CARMEL, Calif. (Oct. 18, 2008) – Steve White carded his third solid round in a row at the Stocker Cup Invitational Golf Tournament, notching a 2-under 70 at The Preserve Golf Club to grab the 54-hole lead.

The Jackson, Wyoming, native entered the day trailing two-time U.S. Mid-Am champ Tim Jackson by two strokes, but moved into the lead when Jackson put up a 5-over 77 and fell into fifth place.

“I got off to a really good start, I made six birdies on the first eight holes,” said White, who is in the synthetic grass industry. “From there I made a couple of bad swings, and got a bad break on No. 9 when I caught a hanging lie in the bunker and took two to get out.”

After a few three-putt bogeys brought White back closer to par, he responded by birdieing the 16th and 17th holes for the second straight day. He sits at 4-under 212 (73-69-70).

White, who played his collegiate golf at Clemson, also got his round off to a hot start on Friday, acing the 189-yard second hole with a 7-iron. It was his fourth career hole-in-one.

White is trailed by Kentucky’s Brad Wilder, who also fired a 2-under third round and finds himself two strokes back at 2-under 214.

Wilder is a Stocker Cup veteran who has won the Cincinatti Open twice (2003, ’05).

Chris Marin, the 2008 amateurgolf.com California Mid-Am champ, and 2007 Trans-Miss Four Ball winner Joe Sanders are tied for third at even-par 216.

The chase for the Elliott Cup, a 54-hole best-ball team competition that pits one of the scratch A-Players with a B-Player competing at their assigned handicap from the gold tees, began with a logjam atop the leaderboard, but in the end, it was the team of Brady Exber and John Rodenburg taking a one-stroke victory.

Rodenburg noted that he made “a mile of putts” while Exber didn’t miss a single fairway all day as the pair finished at 22-under 194 (68-63-63).

Exber, a Nevada amateur stalwart, was comparing his B-Player partner to Ben Crenshaw by the end of the day because of his skill with the flatstick.

First-round leader Billy Mitchell and partner Scott McWhorter took second at 195.

In all, 20 A-Players made the cut, which was set at 10-over 226.

Be sure to check back tomorrow as amateurgolf.com will have a full wrap-up of the tournament, with video coverage of the final round to be posted Monday afternoon.

ABOUT THE STOCKER CUP:
The Stocker Cup, played in memory of Peter Stocker, is held each October at The Preserve Golf Club in Carmel. The field is comprised of 52 world-class mid-amateur invitees, who meet stringent eligibility requirements, and pay a minimal fee for their participation. Offering both NCGA and national Golfweek and amateurgolf.com - Bridgestone Player Rankings points, the Stocker Cup also holds a one-day qualifying tournament for regional players who were not among the original invites. On October 2, eighteen competitors with a handicap index of 2.4 or lower vied for the final two A-list spots in the main tournament. Hank McCusker and Stephen Molinelli joined the field after carding 68 and 71, respectively, at Harding Park in San Francisco.

Those final A-list golfers are complimented by a matching number of qualified B-list competitors, with invitations extended to friends, relatives and associates of the late Peter Stocker, as well as to various sponsors and other supporters of the event. Every A-player is teamed with a B-player in a handicapped best-ball competition held simultaneously with the individual stroke-championship.

***** Team Results *****