amateur championship who also plays for the Vandals, is at 140, as is Kennewick's Kevin Tucker.

Tacoma's Dane Looker, an NFL receiver, shot a second-round 71 to make the cut at 147, tying for 30th.

The field of 144 has been cut to the top 63 amateur golfers in Washington for the final two rounds. 7-over par 151 was the cut line for the championship.

2007 Washington State men's amateur champion Joel Dahmen, of Clarkston, and Stefan Richardson, of Renton, share the first round lead at the 83rd Washington State Men’s Amateur Championship in Pullman.

Both carded 4-under-par 68s at the first-year Palouse Ridge Golf Club to take a one-stroke advantage over Olympia's Jarred Bossio and Spokane's David Fern.

NFL receiver Dane Looker is also playing in the event. He shot an opening 76 Tuesday, and is tied for 55th.

On the women's side at Oakbrook Country and Golf Club, Bellevue's Cathy Kim shot a 1-over 73, recording five bogeys and four birdies to grab the early lead.

Defending champion Stephanie Corey, a member of the Gonzaga women's squad, shot an 80, and sits tied for ninth.

University of Washington star Nick Taylor can add another accomplishment to his fast-rising resume: Top amateur at a U.S. Open.

Taylor shot a final-round 75 to finish at 8-over 288, placing tied for 36th.

On one hand, Taylor was ecstatic about the finish. On the other hand, after tying an amateur record at a U.S. Open by shooting a second-round 65, he was a little bummed by his final two rounds.

"You know, the last couple of rounds didn't go as I planned or hoped," Taylor said. "But the whole week was pretty awesome."

Drew Weaver, out of Virginia Tech, was at 289, tying for 40th. Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley, who turns professional this week at the Travelers Championship after three seasons at Clemson, also fired a final-round 75, and finished alone in 53rd at 293.

After his round, Taylor – who will return to the Huskies for his senior season – was asked what this performance could do for his burgeoning career.

"I think it will do a lot. It will give me confidence to being able to play that well the first two rounds and shoot a low number on a U.S. Open course," Taylor said. "Playing with Sean (O'Hair) and Rory (McIlory) the last two rounds, I learned a lot. Rory stripes the ball and hits it pretty good. Just to be able to watch him, and the shots they hit … it helps me a lot."

Taylor will play the Sahalee Players Championship in July, the U.S. Public Links Championship, Canadian Open and the U.S. Amateur in Tulsa, Okla. later this summer.

At least being closer to home for the next few weeks, he won't have to worry about what's in – or what's not – in the suitcase.

"Ran out (of shirts)," he said. "Being here for 10 days, not enough shirts."

A breakthrough?

By far, Puyallup's Ryan Moore had his most successful U.S. Open appearance.

Moore closed with a 1-over-par 71 on the soggy and long-playing Black Course at Bethpage State Park, and finished tied for 10th for the championship at 282 with Stephen Ames, Matt Bettencourt, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy and Mike Weir.

He earned a paycheck of $154,600 in New York.

It was Moore's second top-10 finish of the season, and first since a tied-for-sixth at the FBR Open in February.

And it was the Cascade Christian graduate's best finish in a major since a tied-for-ninth in the 2006 PGA Championship in Illinois.

His previous best finish at the U.S. Open was in 2005 as an amateur, placing tied for 57th at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.

With his finish, Moore earned an automatic return trip to the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Club in California. He was two strokes out of making next year's Masters field.

One of the statistics Puyallup's Ryan Moore has been one of the best on the PGA Tour is par-3 scoring.

In fact, through two rounds at Bethpage Black, he was 3-under on the course's treacherous par-3 holes.

On Saturday, Moore stumbled coming in, making bogeys on Nos. 14 and 17 – two back-nine par-3s that the Cascade Christian product birdied in the opening round – and shot a 2-over-par 72.

He is at 1-over 211 for the championship, and currently tied for 15th.

Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley fired a 74, and Nick Taylor, the University of Washington standout from Abbotsford, B.C., came in with a 75 after starting the third round in the top 10.

