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Notes: Lardon shoots 66, takes lead at Senior PGA Championship

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Notes: Lardon shoots 66, takes lead at Senior PGA Championship

LARDON’S LEADERBOARD LEAP: After beginning the day tied for 13th place and five shots off the pace, Brad Lardon of College Station, Texas posted Saturday’s low-round, a 66 that was bogey free and included a trio of birdies on Bayonet’s four par fives. Lardon, who is playing in his first Senior PGA Professional National Championship presented by Mercedes-Benz USA, twice chipped for birdie (the par-3 6th and the par-4 12th holes). In all, Lardon’s remarkable round required just 23 putts. He needed one putt or less on 11 of Bayonet’s 18 holes on Saturday, and avoided any taxing three-putts.

Lardon’s vast resume includes a victory in the 2006 PGA Assistant Championship at PGA Golf Club. The 50-year-old is playing in just his third senior event. He tied for 38th at the U.S. Senior Open back in June.

ANOTHER ACE: George Forster of Villanova, Pennsylvania, recorded the sixth hole-in-one of his career Saturday, fifth in competition, using a 7-iron on the 174-yard, par-3 17th hole on the Bayonet Course in the 27th Senior PGA Professional National Championship. Forster,59, the PGA Head Professional at Radnor Valley Country Club finished with a 1-over-par 71. He’ll enter the final round 4-under, 212 and tied for 12th place.

“The pin was back-right and I had 173 to the pin, downhill, cross-wind right to left” said Forester. ”I hit a 7-iron and we could not see it because of the glare. I wasn’t sure it cleared the hump or it came back 30 feet. So, we did not see it. Then we got down there [to the green] and it was in the hole.”

The ace instantly changed the outlook on Forster’s day and put him the fringes of contention, “I was struggling today because my back was bad, but I hung in there. Yes, it [the hole in one] took me from 1-over on the day to 1-under. Big swing.”

Forster is competing in his tenth consecutive Senior PGA Professional National Championship. His ace was the second of Championship. On Thursday afternoon, Randy Mitchell of Newark, Ohio, recorded the first competitive hole-in-one of his career, using a 5-iron on the 190-yard, par-3 sixth hole on the Bayonet Course.

BAYONET vs. BLACK HORSE: The final two rounds of the 27th Senior PGA Professional National Championship are being contested exclusively on the Bayonet Course. Below are the scoring averages and number of sub-par rounds for both Bayonet and Black Horse, broken down by round.

Bayonet (Scoring Average: 75.11, three-day total)

Saturday:       73.51  (22 sub-par rounds)

Friday:          75.41  (14 sub-par rounds)

Thursday:      75.70  (19 sub-par rounds)

Black Horse (Scoring Average: 74.48, two-day total)

Friday:          74.27  (34 sub-par rounds)

Thursday:      74.70  (24 sub-par rounds)