Saturday at a golf tournament is often referred to as moving day, referencing the shuffling of the leaderboard that often occurs during the third round.
Former Auburn golfer Blayne Barber moved in the wrong direction for a while, but was able to salvage his position with strong play on the back nine Saturday, July 18, at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National in Opelika.
Barber began the day tied for 15th place, but other golfers’ strong scores pushed Barber, who played even golf on the front nine, down the leaderboard.
“Every day has just kind of been really boring on the front nine, and I haven’t been able to get it going,” Barber said. “I birdied the first hole today and I thought it might go somewhere and then made a bogey on four. I was hitting good shot after good shot, I just wasn’t making anything.”
Barber charged on the back nine, making four birdies to finish with a 3-under par 68, good for a tie for 12thplace.
"Golf’s just funny, you’re always fighting something,” Barber said. “I’m trying to just continue to stay patient.”
The 2012 All-American said the key to staying in contention on Sunday, July 19, will be his play on the greens.
“If I get putts to start going in, I’m going to be right there,” Barber said. “To shoot a low round on Sunday just kind of comes down to making those midrange putts that can keep rounds going.”
Barber will enter play on Sunday with a score of 9-under par, four strokes behind tournament co-leaders Scott Piercy and Ricky Barnes.
Barber will tee off with Kyle Stanley at 12:53 p.m. on Sunday.
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