Heavy downpours has delayed third-round action until 9 a.m. PDT today, and that is when three locals will return to the course at Bethpage Black on Long Island.

Moore is playing the third hole, Stanley is in the middle of the 10th hole (his first hole since golfers are starting on first and 10th tees) and Nick Taylor will begin his round off the first tee.

Taylor is 2-under.
Moore is even-par.
Stanley is 4-over.

It might not end until late Monday, or even into Tuesday, but three Sound Sound golf products will stay the duration at the 109th U.S. Open in New York.

Nick Taylor, the talented junior at the University of Washington, finished off a 5-under-par 65 early Saturday on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park, and still sits tied for seventh as action was again suspended because of weather.

Taylor's 65 was one of 35 rounds in the 60s by golfers who made the cut.

Another one of those rounds came from Puyallup's Ryan Moore, who, for the second consecutive day, recorded personal-best scores at a U.S. Open. He followed up a first-round 70 with a 1-under 69 Saturday for his second round.

Moore bogeyed the first hole of his third round, and is at even-par, which is tied for 17th.

Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley also shot an opening 70, followed by a 74, which made it on the cut line at 4-over.

After weeks of hard work on swing modifications, Puyallup's Ryan Moore said he thought he was close to putting together a good run in the near future.

On Friday, he got off to the start he needed to at the rain-soaked 109th U.S. Open on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.

For the first time in 11 rounds at a U.S. Open, the Cascade Christian product fired a round of par or better. He shot an even-par 70 in one of the best rounds of the morning wave Friday.

Moore's 70 was his first round of par or better at a major championship since his opening 70 at last year's PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club.

He won't return to the course for his second round until Saturday morning, at the earliest.

For all of the four bogeys Moore made in his weather-interrupted round Thursday, and its completion Friday, he answered with a birdie.

His last bogey was on the par-4 16th, but he answered by lacing a 4-iron to the 199-yard, par-3 17th close, and he sank a 7-foot birdie putt to get back to even-par.

Moore was stellar off the tee on this demanding layout, hitting 13 of 14 fairways, and 13 of 18 greens in regulation.

In 2002, playing in his first U.S. Open as an amateur while at UNLV, Moore shot rounds of 76 and 79 to miss the cut at Bethpage Black.

Here is the group of local golfers competing at the 109th U.S. Open on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.

RYAN MOORE
Age: 26.
Hometown: Puyallup.
College: UNLV (2005).
Previous U.S. Opens: Three (2002, 2005, 2007).
Best U.S. Open finish: Tied for 57th at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2005 (16-over 296).
How he got to Bethpage: Tied for seventh at sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio (10-under 134).
Caddie: Jason Moore.
Tee time Thursday: 5:17 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Eric Axley and Ben Crane.

KYLE STANLEY
Age: 21.
Hometown: Gig Harbor.
College: Clemson University (2009).
Previous U.S. Opens: One.
Best U.S. Open finish: Missed cut at Torrey Pines in 2008 (8-over 150).
How he got to Bethpage: Co-medalist at sectional qualifying in Columbus, Ohio (12-under 132).
Caddie: Ron Levin.
Tee time Thursday: 10:03 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Lucas Glover and D.J. Trahan.

NICK TAYLOR
Age: 21.
Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.
College: University of Washington (2010).
Previous U.S. Opens: One (2008).
Best U.S. Open finish: Missed cut at Torrey Pines in 2008 (10-over 152).
How he got to Bethpage: Medalist at sectional qualifying at Tumble Creek at Suncadia (6-under 136).
Caddie: Josh Taylor.
Tee time Thursday: 9:41 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Scott Gutschewski and Gary Woodland.

USGA'S UNITED STATES OPEN

Site: Farmingdale, N.Y.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Bethpage State Park, Black Course (7,426 yards, par 70).
Purse: TBA ($7.5 million in 2008). Winner’s share: TBA ($1.35 million in 2008).

Television (all times PDT): ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-noon, 2-5 p.m., 5-8 p.m.; Monday, if necessary, 9-11 a.m.) and NBC (Thursday-Friday, noon-2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Monday, if necessary, 11 a.m. to playoff conclusion.).

