Posted online: July 10, 2006 9:54 PM
Print publication date: July 11, 2006

Piercy burns up Pinnacle course at JDC 4-spot

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By Shannon Heaton, sheaton@qconline.com

Shooting 68s in Monday qualifiers was starting to get frustrating for Scott Piercy.

"Every time I teed it up, I shot 68, and sometimes it wasn't good enough (to qualify for a PGA Tour event)," said Piercy. "I've been playing well, but not playing well all four days or not even getting in."

And Piercy's cure for good but not-quite-good-enough golf?

An impressive 63 at Milan's Pinnacle Country Club was part of Piercy's presciption Monday at the John Deere Classic `four-spot' open qualifier, but even better would be a return to the form that netted Piercy an $85,800 paycheck and a T15-finish at the FBR Open in Scottsdale, Arizona, back in February.

"I had a sponsor's exemption in New Orleans, but in the last four of these I'd make a playoff and fall short on the fifth playoff hole, or the fourth playoff hole, and miss it by one," said Piercy, who was tied with some pretty impressive Tour names -- Stewart Cink, Chris DiMarco and John Rollins -- at Scottsdale, and finished ahead of former JDC champion Vijay Singh and last week's Western Open winner, Trevor Immelmann.

"So I figured I'd go in today and just lap 'em, and not worry about a playoff. I'm not surprised at all (by the 63); I've been waiting for it all to come together."

Piercy banged out nine birdies on the day, including each of the course's par-5s.

"I made a couple of long putts, which you can't always count on; I hit my irons close and took care of the par-5s," said Piercy, who's had a couple of Hooters Tour wins this season.

Chasing Piercy in the same threesome was Scottsdale's Scott Harrington, three shots back at 66, the only 6-under score on the day.

"You usually assume that you've got to beat everybody in your group, and I was playing well from the start, but Scott was beating me by a shot," said Harrington, a Northwestern grad who hopes to get some of his Chicago friends down for the weekend.

"I knew there was one 67 that came in early. (Having Piercy in the group) helped for sure, because I knew I couldn't let up (because of the 67). The way he was playing, I knew he was going to take a spot, and then there'd only be three left."

Harrington, a member of the first-year US Pro Golf Tour, birdied 16 and 17, then had a 50-foot two-putt, including a four-foot "knee-knocker," as he termed it, to secure the 66.

The early 67 was recorded by Aurora's Curtis Malm, who went out in the second group of the day at 7:39 a.m. His 67 was the first low score of the day, and stood up well enough to finish in a tie for third, although it meant 5 1/2 hours of waiting -- and worrying.

~`~~`It was a long day of doing nothing," said Malm, who was happy to have his 67 be good enough to avoid a playoff. "I birdied the first three holes and then kind of cruised along, nothing really too spectacular. This is the first time I've been out here (for the JDC) in a while, probably four years."

Eastern Michigan 2006 graduate Korey Mahoney also carded an early 67, then had to wait nearly three hours to see if it would hold up. It did, though not without some nervous pacing in the Pinnacle clubhouse and some equally-nervous putting, just to give himself something to do.

"I got a little worried when the group with the 63 and 66 came in," said Mahoney, referring to Piercy and Harrington, who were just two groups behind him. "I wasn't sure if it was going to hold up. There was nothing I could really do, so I just prepared myself for anything."

JDC 2005 qualifier Jason Knutzon, who was the only 4-spotter to earn a paycheck at last year's Classic, was in position to force a playoff with Malm and Mahoney on 18, but went wide left with his tee shot on the uphill par-3 and had to settle for a par. Pinnacle club pro Paul DelVecchio of Bettendorf shot 71, while National City Bank Amateur Tour player Chris Wilkins, also of Bettendorf, carded a 72.