Gallo’s Wind-Swept 66 Catapults Him to Top, Sisk Lurks 1 Back

Player of the Year, Money Title, Rookie of the Year at Stake with 1 round to go

September 29th by Dominic Dastoli

Rockport, ME-With winds gusting to 30 miles per hour, Kyle Gallo shot his second consecutive round of 4-under par 66 to take a one shot lead over Geoff Sisk heading into the final round of the final event of the Cleveland Golf Tour season, the Samoset Open. First round leader Sisk, who trails Sean O’Hair in the year long duel for player of the year and money title honors, followed up his opening 65 with a 2-under par 68. Noah Zelnik shot a 3-under par 67 in the second round and shares third place with Sean O’Hair, who carded a 1-under par 69 on day two.

            “Everything was down the middle,” said Gallo, who has hit 31 of 36 greens in regulation thus far. “I was very pleased.”

            Gallo’s push to the top of the leaderboard began on the 502 yard, par 5, 4^th hole.  Playing down wind off the ocean, he hit his second shot with a sand wedge to 15 feet then two-putted for birdie.

            On the par 4, 6^th hole he caught a lucky break when he holed out his third shot for birdie from a greenside bunker. “That was definitely a bonus right there,” he said afterward.

            For the round, he carded six birdies against just two bogeys and finds himself in position for his fourth overall victory this season and second on the Cleveland circuit.

            “It will be interesting to see what (the final round) brings,” Gallo said. “Geoff’s playing well and I’m sure Sean’s going to move up.”

            Unlike Gallo, Sisk got off to an inauspicious start and was 1-over par as he stepped onto the tee of the par 3, 8^th hole.

            He quickly turned the momentum in his favor, though, when he canned his twenty-footer for birdie.

            “That birdie on eight was big,” Sisk admitted following the round. “It got me going.”

            From there, he notched two birdies on the back side and is now in position for his fifth victory of the year and third on this tour.

            As for how he plans to make up ground on Gallo, Sisk wants to “put a little heat on him and see what happens.”

            For the second straight round, Sean O’Hair made the turn in 3-under par 31. His early momentum was derailed by a double bogey on the par 4, 10^th hole, however, and he could only play the remaining holes in even par.

            With two comeback victories to his credit this year, including one final round of 62, O’Hair is fully aware of what he needs to do to rally on the final day.

            “I just need to go out there and be aggressive,” the 22-year-old said. “I want to have fun and be in the thick of things.”

            Noah Zelnik, also four shots back, expressed a similar strategy following his four birdie, one bogey 3-under par 67 effort.

            “I’m not going to sit there like an innocent bystander,” he said. “I’m definitely not going to lie down.”

            The top four players on the leaderboard-all of whom have won on this tour-weren’t the only ones making fireworks in round two. Both Reggie Bergholtz, who is making his CGT debut, and Eric Egloff notched hole in ones during round two.  Bergholtz, who shot a second round 66 and is solo 5^th, made his ace on the 185 yard, 7^th hole.  Egloff, who slipped to a 72 and stands tied for 10^th, recorded his own ace on the 230 yard, 13^th hole.

            With the final round of the 2004 season on the horizon, several individual accolades have yet to be determined. Sean O’Hair and Geoff Sisk are waging a tooth-and-nail battle for Player of the Year, the money title and subsequent $4,000 bonus check to PGA TOUR Qualifying School, and low scoring average among players that have played a minimum of five events. Sisk holds a fractional lead over O’Hair in the race for low scoring average, 69.00 to 69.04

            Trailing O’Hair by $3,269 on the money list, a win by Sisk would give him the title regardless of where O’Hair finishes. If Sisk finishes in second, though, O’Hair must finish solo third to claim the money title.

            Justin Goodhue and Todd Westfall, meanwhile, are also in a tight race for Rookie of the Year Honors. Westfall, who won at LeBaron Hills earlier this year, is 9^th on the money list, just ahead of Goodhue, who occupies 10^th position. Entering the final round, Westfall is one shot ahead of Goodhue with the winner to be determined by who finishes the year higher on the money list.

            Thirty-three players survived the 36-hole cut, which fell at 4-over par 144. A purse of $71,100 and a winner’s check of $12,500 are at stake in the final round.