Last year: Tiger Woods won his 14th major title, playing with a double stress fracture in his leg and on a left knee with torn ligaments that would require season-ending surgery a week later. He holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation at Torrey Pines to force an 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate, birdied the 18th hole to extend the playoff, then won with a par at No. 7 — the 19th hole.

Last week: Brian Gay played his way into the U.S Open as a two-time winner in the last calendar year, leading wire-to-wire for a five-stroke victory over David Toms and Bryce Molder in the St. Jude Classic. Gay also won at Hilton Head in April.

Notes: Woods led wire-to-wire in the 2002 tournament at Bethpage, shooting 67-68-70-72 to finish at 3-under — three strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson. Also the 2000 winner at Pebble Beach, Woods is coming off a victory two weeks ago in the Memorial, his second win of the year and 67th PGA Tour title. … Mickelson tied for 59th last week in Memphis, shooting 68-70-68-75 in his first tournament since wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. He has two victories this year. … Masters champion Angel Cabrera won the 2007 tournament at Oakmont. … The Washington brigade of entrants including Puyallup's Ryan Moore, Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley and University of Washington junior Nick Taylor. Moore played at Bethpage in 2002 as an amateur, missing the cut. … The par-4 seventh (525 yards) is longer than the par-5 fourth (517 yards). … At 74.901, the 2002 scoring average was the highest on the PGA Tour that season. … The 90-hole Bethpage complex is the largest public golf facility in the country. … The 2010 tournament will be played at Pebble Beach, and the 2011 event is set for Congressional in Bethesda, Md. … The Travelers Championship is next week in Cromwell, Conn. where Stanley will make his professional debut.

On the Net: http://www.usopen.com
PGA Tour site: http://www.pgatour.com
PGA European Tour site: http://www.europeantour.com

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This week: Nationwide Tour's Knoxville Open, Thursday through Saturday, Fox Den Country Club, Knoxville, Tenn.

Second-round score: 2-over-par 74.

Position: Putnam (3-under 141) finished tied for 78th, and missed the cut by two strokes. Australian David McKenzie leads at 130.

Recap: Two bogeys, and a double bogey in a four-hole stretch did in the Tacoma native, who went backward on a good scoring day.

Next: Fort Smith Classic starting Thursday at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, Ark.

This week: PGA Tour’s St. Jude Classic, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.

Second-round score: 1-over-par through 11 holes.

Position: Kelly is 3-over, and tied for 111th. Brian Gay finished his second round, and leads at 10-under 130.

Recap: The second round was suspended because of volatile weather, so Kelly will finish up today. And the Tacoma resident needs to make up three strokes over the final seven holes to make his first cut since the Sony Open in January. His only birdie was right before officials suspended play, on the par-3 11th where he made an 8-foot putt.

Tee time Saturday: 5 a.m. PDT.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Knoxville Open, Thursday through Sunday, Fox Den Country Club, Knoxville, Tenn.

First-round score: 5-under-par 67.

Position: Putnam is tied for 11th, two strokes behind five other golfers at 7-under, including Blake Adams, who has completed only 14 holes.

Recap: Yeah, the Tacoma golfer added to his tour-leading total of eagles – nine – after making one at the opening par-5 hole. But the best sign of his round is that he made no bogeys.

Tee time Friday: 6:25 a.m. PDT.

This week: PGA Tour's St. Jude Classic, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.

First round score: 2-over-par 72.

Position: Kelly is tied for 96th, eight strokes behind Brian Gay (64).

Recap: Well, considering the Tacoma resident posted a big number early his round a quadruple bogey-8 on the par-4 12th, he did settle down from that point on. In fact, he reeled off three consecutive birdies on Nos. 14 through 16 – the last coming on a 27-foot putt on the dogleg-right par-5.

Tee time Friday: 11:21 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: PGA Tour's St. Jude Classic, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.

World ranking: 1,224th.

