Reno, United States: Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy picked up 12 points on Saturday to take a three-point lead after three rounds of the US PGA Tour’s Reno tournament.
In the event using the Modified Stableford scoring system, Ogilvy — who started the day three points behind overnight leader Nick Watney — took his total to 35 points.
Watney notched six points on Saturday to fall into a tie for second with Jason Allred, who nabbed 14.
Players gain eight points for double eagles, five for eagles, two for birdies and zero for pars and are docked one point for bogeys and three points for double bogeys or worse.
John Mallinger’s 19 points on Saturday set a single-day tournament record and catapulted him into a tie for fifth on 28 points.
Mallinger boosted his tally with a hole-in-one eagle at the par-three 11th that was worth five points and also had seven birdies.
“In this format, you get five points, obviously you’re right back in the tournament,” said Mallinger, whose 19 points improved on the previous one-day record of 18 set by Jonathan Byrd last year and matched by Watney on Thursday.
Ogilvy birdied the last, where he got up and down from a greenside bunker.
The Aussie, who won the US Open in 2006, finished the day with seven birdies and two bogeys.
“I played quite well today,” Ogilvy said. “Birdied the par-fives I needed to birdie ... it’s definitely a format that rewards the guy that makes a lot of birdies.”
Ogilvy is playing in the tournament at Montreux Golf and Country Club for just the third time and the first since 2002 after failing to earn a spot in the field for the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
He notched the last of his seven US tour wins in 2010.
Watney was disappointed that he was unable to convert some birdie chances, including a nine-footer at the final hole.
“Missed my share of putts,” Watney said. “But I’ve got a chance tomorrow. So I would have taken that at the beginning of the week.”
