Fricke extends lead in Georgia Open

BRASELTON -- Defending champion Jonathan Fricke of Covington, carded a two-under par round of 70 on Wednesday and extended his lead to three shots after the third round of the 60th annual Tilted Kilt Georgia Open, which is being conducted at The Legends at Chateau Elan in Braselton.

Fricke began the day tied for the lead with Matt Hughes of Dalton and took the lead for good after Hughes made a bogey on the par three 185 yard third hole. Hughes went on to shoot 75 to slip into fourth place at three-under par 213. Fricke continued his steady play on the challenging Legends layout. He turned in his fifth consecutive round of 70 or better going back to last year's championship.

In solo second place at five-under par is mini-tour professional Chris Wolfe of Warner Robins who carded a three-under par 69 and is at five-under par 211 for the championship. Kyle Scott of Decatur is alone in third place at four-under par 212. Scott had the best round of the day and the championship with a four-under par round of 68.

Tyler Mitchell of Chatsworth is the low amateur after three rounds after shooting a round of three-under 69 par and stands at one-under par 143, seven shots behind Fricke.

The Legends at Chateau Elan is a private golf club that gracefully winds through the heart of Chateau Elan. Unique by design, The Legends at Chateau Elan is crafted from the worldly experience of three great champions: Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, and Kathy Whitworth. Each was asked to select six of their all-time favorite holes, and the result is a classic 18, bearing certain design elements from the legends' selections. Certainly noticeable at The Legends at Chateau Elan is the tribute to traditional golf course architecture of the early 1900's. For the week the course is set up as a par 72 and plays a total length of 7,003 yards.

An online leader board, featuring all competitors' complete scorecards, will be available during the tournament at www.GeorgiaPGA.com. The final round will feature live, hole-by-hole scoring for several of the leading groups as well as nine-hole updates for all the other groups. The public is welcome to attend free of charge and the final group will tee off at 9:30 a.m.

The Georgia PGA is one of the 41 Sections of the PGA of America. Its membership includes over 830 PGA professionals working at over 260 golf courses, clubs, and ranges throughout the state. Additionally, more than 20 Georgia PGA members compete on one of the PGA Tours. In keeping with the fundamental objectives laid down by its founders, one of the Georgia PGA's primary goals is promoting the game of golf through clinics, junior and minority golf programs, consumer programs, and print, radio, and television media.