2009 earnings: $11,178 (234th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Miss a paycheck in seven consecutive PGA Tour appearances, and something has got to change, right? Well, it did for Kelly, the Tacoma resident – he changed his caddie. In fact, he will incorporate another Pierce County product in Fife's Chris Ming, an accomplished mini-tour player who has been a part-time caddie at Chambers Bay Golf Course. Kelly hasn't played since missing the cut at the Byron Nelson Championship in late May (7-over 147), although his scoring has improved, shooting 74 or better in the past six rounds.

Tee time Thursday: 6:21 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Kris Blanks and Aaron Watkins.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Knoxville Open, Thursday through Sunday, Fox Den Country Club, Knoxville, Tenn.

World ranking: 766th.

2009 earnings: $17,547 (105th on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: Well, it was at least nice to add to the bank account last week for the Tacoma native, who was in the top five entering Sunday before settling for a tied-for-27th at the Melwood Prince George's County Open, ending a three-tournament skid. And he warned earlier this week that he was close to putting it all together for a run at a tournament title after making swing changes in the offseason.

Tee time Thursday: 9:55 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Seung-su Han and David McKenzie.

Tacoma's James Feutz knows he can win the Tacoma City Amateur.

And it's not just some other tournament for many such as Feutz who have grown up in Pierce County. It is the so-called city championship for amateur golfers.

But Feutz isn't eligible to play in the annual three-round tournament. At 15, he isn't old enough.

The governing-body Tacoma Golf Association has had varying eligibility rules for its primary championship over the years, ranging from no age limit to an 18-and-over requirement.

Currently, golfers have to be 16 or older to sign up.

"Sixteen (years old) is it," TGA president Dave Clark said. "We're not going to go any lower."

But is it fair?

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PGA TOUR's St. Jude Classic

Site: Germantown, Tenn.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Southwind (7,239 yards, par 70).

Purse: $5.6 million. Winner’s share: $1,008,000.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday, 12:30-3:30 p.m., 7-10 p.m.; Friday, 11 p.m.-2 a.m., 12:30-3:30 p.m., 7-10 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m., 10-11:30 a.m., 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10-11:30 a.m., 7:30-9:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Justin Leonard beat Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff. Leonard, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, also won in 2005 at TPC Southwind.

Last week: Tiger Woods broke out of a four-way tie for the lead in the Memorial with birdies on his final two holes, the last a 7-iron that stopped a foot away for a 7-under 65 and a one-shot victory over Jim Furyk. Woods won Jack Nicklaus’ event for a record fourth time, finishing at 12-under 276 for his 67th PGA Tour victory.

Notes: Phil Mickelson is returning to competition three weeks after suspending his schedule when wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The second-ranked Mickelson, preparing for the U.S. Open next week at Bethpage Black on Long Island, tied for 55th in The Players Championship in his last start. He has two victories in 10 events this year. … Area resident John Daly is returning to the PGA Tour after a six-month suspension for a series of off-course events. Second last month in the Italian Open, Daly failed to earn a U.S. Open spot in qualifying Monday, shooting 70-73. … Leonard also is in the field along with Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Henrik Stenson, Camilo Villegas, 2007 winner Woody Austin and 2003-04 champion David Toms. … Al Geiberger shot the first 59 in PGA Tour history in his 1977 victory at Colonial Country Club. … John Cook had a tournament-record 26-under 258 total in 1996, shooting 64-62-63-69. … Stanford Financial dropped out as the title sponsor in March after its assets were frozen during a federal investigation into fraud.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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The reigning U.S. Junior Amateur will not be joining the elite cast at the 2009 U.S. Open later this month.

Lacey's Cameron Peck, who captured one of amateur golf's most prestigious titles last summer, came up short in his bid to play in the U.S. Open starting June 18 on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York.

Peck, out of Timberline High School, finished tied for 66th at the U.S. Open sectional qualifying site in Memphis, Tenn. at 5-over-par 147.

He shot an opening even-par 71 at Germantown Country Club to stay in the hunt, but then fired a 76 in the afternoon at Ridgeway Country Club where he made consecutive bogeys on Nos. 16, 17 and 18.

