Kelly stays ahead

Kyle Kelly put his nerves, his resolve and nearly every other mental aspect of his golf game to an early test during Saturday’s second round of the $135,000 Rosauers Open Invitational.

On his first hole of the day, the 443-yard downhill par-4 10th at Indian Canyon Golf Course, the 32-year-old head professional at Tamarisk Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., pushed his tee shot to the right and ended up directly behind a tree.

He hacked his second shot out sideways onto the fairway and ended up salvaging a bogey on the hole. But, suddenly, the two-shot lead he had forged over Manito Country Club assistant and defending champion Corey Prugh by virtue of his opening-round of 9-under-par 62 on Friday seemed irrelevant.

Instead of letting his shaky start play with his head, however, Kelly answered his opening-hole stumble with a birdie on the par-5 12th and fashioned a solid round of 4-under 67 that left him at 13-under 129 and four strokes ahead of his nearest competitor heading into today’s final round of the Pacific Northwest PGA’s richest event.

“It was a shaky start today,” said the former North Central High School and Eastern Washington University graduate, “and it could have gone downhill in a hurry after that first hole.

“But I did a really good job of keeping it together and not getting rattled.”

Kelly’s second-round effort also included birdies on the 17th, 18th, second and sixth holes and put him in today’s final threesome with Prugh, a former University of Washington standout, and his former Husky teammate and 2010 Oregon Open champion Derek Berg, an amateur playing out of Glendale Country Club in Bellevue.

“My irons were a little looser today than they were on Friday,” said Kelly, who made every short first-round putt he had on the 6,255-yard, par-71 Canyon layout, “so I didn’t have that many real good looks at birdie. But I still putted really well – for me, at least.

“Anytime a putt of mine even looks like it’s going in, I’m happy.”

Prugh, who opened with a 64 on Friday, struggled on the front nine Saturday, making bogeys on the 403-yard par-4 fifth and 341-yard par-4 ninth. But Berg used an eagle-3 on the par-5 second to shoot a front-nine 30 and tack a splendid second-round 64 onto Friday’s 1-under 70 and get himself into position to challenge Kelly.

Joining Berg at 134 are fellow amateurs Russell Grove and Nick Ellis, and Portland Golf Club’s head professional and two-time Rosauers champion, Chris Mitchell.

Jeff Coston, the only three-time Rosauers champion and a teaching pro at Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club in Blaine, Wash., posted Saturday’s best round – an 8-under 63 – and heads of group of eight golfers, including former champions Ryan Benzel and Casey McCoy, at 135.

Kelly, Prugh and Berg will tee off this morning at 11:46 as part of the low 92-player field that made the cut for today’s final round.

And despite his seemingly cushy lead, Kelly doesn’t plan on changing the way he’s played the first two days.

“Being in the final group always feels a little different,” he said. “But I think I have to stay real aggressive. My driver has been my No. 1 club for me for the last few days, and I think if I can hit it off the tee like I have been recently, that will be key.”