Coston sets course record and takes command

By Bob Denney

NASHPORT, Ohio (PGA.com) -- It took Jeff Coston only a few hours Friday to break the Longaberger Golf Club course record. But he has spent his entire 27-year professional golf career attempting to earn a berth in the PGA Championship.

The 48-year-old teaching professional from Semiahmoo Golf Resort in Blaine, Wash., moved a giant step closer to competing in the season's final major following a sizzling 8-under-par 64, good for a three-stroke cushion after two rounds of the 37th PGA Club Professional Championship.

Coston's performance of seven birdies, a back-nine eagle and a lone bogey shattered by two strokes the course record previously shared by first-round leader Mike Small of Savoy, Ill., and Brad Westfall of Morgantown, W.Va., whose 66 came in the 2002 Northern CPC.

It was difficult for Coston to feel anything but comfortable in his shoes. His longtime friend and caddie, Dr. Mark Askew of Fargo, N.D., is an orthopedic surgeon, and the overcast, cool temperatures made Coston feel like he was back home in the Pacific Northwest.

oston's 36-hole total of 10-under-par 134 is two strokes off legendary Sam Snead's mark set in 1971.

"Sweet! It's good to have a course record," said Coston. "I made a couple long ones to start, and I told the guys I was playing with that maybe I should go into the parking lot and look for wallets. Some good things happened. I really trusted my heart and my intuition today."

Coston equaled the all-time CPC second-round record shared by five others that include Bob Sowards of Columbus, Ohio, who is tied for second at 137 after a 68. Sowards is joined by Robert Thompson of Huntsville, Texas, who came in with a 69.

Small, who cooled off with a 72, was alone in fourth at 138, followed by a foursome at 139 that featured Bob Darling of Lewiston, Maine, and Kevin Hayashi of Hilo, Hawaii, who each had 68; Chip Sullivan of Troutville, Va., who had a 69; and Quinn Griffing of North Manchester, Ind., who had a 70.

In 1998, Coston, a Seattle native, tied for 27th in the CPC, missing a PGA Championship trip by two strokes when the major championship was hosted by Sahalee Country Club in Redmond, Wash. Only the low 25 scorers in the CPC earn a PGA Championship berth.

"I've played the PGA Tour, I've played in the U.S. Open in 2000 at Pebble Beach , and I'm just trying to play one hole at a time, one round at a time," said Coston. "I've never played in the PGA, and I'm going to live if I don't. That would be fun, but I think I just want to play one day at a time and enjoy the journey.

"This is kind of like Seattle conditions, but for the most part the wind was calm," said Coston. "I've played in rain, sleet, wind. I've got rust in my fingernails and have webbed feet."

Seventy-nine players made the 36-hole cut of 3-over-par 147. Defending champion Tim Thelen of Richmond, Texas, struggled to a 73 and was at 145.

Coston opened his memorable round by making a 10-foot birdie putt, then chipped in from 45 feet on the second hole, then birdied the sixth from 10 feet, two-putted from 25 feet for birdie at the seventh and knocked home a 35-footer on the par-3 ninth hole. He then two-putted for birdie from 30 feet on the par-5 10th, made a 15-footer on the par-4 12th, before bogeying the 13th after failing to get up and down for par from a bunker.

He capped his big day by hitting a 315-yard drive on the par-5 16th, then calling upon his caddie for club advice as he stood 212 yards from the center of the green and hit his approach to within 20 feet of the hole and ran home the eagle putt.

"I asked my buddy if it was a 4-iron or 3-iron, and he said, 'It's a 3,' and I'm glad I did hit a 3," said Coston, "because I hit it in there as good as I can hit it. It poured right in. I've been working out, you know."

Sowards and Thompson lead the chase to catch Coston in the $450,000 Championship that features 156 PGA Professionals representing 39 PGA Sections and The Netherlands.

Sowards, an assistant professional at Wedgewood Golf & Country Club in Powell, Ohio, lives only an hour from the venue.

"I've spent the past year attempting to peak for this Championship," said Sowards. "I've played this course about 20 times, and I really feel comfortable on it. It's a nice advantage to be able to get home every night to see my daughter, have a home-cooked meal and sleep in my own bed."

Thompson, a 47-year-old teaching professional at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, has spent the past decade preparing for this weekend -- a chance to redeem himself after seven previous starts in which he has averaged nearly four strokes higher in the third and final rounds.

"I'm just going to stay focused and stick with my game plan," said Thompson. "I'm pretty consistent. I've got to drive it in the fairway and play smart from there, and just see what I can do. It's a challenge; it's a hard golf course to walk. I think the guy with the most endurance and the most consistency is going to do well here."

The 37th PGA Club Professional Championship, which concludes Sunday, is presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra; Buick and Club Car. The low 25 scorers earn berths in the 86th PGA Championship, Aug. 12-15, at Whistling Straits-Straits Course in Kohler, Wis.

The PGA of America, founded in 1916, is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.

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