Benzel third at PGA Pros event
Published 12:36 am Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Ryan Benzel shot a 2-under-par 70 and remained tied for third place on Tuesday, but dropped five shots behind leader Mike Small during the third round of the PGA Professional National Championship golf tournament at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind.
Benzel, who lives in Bothell and is a teaching pro at Marysville’s Battle Creek Golf Course, bogeyed the first hole, but rallied with birdies on the 11th, 16th and 17th holes for a three-round total of 4-under 210.
Small, the tournament’s defending champion and the head men’s golf coach at the University of Illinois, had an outstanding round with eight birdies and one bogey for a 7-under 65 that is a record on the Pete Dye-designed course. Small, who has a three-day total of 9-under 205, also won the tournament in 2005 and is trying to become the event’s second three-time winner after Larry Gilbert, who won in 1981, 1982 and 1991.
Small leads Danny Balin, an assistant pro at Burning Tree Country Club in Greenwich, Conn., by four strokes.
Benzel is tied with Sonny Skinner, a teaching pro at River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, Ga.
The tournament concludes with today’s final round. At stake is the first-place prize of $75,000 out of a total purse of $550,000. The top 20 finishers receive spots in the PGA Championship on Aug. 12-15 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.
