At Encompass Championship, Jerry Smith in rare place - the lead
Call this uncharted territory for a man who has traveled all over the world.
Jerry Smith will be in Sunday's final pairing of the Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. It will be the first time he's been in a final pairing since the 2005 Virginia Beach Open on the Web.com Tour.
In that tournament, Smith held a 1-stroke lead over Bubba Watson before finishing the round with a 77.
Smith is at 14-under 130 as he seeks his first professional title of any kind. Mark Goodes is second, while Bart Bryant, Fred Funk and David Frost are among the group five strokes back.
Smith's last win on any tour came in the 1998 Guam Open on the Omega Tour.
"It's going to be my first time in, I can't remember," Smith said after tying a tournament record with an 8-under 64. "It's new territory."
Smith matched a tournament record with an 8-under-par 64 Saturday. He tied the tournament's 18-hole record set by Russ Cochran last year in this Champions Tour event.
Last year, Smith played in the Senior European Tour. He went through Q-School and finished third to earn his Champions Tour card.
Last week, he finished tied for third in the Senior Swiss Open on the Senior European Tour.
"(I) played well over there," Smith said. "It gave me a little confidence going into this week. I was really beat up after Sacramento, the Senior Open, shooting 79 on Sunday. I needed something to kind of get me going."
The trip halfway around the world worked. Smith started the round off hot.
Teeing off in the last group of the day, Smith birdied four of his first five holes - including the first three - and finished with 7 birdies and an eagle on 16.
Smith's previous low of the year was a 65 in the first round of the Tucson Conquistadores Classic in March, where he finished tied for ninth.
"I'm going to have to drive it a little better tomorrow, there's no question," Smith said. "I'd love to put it the same way I have the first two days, but it's a little uncharted territory for me."
Mike Goodes took the lead early. Teeing off with Fred Funk in the fourth group of the day, Goodes took advantage of the clear conditions to shoot a 67 and go to 11-under for the tournament.
"This course, North Shore, is in absolutely perfect condition," Goodes said. "I'm sure people at home look at the scores and think it must be a really easy golf course, but it's not.
"All I've been able to do the last couple of days is hit a lot of good drives, keep it in play, and have enough birdie putts that a few of them fall in, and not many bogeys."
Goodes, whose only win on the Champions Tour came in 2009 at the Allianz Championship, failed to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open in June. He used that time to go to Greenbrier and received some unexpected help from former PGA-great Lee Trevino.
"I practiced a little bit with Trevino on one day and played with him another day and he really gave me a couple of pointers," Goodes said. "I've got to give Lee a lot of thanks and kudos. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. It doesn't matter. What he did, his generosity to be willing to help me, it has helped me whether I play good or bad tomorrow. And I do thank him."
Funk, Bart Bryant, David Frost, Lee Janzen and Woody Austin all sit at 9-under and in a tie for third place.
"(Funk) truly is one of my best friends in the world," Goodes said. "He played good and I played good and it just makes it a lot of fun."