Okatie, S.C. – After 36 holes of the Tarheel Tour’s TPGG Classic, four players find themselves atop a crowded leaderboard with 18 holes left to play and a winner’s cheque of $40,000 on the line.

Kyle Gallo, Justin Bates, Kevin Kisner, and Jay McLuen each sit at 5-under 139 after two rounds at Oldfield Country Club in Okatie, SC. Gallo, who was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 2006, was the early favourite to be the solo 36-hole leader before playing his final three holes in 2-over par, including a birdie at the par-4 17th.

While Bates has yet to win on the Tarheel Tour, Kisner and McLuen are likely to draw on past success in Friday’s final round. Kisner was victorious at the tour’s Match Play Championship in 2007, and McLuen has long been one of the tour’s most talented players with two titles under his belt.

Former N.C. State teammates David Sanchez and Fernando Mechereffe, along with long-hitting Jeff Curl, sit one shot behind the quartet of leaders and certainly pose a threat to claim the winner’s share of the $250,000 purse.

The round of the day came from Paul Butler of Gaffney, SC. Butler opened with a round of 75 on Wednesday and was on the outside looking in with regards to the cut before a second-round 67 in difficult conditions vaulted him up the leaderboard and into contention.

The 36-hole cut fell at 2-over 146 with 61 players making it to Friday’s final round. The story of the day is the logjam on the leaderboard. With 18 holes to play, a total of 30 players are within four shots of the lead, setting up what should be a dramatic final round.

The TPGG Classic is one of the richest events in all of developmental-tour golf with a purse of $250,000 and a winner’s share of $40,000. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.

TPGG ClassicOldfield Country Club, Okatie, S.C. Second-Round ResultsPar-72; 7,134 yards

T1 Kyle Gallo Kensington, CT 68-71--139 -5

T1 Justin Bates Braselton, GA 67-72--139 -5

T1 Kevin Kisner Aiken, SC 70-69--139 -5

T1 Jay McLuen Athens, GA 69-70--139 -5

T5 David Sanchez Pinehurst, NC 68-72--140 -4

T5 Jeff Curl Ellington, CT 69-71--140 -4

T5 Fernando
Mechereffe Charlotte, NC 69-71--140 -4

T8 Greg Whatley
Roswell, GA 70-71--141 -3

T8 Tim Hegarty
Briarcliff Manor, NY 71-70--141 -3

T8 Bruce McDonald Mt Pleasant, SC 72-69--141 -3

T8 Matt Vick Franklin, TN 67-74--141 -3

T8 Will Mc Girt Boiling Springs, SC 73-68--141 -3

T8 Richard Scott St
Simons
Island, GA 72-69--141 -3

T14 Ryan Hybl Winterville, GA 70-72--142 -2

T14 Rob Bradley
Roswell, GA 68-74--142 -2

T14 Paul Butler Gaffney, SC 75-67--142 -2

T14 Scotty Jones Charlotte, NC 71-71--142 -2

T14 Frederik Ohlsson Sweden 68-74--142 -2

T14 Brian Duncan Mt. Pleasant, SC 70-72--142 -2

T14 Matt Hendrix
Reston, VA 70-72--142 -2

T21 Steve Sokol Oxford, CT 72-71--143 -1

T21 Ben St John
England 74-69--143 -1

T21 David Robinson Sandersville, GA 71-72--143 -1

T21 David Thomas
Tampa, FL 74-69--143 -1

T21 Scott Weatherly
Fort Payne, AL 71-72--143 -1

T21 Ben Duncan
Greenville, SC 70-73--143 -1

T21 Gregg Jones
Florence, SC 70-73--143 -1

T21 Stephen
Poole Aiken, SC 73-70--143 -1

T21 Scott Phillips
Williamsburg, VA 72-71--143 -1

T21 Beau Mitchell Clermont, FL 71-72--143 -1

T31 Ted Brown
Richmond, VA 72-72--144 E

T31 Tim Cantwell Palm Beach Gardens, FL 71-73--144 E

T31 Cory Kaufman Bluffton, SC 72-72--144 E

T31 Chad Wilfong Thomasville, NC 73-71--144 E

T31 Daryl Chappell Southerland, VA 71-73--144 E

T31 Jonathan Jackson Chapel Hill, NC 75-69--144 E

T31 Trae Ely
Charlotte, NC 74-70--144 E

T31 Andrew Suggs
Fayetteville, GA 71-73--144 E


T31 Duncan Stewart St Augustine, FL 72-72--144 E


T40 Martin Ureta
Chile 72-73--145 +1

T40 David Denham St Simons Island, GA 72-73--145 +1


T40 Scott Brown North Augusta, SC 77-68--145 +1

T40 Courtney Brisson Wallace, NC 75-70--145 +1

T40 Stuart Moore Gainsville, GA 72-73--145 +1

T40 Chris Gallagher
West Chester, PA 72-73--145 +1

T40 Zack Amole
Myrtle Beach, SC 72-73--145 +1

T47 Andy Bare Jacksonville, FL 74-72--146 +2

T47 Matt Cannon Hunterville, NC 73-73--146 +2

T47 Dj Fiese
Roswell, GA 74-72--146 +2


T47 Jeff Street Charlotte, NC 74-72--146 +2


T47 John Perna Chicago, IL 73-73--146 +2

T47 Marc Matalavage Ocean Isle Beach, NC 74-72--146 +2

T47 Michael Maness
Greenville, SC 74-72--146 +2

T47 Jerry Richardson
Burlington, NC 77-69--146 +2

T47 Luke Hart Blythewood, SC 74-72--146 +2

T47 Adam Hart Blythewood, SC 71-75--146 +2

T47 John Mc Allister
Spartanburg, SC 75-71--146 +2

T47 Dane Burkhart
Aiken, SC 72-74--146 +2

T47 Frank Adams III Laurinburg, NC 72-74--146 +2

T47 Elliot Gealy Sanford, FL 75-71--146 +2

T47 Cameron Yancey
Blackstone, VA 73-73--146 +2