Scott Gates, from Four Hills Country Club in Albuquerque, recorded a 6-under par 66 in the opening round of the Sun Country PGA Professional Championship on Monday at Sandia Golf Club in Albuquerque.
He followed that up with a second-round 71 to lead the 54-hole tournament at 7-under 137.
Tanoan Country Club pro Mike Putnam and Arroyo del Oso's Bill Harvey are five shots back entering today's final round, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m.
The top three finishers among the more than 40 New Mexico and West Texas golf pros qualify for the PGA Professional National Championship next year in Indiana.
Santa Fe Country Club's David Nowell shot 75 and 74 for a 4-over 149 which ties him for 11th and leads Northern New Mexico entries.
Local couple gets 3rd in tennis event
Warren Fulgenzi, teaching pro at Rosemarie Shellaberger Tennis Center in Santa Fe, and his wife, Stacy, finished third at the United States Tennis Association Husband & Wife Mixed Doubles National Championships in Kansas City.
Mel and Marissa Brown, the defending champions, defeated the Fulgenzis 6-2, 6-2 in a semifinal of the 32-team tournament in Missouri. The Fulgenzis defeated Will and Erin Heidebrecht, 6-1, 6-2, for third place.
You must register with a valid email address and use your real first-and-last name to comment on this forum. Once you've logged into the system, you'll be able to contribute comments. If you need help logging in or establishing your new user name and password, please write us.For information on our community guidelines and updating your username to meet standards, visit http://sfnm.co/sfnmforum.
All users are expected to abide by the forum rules and and be courteous to other users. Comments can be accepted up to eight days following publication. After that, comments can be read but no new submissions made. Send questions to webeditor@sfnewmexican.com
IMPORTANT: Comments must be posted under your own full, real name. Anonymous comments and those posted under a pseudonym can be removed. Please consult the forum rules. If you have questions, e-mail webeditor@sfnewmexican.com.