Thirteen berths to the U.S. Open were available to the 110 players who were in Memphis. It was the second-largest sectional qualifying site in the country.

Thirteen sites held U.S. Open sectional qualifying Monday, but it's no secret where the big boys were playing.

A majority of the PGA Tour golfers were in Columbus, Ohio just down the road from where they played over the weekend at The Memorial Tournament.

And one high-profile amateur, who will join that cast for select tournaments later this summer, showed he has more than enough game to play with the best players in the world.

Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley tied PGA Tour player George McNeill for medalist honors Monday at 12-under 132 to lead the 120-player field at Brookside Country Club and Lakes Golf and Country Club.

Stanley, who completed his junior season at Clemson, and was the Ben Hogan Award winner for collegiate golf's top player, also fired the day's best round – a 10-under 62 on the Lakes course in the morning.

"The fact, for the most part, that this is a pro deal (qualifying site), it's nice to come out on top," Stanley said. "More importantly, it confirms to me I'm working on the right things. That is really what I care about."

Puyallup's Ryan Moore is also going back to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2007. He shot an 8-under 64 on the Lakes course in the afternoon, and jumped up to a tie for seventh.

Seventeen spots to Bethpage Black in New York were awarded at this site.

Stanley got off to a fast start, finishing his first nine holes – Nos. 10 through Nos. 18 – in 30. He birdied his final five holes.

The string started on the par-3 14th where he stuck a 7-iron from 181 yards out to 12 feet, and made the putt.

And after that, it was a series of short-iron approach shots that gave Stanley, a Bellarmine Prep product, plenty of short putts. He finished with a 4-footer on the 17th, and a 5-footer on the 18th, both par-4s.

"I really gave myself a lot of opportunities," Stanley said. "Of course, I hit the ball pretty well, and made a few putts. I kind of kept it going."

Moore, the former UNLV All-American now on the PGA Tour, shot a front-nine 31 at the Lakes course, highlighted by an eagle on the 581-yard, par-5 seventh. He was one of the first finishers, and was rendered to scoreboard-watching the rest of the afternoon.

"Waiting around to see how that holds up," he said. And it did.

Tacoma's Andrew Yun, who is going off to Stanford in the fall, tied for 92nd at 5-over 149.

It hasn't been the season Puyallup's Ryan Moore hoped for on the PGA Tour, but he accomplished one big goal Monday: Qualifying for the U.S. Open.

Moore posted an 8-under-par 64 at the Lakes Golf and Country Club in Columbus, Ohio to nab a spot, even though much of afternoon play had not finished up.

He was in second at 10-under 134, all but guaranteeing him one of the qualifying spots – even though he was taking the cautious approach.

"Waiting around to see how that holds up," he said, eventually settling for a tie for seventh.

The highlight of Moore's round was an eagle on the 581-yard, par-5 seventh on his way to an opening-nine 31.

He will be playing in the U.S. Open for the first time since 2007.

Moore made his first U.S. Open appearance in 2002 at Bethpage Black in New York, firing rounds of 76 and 79 and missing the cut as an amateur.

At the sectional site in Roslyn, University of Washington junior Nick Taylor fired a 5-under 66 to take a three-shot lead heading into the afternoon round at Tumble Creek at Suncadia.

With a good share of the PGA Tour professionals in the field, it was a big-name amateur who posted the best scores at U.S. Open sectional qualifying in Ohio.

Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley, the Hogan Award winner who just completed his final season at Clemson University, was co-medalist Monday, finishing at 12-under 132 with PGA Tour veteran George McNeill.

And Stanley fired the day's best round – a 10-under 62 – in the morning at the Lakes Golf and Country Club.

Stanley, the Bellarmine Prep graduate who will turn professional later this month, finished off with a run of five birdies on his opening nine holes (Nos. 10 through 18) to grab the top spot.

To track the rest of action, click here.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George, Thursday through Sunday, The Country Club at Woodmore, Mitchellville, Md.

First-round score: 6-under-par 66.

Second-round score: 2-under 70.

