He grew up only three hours east of here on the edge of the Ozarks, in Poplar Bluff, playing golf for a high school program that has since been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
And now playing just about a two-minute car drive from said Hall of Fame, Carr Vernon looks to make a dent in the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper.
Vernon is sitting at 12-under par and tied for 29th going into the final round Sunday. This after he fired a 1-under par 71 on Saturday at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, when he eagled No. 8 and No. 14 and birdied Nos. 1, 4, 9, 11, 3 and 2. He did have two bogeys and a triple bogey, however.
And it came on day when Mark Goetz fired a 9-under par 73 and moved into a tie for the lead at 19-under. He is tied with Matt McCarty, and they both have one-stroke lead on Tommy Gainey. Five others are within four strokes.
For Vernon, this year marks his fourth PCCC and playing on an unrestricted sponsor’s exemption. Three years ago, he missed the cut by a single stroke. But he rallied each of the past two years to reach the weekend.
This time, Vernon is playing through some pain on his left shoulder, but that’s not much of an issue given he has been battling injuries the past few years. In fact, his caddie – his dad, Jimmy – thinks that this might be the healthiest he’s been in some time.
That has shown since Vernon’s arrival to Springfield for the 35th edition of the PCCC.
He opened Saturday starting 11-under par.
“The more rounds you get on a course, the better,” Vernon said. “You kind of learn where to hit your shots. This course does a really good job of not letting you be super comfortable on any of the tee shots. The fairways are pretty small in certain spots. … I think this course just does a good job of having just solid holes consecutively. So there aren’t really any easy stretches.”
“(Friday) I just didn’t make too many mistakes,” he added.
Vernon said his shoulder blade has given him some grief in the past year, leading to physical therapy since last year. It still aches, he said, but it’s not something he’s going to let erode his goal of reaching the Korn Ferry Tour and then the PGA TOUR.
He played the PGA TOUR Americas earlier this year and called it culture shock. He’s glad he’s back in the U.S., especially Springfield, considering a couple of members of Highland Springs Country Club have allowed him in in order to play a couple of rounds.
“This is pretty much a hometown event for me,” Vernon said. “I feel comfortable here.”