Martin cruising at Mylan lead
CANONSBURG – Ben Martin finally admitted it.
He peeked.
Martin, the 25-year-old from Greenwood, S.C., said he does not look at scoreboards during a golf tournament because he felt it brought him bad luck once.
During his strong play in the third round of the Web.com Mylan Classic, Martin glanced at the scoreboard just off the No. 18 green.
He saw his name atop the leaderboard after shooting a 4-under par 67 to go 13-under for the tournament.
“I wouldn’t say the scoreboard is a distraction,” he said, “but I like to keep it simple out there. I just want to keep playing the way I’m playing, two 67s and a 66. I have a good mindset and a good gameplan.”
Martin holds a four-shot lead over second-round leader Whee Kim of South Korea, who shot 2-over 73 and sits at 9-under par.
Dustin Garza, Brad Elder and I.J. Jang are tied for third place at 7-under par.
Former Washington resident Steve Wheatcroft hobbled around the 6,951-yard hilly course at Southpointe Golf Club after developing an inflammation on his left Achilles tendon in yesterday’s second round.
Wheatcroft had a triple-bogey 7 on No. 1 and followed with a double-bogey 6 on No. 2 before righting the ship. He had three birdies and three bogeys the rest of the way, finishing at 5-over par, and dropping into a tie for 29th at 1-under par.
Martin, meanwhile, is poised to get his second win on the tour this season and close in on the top spot on the tour money list.
“When I started this year, my goal was to win twice,” said Martin, whose first win came in a playoff in the United Leasing Championship in Evansville, Ind., three weeks ago.
“I was a little disappointed midway through the year because I wanted to keep pace with that,” he said. “To get that first win in Indiana was nice. Now, I have an opportunity to accomplish that goal. If that happens, maybe we’ll re-evaluate.”
How good has it been for Martin?
He has played 22 of his last 23 rounds under par, including the last nine. Not only does he lead the Mylan Classic with 20 birdies, he tops the tour with 264 birdies this season.
“I’m taking the next two weeks off,” said Martin, who will go to Wild Palms on the Isle of Palms in Charleston, S.C. “I set my schedule after I won in Indiana. There is so much emphasis on the playoffs that I wanted to be fresh. It is a little tempting, but I’m looking forward to going to the beach next week.”
Martin had four birdies and a bogey on the front nine for a 32. He put himself in position for relatively short birdie putts, the longest being 15 feet on the par-4 15th.
Martin held a six-stroke lead over Kim heading into the final two holes. But uncharacteristic bogeys on both, coupled with a birdie and bogey for Kim shrunk the lead to four.
“When I won in Indiana, I double-bogeyed 18 on Saturday,” he said. “I dropped two shots on last hole. I’ve done it before but it doesn’t happen very often. I’ve been finishing off rounds pretty strong.”
Notes
Ariel Canete has the day’s best score of 5-under 66 that put him at 6-under for the tournament. … Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, fell to 1-over par after shooting a 75. … Kevin Kisner, the 2012 winner of the Mylan Classic, is at 2-under par and tied for 22nd. … Kevin Foley, a graduate of Penn State University, is at even par and tied for 37th.