After spending some time on the range to sort out an alignment problem Richie Coughlan was hoping for better things in yesterday's third round of the PGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament.
Playing for the second day in succession on the Panther Lake course at the Orange County National Golf Centre near Orlando and starting from the 10th tee, there was a setback at the 11th when a shot went begging, the man from Birr going four over for the tournament at that early stage.
He got it back at the 622 yards 14th, turned in level par 36 and then made back to back birdies at the second and third. "We're halfway there and I had it going there for a bit," said Coughlan, somewhat disappointed after walking off his final green , the ninth., after failing to get up and down for par.
Coughlan's third round 71 leaves him in a tie for 104th place.
"I had an eagle chance at the second, I just caught the right edge and it didn't go in. I had a great birdie at the next from about 25 feet across the green so I was feeling fairly good you know after the 12th, two-under with a couple of birdie chances left and then I went and bogeyed the par three. That was disappointing, I just hit my tee shot right as the pin was tight on the left over by the water."
"All in all it was certainly a day for a round in the sixties, but as I said yesterday it's just a matter of the putts dropping."
"I felt much better today, I was more comfortable out there after sorting out my alignment on the range."
"I think 67 or 68 would be a nice number tomorrow and the other course is easier I think." "I was swinging better today after squaring up my shoulders and all we need is for the putts to drop and then who knows."
Mathias Gronberg was joined by his fellow Swede Daniel Chopra at the top of the leaderboard on 13 under par 203 at the halfway point, Chopra shooting 65 to Gronberg's 67 on a day when scoring was much lower than the first two days after heavy overnight rain had softened up the greens.