Globetrotter lands atop leaderboard

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This article was published 17/07/2010 (5868 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Vince COVELLO’S golf career has turned him into a globetrotter.

His latest landing? How about the top of the leaderboard at the $300,000 Players Cup.

The Philadelphia native now lives in Florida but having won a South American Tour (Tour De Las Americas) qualifying tournament last winter, he’s been to Colombia, Turkey, Austria and the Scottish Highlands before finding his way to Winnipeg just in time for a pair of five-under-par 66s at Pine Ridge Golf Club.

That’s worth a three-shot advantage over first-round leader Aaron Goldberg halfway through the chase for a $48,000 first prize and an invite to next week’s RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s in Toronto.

Covello, 27, went to the European Challenge Tour this spring and returned to the Canadian Tour for events in Edmonton and Saskatoon.

He missed both cuts, but said that Pine Ridge just feels like home.

“I grew up playing at Llanerch Country Club (near Philly) and it has sloped greens a lot like this and a pretty good speed to them all the time,” Covello said. Friday. “A typical northeastern style of golf for the States.

“It teaches you to be under the hole and when you can be aggressive and when you have to lag putt. The terrain and the trees and the grass around here is really similar to where I grew up in Philadelphia.”

On the Challenge Tour this year, he has made one cut, that in Austria, but said he loved the experience.

“It’s pretty interesting; takes some getting used to, finding your way around Europe by yourself,” he said. “There aren’t a whole lot of Americans playing over there.

“There’s a language barrier some times. The food’s certainly different, but it was fun. The golf courses are great, very different, so it creates a new challenge each week.

“That was really cool.”

Covello also said this week’s breezy start to the tournament at Pine Ridge is right up his alley.

“Living in Florida now, you get used to the breeze,” he said. “In the winter time down there, it really blows hard. So wind is something I always look forward to. To me it means you don’t have to shoot super-low.”

On Friday, Covello was rolling along with a couple of early birdies followed by bogeys right after his turn, at Nos. 1 and 2.

But then a 20-footer fell for birdie at the third to start a run of five birdies in the last seven holes and voila, a 66.

“It just got me back to the right mindset, to keep moving forward,” Covello said. “Last week I had a good first round and didn’t follow it up. So that was my goal for today, to keep moving forward.”

Goldberg, after a 65, came up with 70 on Friday to stand alone in second and get into today’s final group.

Fellow American Brady Stockton also shot 70 on Friday to get to six-under, the same as Mexico’s Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, who was 66.

Canadians Danny Sahl and Richard Lee were among those at five-under and Tour veteran Jim Rutledge, who found out earlier Friday he’s gained entry to the U.S. Senior Open in two weeks, joined the fray with a 67, jumping into the top 10 at four-under.

Rutledge birdied four of his last five holes, including a chip-in for birdie at the par-3 ninth.

“I was just going along with nothing really happening, then I made a birdie at the fifth hole and then a long snake down the hill on No. 6,” Rutledge said. “And nine, I’ve never birdied that hole in my life.”

Only 26 players are under par at 6,600-yard Pine Ridge after two days.

“You just have to get on the right side of the pins here to be able to take aggressive putts,” Rutledge said. “For 30-something holes, I was always in the wrong spot or just borderline being able to take a run at a putt. You can three-putt easily in some spots from six or eight feet.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca