Local golfer leads headed into final day of Vegas PGA tourney

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 | 7:09 p.m.

FILE PHOTO

Bonanza High graduate Scott Piercy is leading the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open headed into the final day of play.

Asked to put into words what a win at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open would mean to him, Scott Piercy paused and the room went silent.

Piercy had no answer.

“Do they make words like that?” Piercy finally said. “It’s kind of like one of those not-real weeks.”

Piercy, a Las Vegas local and Bonanza High graduate, will enter Sunday’s golf tournament at TPC Summerlin tied for the lead after shooting a 6-under 65 on Saturday. For the tournament, he’s at 17-under.

Piercy has already clinched a memorable week. After his first round on Thursday, his wife gave birth to a baby boy.

She was released from the hospital at the same time Piercy teed off Saturday.

Piercy said he was emotionally exhausted but still confident heading into the final round of play.

“The golf course has been kind of a silent retreat away from everything,” Piercy said. “I can walk up and down the fairway and take my time doing everything. Once I leave here, it’s pretty fast-paced.”

Everything is setting up perfectly for a memorable Sunday at TPC Summerlin. Eighteen players are within five strokes of the lead.

Tied at the top of the leader board with Piercy is UNLV graduate Chad Campbell, who finished with a 4-under 67 Saturday.

“This is what I play golf for — to be in this situation,” Campbell said. “This is what makes it fun.”

Campbell, who entered the day as a co-leader, had a whirlwind round. The high point came on the 12th hole, a par four.

Campbell drove the ball 312 yards off of the tee to set up a 139-yard approach shot. Not wanting to hit it over the green, Campbell opted to use his wedge to hit it short of the pin.

Instead, the ball landed in the hole.

“Luckily, I just killed it,” Campbell said. “That was as far as it could have gone. I was definitely happy to see it go in. It got things going for me.”

Campbell is the only golfer to eagle the 12th hole through three days at the tournament. But Campbell didn’t coast into the clubhouse smoothly after the eagle.

Four holes later, on par-five 16, Campbell had a double bogey. He hit his approach shot into the water and then chipped the ball over the green before two-putting.

“I was pretty upset with myself after that,” Campbell said. “That was kind of a bad shot.”

While Campbell had the eagle, Piercy narrowly missed notching a signature moment of his own. On the 18th hole, Piercy had an elevated 34-foot birdie putt.

He judged the break on the green perfectly and clenched his fist when it appeared he would sink the putt. But it barely slid past the edge of the hole.

“I don’t know how it didn’t go in,” Piercy said. “It looked great, it really did.”

Piercy and Campbell will tee off at 10:50 a.m. Sunday with Martin Laird, who is one stroke back.

No one with Las Vegas ties has ever won the tournament.

“Hopefully, this is the last year that record stands,” Campbell said.