By SAM McDOWELL
843-706-8123
smcdowell@islandpacket.com
Tommy Gainey often looks for a shot to propel his round, just something to get him going. The earlier, the better, he says.
"I missed a 7-footer for par," he said. "I just had no business missing that putt."
Gainey made sure it was his last blunder of the day.
He followed the bogey with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3, the beginning of a 3-under 68 that puts him six shots behind leader Brian Gay heading into today's third round. He didn't bogey a hole during the remainder of his round.
"It woke me up," said Gainey, who is from Bishopville. "That miss was a booster for me. I said, 'Let's go. It's time to play now.' "
Gainey's play over the final 17 holes places him in a tie for 13th with a two-day total of 139. It's the fourth cut he's made on the PGA Tour this year in six tries.
He expects his putter to land him his second top-25 finish of the season this weekend.
"I made a lot of par-saving putts (Friday), and that's why I'm in contention right now," Gainey said. "When I hit a bad shot, I just blocked it out and moved on to the next one. I think that keyed me. I just need to take that attitude into (today)."
Gainey's performance came at a most opportune time as he continues to try to work his way onto the tour as a regular.
"Any tournament I get into that's a PGA tournament is like a major to me," Gainey said. "I never know when the next tournament is that I'll get to play. So I've got to play as well as I can and try to get up there on the money list."
Three other golfers with South Carolina ties will join Gainey on moving day -- Clemson graduates Lucas Glover and Jonathan Byrd and former South Carolina golfer Brett Quigley.
Glover bounced back from his 3-over-par 74 Thursday to shoot a bogey-free 68 and move into a tie for 36th place at even par for the two days.
Things moved in the opposite direction for D.J. Trahan, a former golfer at Hilton Head Island High School.After starting on the 10th tee, Trahan was 5 over through the first nine holes before finishing with a 79. Fellow Clemson grad Charles Warren also missed the cut at 5 over. The cut was at 2 over.
Former Coastal Carolina golfer Dustin Johnson finished at 5 over as well, while Greenville's Bill Haas missed the cut by one stroke.
Beaufort's Mark Anderson, who qualified for the Heritage after winning the Players Amateur last summer, shot 8 over for the tournament.
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