A small gallery of family and friends followed Luke List down the 10th fairway after he blasted his first tee shot Thursday in the Chattanooga Classic.
A larger crowd saw him putt out on No. 9 to finish his round in a tie for fifth place.
List shot a 6-under-par 66 at Black Creek Club to put himself in great position to make the cut and perhaps contend for the title.
“I really hit the ball well today, and I had a lot of birdie opportunities,” said List, who was nailing putt after putt on the practice green before his round. “I know this course so well and I haven’t been playing well the last couple weeks, but there’s nothing stopping me from playing well today.”
But he’s not getting ahead of himself.
After he signed his scorecard, his mother checked to see if sirloin tips would suffice for dinner. Then he hit the putting green for a little more practice.
He didn’t need to practice on the range at all. List hit all 18 greens in regulation, only one of two golfers to do so Thursday.
“I left some out there today, but I have to be happy with a 66,” List said. “I’ve got some good mojo going.”
Nationwide splitting off
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company announced earlier this year that it will not renew its contract with the PGA Tour to sponsor the second-tier tour when the deal ends at the end of next year.
And that’s fine with Nationwide Tour president Bill Calfee, who said this week that the end of the partnership comes at a good time for both parties.
Nationwide will sponsor the Memorial Tournament near its headquarters and the PGA Tour will take time seeking a new sponsor and evaluating the tour.
“The tour has never been more valuable, and its position in golf is at an all-time high,” Calfee said. “It’s the best sponsorship value we have to offer. I like our prospects of re-selling it.”
Par 68 at Black Creek
The Chattanooga Classic historically has been one of the lowest-scoring tournaments each year on the Nationwide Tour.
The highest winning score at Black Creek Club has been 17 under par. Kyle Reifers and Brandt Snedeker set the 72-hole record at 26 under.
One reason for the low scores is that players can easily reach each of the four par-5s in two shots, which results in a lot of birdies and eagles.
“If you don’t birdie the par-5s out here, you’re giving a shot to the field,” said Joe Affrunti, who birdied each of the those Thursday.
Tap-ins
Michael Thompson scored a hole-in-one on the 239-yard seventh, the first in tournament history on that hole, and he did so with a 17-degree hybrid. … Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga golfer Derek Rende is the caddie for Valleybrook head pro Gibby Gilbert III, who Monday-qualified. … Trevor Murphy was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchSports.
By the numbers
3 – Golfers who withdrew: Glen Day, Nate Smith and Tom Scherrer
18- Greens hit in regulation by Jeff Klauk and Luke List
64 – Score shot by Ted Potter Jr., his best round of the year.
Hole highlights
No. 6 – The 559-yard par-5 played as the easiest hole of the day, yielding six eagles and 76 birdies.
No. 13 – The 485-yard par-4 played as the hardest hole, with 49 bogeys and eight doubles or worse.
Quotable
“I’ve spent a good bit of time in Chattanooga because I’d spend a week here with my college roommate and his family. Any time you go back to a place where you’ve won, you’ve got good memories whether it was to the course or the city.”
– Wofford graduate William McGirt, who won the 2001 Southern Conference championship at Chattanooga Golf & Country Club.