Position: By day's end – and it's been a long one for the field with the rain-suspended action from Thursday and Friday – the Tacoma golfer should head into Sunday play in the top 10, possibly in the final group.

Recap: Putnam, the tour leader in eagles made, added to it on the finishing 564-yard hole to get close to the lead after his second round.

Tee time Sunday: TBA.

Tacoma's Michael Putnam still hasn't finished his first round (2-under through 12 holes) at this week's Nationwide Tour stop – the Melwood Prince George's County Open in Maryland – and won't until Saturday, at the earliest.

Rain suspended play all day Friday. Putnam said he think tournament officials are going to shorten the event to three rounds, and that announcement might be coming later today.

Golfers will try and resume Saturday at 4:30 a.m. PDT. at The Country Club at Woodmore. Cameron Piercy leads after an 8-under 64.

This week: PGA Tour's The Memorial Tournament, Thursday through Sunday, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio.

Second-round score: 8-over-par 80.

Position: Moore (11-over 155) finished tied for 105th, and missed the cut by seven strokes. Jonathan Byrd and Jim Furyk lead at 7-under 137.

Recap: He's now missed three consecutive cuts, the first time he's done that since last August. In fact, not since a seven-tournament stretch in 2008 starting at the Travelers Championship in late June (five missed cuts, best finish was tied for 58th) has he endured this kind of an extended rough patch. On Friday, playing a more difficult set-up, he had six bogeys and two double bogeys on his round. His final-nine 41 ended when he splashed a drive on the par-4 finishing hole, leading to his final double bogey.

Next: Moore will play in a 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Ohio on Monday.

Gig Harbor's Kyle Stanley, fresh off his second career runner-up finish at the NCAA Division I men's golf championships for the Clemson Tigers, will debut as a professional on a sponsor's exemption at the Travelers Championship starting June 25.

He is remaining amateur throughout U.S. Open sectional qualifying, and the national championship at Bethpage Black in New York. The week after the U.S. Open, the PGA Tour moves to Connecticut, and that is where he'll turn pro.

Some other tidbits:

• His management team will be SFX Sports, headquartered out of Washington, D.C. His representative is Brad Bufoni, of Milwaukee, Wis.

• His home club will be listed as Berkeley Hall Golf Club in Bluffton, S.C., just off Hilton Head Island.

• Stanley's caddie position is still up in the air, although Kenny Perry's caddie, Fred Sanders, will be on his bag for next week's U.S. Open qualifying.

• The Bellarmine Prep graduate will be allowed up to six PGA Tour event exemptions for the rest of 2009.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Country Club at Woodmore, Mitchellville, Md.

First-round score: 2-under through 12 holes.

Position: Putnam is tied for 18th. Cameron Piercy leads after an 8-under 64.

Recap: Rough weather came through for the afternoon rounds, suspending play. The Tacoma native came on, finishing his opening nine with a birdie on the par-5 18th, and moving to 2-under with another one at the par-4 third. He has two remaining par-5s to play Friday.

Tee time(s) Friday: Putnam will be back on the course at 4 a.m. PDT to finish up his opening round, and after a short break, will be one of the early ones to tee off for the second round.

This week: PGA Tour's The Memorial Tournament, Thursday through Sunday, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio.

First-round score: 3-over-par 75.

Position: Moore is tied for 77th, 11 strokes behind leader Luke Donald (64).

Recap: Just another up-and-down outing in a long line of them lately for the Puyallup golfer, who bogeyed four of his first six holes after starting on the back nine. He hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation, and took 32 putts. He did make three putts of 15 feet or longer.

Tee time Friday: 4:30 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

U.S. OPEN SECTIONAL QUALIFYING
At Tumble Creek Golf Club at Suncadia, Roslyn

{First/second round time} {Name} {City}
7:30 am/12:30 pm Zach Wanderscheid Goldendale
Russell Surber Orlando, Fla.

7:38 am/12:38 pm Thomas Stankowski Fort Myers, Fla.
Diego Velasquez Corvallis, Ore.

7:46 am/12:46 pm Tyler Martin Caesarea, ON
Daniel Im Irvine, Calif.

