Rookie Teater one up on Kimbell with one day left at Utah Championship

SANDY, Utah -- Nationwide Tour rookie Josh Teater leads by a shot at 17 under par with one round remaining at the Utah Championship. Close behind are John Kimbell at 16 under, Craig Bowden at 15 under and Jeff Gove at 14 under.

Teater was red-hot out of the gates -- 4 under through five holes -- before bogeying Nos. 6 and 9 to make the turn with a 2-under 33. But the 30-year-old from Lexington, Ky., bounced back with five birdies on the back nine. His grip on a share of the lead looked precarious after his birdie putt stopped 10 feet above the hole on the par-3 18th.

"I didn't think there was any way to leave it short," he said of the downhill 40-footer. "I had that putt the other day and ran it past the hole and three-putted."

But his par attempt curled in the right side of the cup and he heads into Sunday with the first-ever 54-hole lead of his young career.

"Every putt is important," he said. "Whether it's the first putt on Thursday or the last putt on Sunday, they all count the same."

It will be the second time Teater has played in the final group on Sunday. Three weeks ago at the Christmas in October Classic, he finished second and was in the last group with eventual winner Michael Sim.

Kimbell broke a string of six consecutive pars with eagles on both Nos. 10 and 12 to take the early afternoon lead.

"I'm hitting it great -- not sure I've ever hit it any better, to be honest with you," he said. "One of the best shots I've hit in a long time was my second on No. 12. I got it to about six inches for eagle. I've been hitting it decently all year but decided to take the last two weeks off and take a lesson. As far as I can tell, it's made a huge difference.

Teater and Kimbell rank Nos. 1 and 2 in par-5 scoring average this week, playing them to 14 and 13 under par, respectively. Kimbell was the only player in the field not to have a bogey for the tournament until he three-putted on the 15th.

Bowden, the 36-hole leader, played alongside Kimbell in the final group of the day. He was tied with Teater at 17 under when he arrived at the 18th -- the only par-3 finishing hole in on Tour. His tee shot was long and left, leaving a tricky downhill pitch to a pin just four paces from the front of the green that slopes into a water hazard beyond. His second ran past the hole onto the fringe and he was unable to get up-and-down, ending with a disappointing double bogey.

Gove is making his ninth appearance at the Utah Championship and set a new course record with a 9-under-par 62. He turned a good round into a spectacular one with an eagle-birdie finish.

"I had it on the front edge on No. 17 and chipped it in for eagle, then I hit too much club on No. 18 and it went 40 feet past the hole," he said. "I did the same thing on Thursday but ran [the putt] by and three-putted for bogey.

"Today I just touched it and the bell went right down there and broke into the hole," he added. "It's like you make some early birdies and you know you're playing okay, so you just try to keep making birdies and add it up at the end."

This is the second course record Gove has set in 2009. He did it previously with a 9-under 63 at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open in March. He has also not missed a cut in his last 15 starts -- the best current streak on Tour.

With only six events remaining after the Utah Championship, Tour players are fighting to earn or preserve a spot amongst the 25 leading money-winners who are awarded PGA Tour cards following the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island in October. All of the players at the top of the leaderboard in Utah are currently within striking distance -- Teater is currently 21st, Kimbell 56th, Bowden 41st and Gove stands at 16th. A win by Teater or Gove and the accompanying $99,000 check would virtually guarantee a finish in the top 25.

The fourth and final round begins at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday morning with twosomes going off the first tee. The last group of Teater and Kimbell tees off at 1:30 p.m.

Notebook: Matt Hendrix had the first tee time of the day and played as a single. He completed his round in 2 hours, 41 minutes and shot a 1-under-par 70. ... Kris Blanks had two eagles Saturday on the par-5 Nos. 1 and 3. ... Brendon Todd set the tournament record here last year with a four-round total of 262 (22 under par). This mark may be in jeopardy given the immaculate condition of the golf course and ideal weather.

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