7:54 am/12:54 pm Dan Whitaker Cle Elum
Peter Laws Mississauga, ON

8:02 am/1:02 pm Wes Heffernan Calgary, AB
Michael Haack Bellevue

8:10 am/1:10 pm Scott Gibson HuntBeach,Calif.
Brian Unk LCenter, Ohio

8:18 am/1:18 pm Rick Tramontin Kamuela, Hawaii
Jacob Kimball Nampa, Idaho

8:26 am/1:26 pm Josh Immordino Auburn
Jake Koppenberg Everett

8:34 am/1:34 pm John Ellis San Jose, Calif.
Steven Conway Murrieta, Calif.

8:42 am/1:42 pm Cory Mehl Seattle
Mike Fields Bellingham

8:50 am/1:50 pm Jim Lemon Madison, Wis.
Eric Peterson Nampa, Idaho

8:58 am/1:58 pm Eli Zackheim Seattle
Zack Shriver Marysville

9:06 am/2:06 pm Erik Flores GValley, Calif.
Chad Fribley Tualatin, Ore.

9:14 am/2:14 pm Brock Mackenzie Yakima
Kevin Penner Sammamish

9:22 am/2:22 pm Eugene Smith Glen Ridge, N.J.
Mike Sica La Quinta,Calif.

9:30 am2:30 pm Michael Mezei Lethbridge, AB
James Allenby Langley, BC

9:38 am/2:38 pm Andrew Parr Reston, Va.
Nick Taylor Abbotsford, BC

9:46 am/2:46 pm Liam Kendregan Mount Vernon
Dean Kennedy Vancouver, BC

PGA TOUR's The Memorial

Site: Dublin, Ohio.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Muirfield Village Golf Club (7,366 yards, par 72).

Purse: $6 million. Winner’s share: $1.08 million.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30-11:30 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9-11 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday, noon-3 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.).

Last year: Kenny Perry joined Tiger Woods as the only three-time Memorial winner, beating Jerry Kelly, Justin Rose, Mathew Goggin and Mike Weir by two strokes for the first of his three 2008 victories. Perry, also the 1991 and 2003 Memorial champion, became the event’s oldest winner at 47.

Last week: Steve Stricker won the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, for his fifth PGA Tour title, birdieing the second hole of a playoff with Tim Clark and Steve Marino.

Notes: Woods, the 1999-01 winner, is making his first start since finishing eighth in The Players Championship. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March for his 66th PGA Tour title. … Puyallup's Ryan Moore is in the field. … Jack Nicklaus founded the event in 1976 and won the 1977 and 1984 titles. He made his last competitive appearance in the tournament in 2005. … World Golf Hall of Famers JoAnne Carner and Jackie Burke Jr. are the tournament’s honorees. … The Stanford St. Jude Championship is next week in Memphis, Tenn. (preceded by U.S. Open sectional qualifying), followed by the U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park on Long Island.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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This week: Nationwide Tour's Melwood Prince George's County Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Country Club at Woodmore, Mitchellville, Md.

World ranking: 752nd.

2009 earnings: $12,754 (113th on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: The Tacoma native has missed three cuts in a row, including last week's The Rex Hospital Open (1-over 143). It must be the time of year, because Putnam missed four consecutive weekends last May (May 11-June 1) before getting back on track. Hey, the Life Christian graduate is showing that his length off the tee is still valuable – he leads the tour in eagles made (six).

Tee time Thursday: 10 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Andrew Buckle and Chris Nallen.

This week: PGA Tour's The Memorial Tournament, Thursday through Sunday, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio.

World ranking: 189th.

2009 earnings: $445,739 (99th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: The Puyallup golfer is in the middle of a mild slump, missing his third cut in four tournaments at last week's Crowne Plaza at Colonial (1-over 141). This week, he comes to another one of his "runner-up" spots – he placed second at the Memorial to K.J. Choi in 2007, and this is a course where ball control is more important than distance.

Tee time Thursday: 9:10 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Michael Letzig and Ted Purdy.