Associated Press
Saturday, August 26

RENO, Nev. -- Both members of the "59 club," Doug Dunakey figured the Reno-Tahoe Open wouldn't be a bad place to get his first victory on the PGA Tour, just as Notah Begay III did last year.

Dunakey, who tied Begay's record for the lowest round on the Buy.com Tour with a 59 in 1998, fired an 8-under par 64 Saturday to climb to 10-under for the tournament, just three strokes off the lead at the Reno-Tahoe Open.

Dunakey had the best round of the day at Montreux Golf and Country Club, one stroke better than the 65 posted by the leader Jean Van de Velde, who improved to 13-under 203 heading into Sunday's final round.

Dunakey hit a 5 iron to within 15 feet of the pin on the 518-yard par 5 fourth hole and made the putt for eagle, then dropped a 50-foot putt for birdie on the 439-yard par 4 sixth.

"I haven't made a putt like that in a couple of years," said Dunakey, 37, who was born in Waterloo, Iowa and prepped at Columbus High School before attending California State University at Stanislaus and turning pro in 1987.

Begay, who is playing at the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational this week, won the inaugural Reno-Tahoe Open last year and has added three other Tour victories since.

"One thing I was thinking about out there was that Notah won here last year and he's one of the 59 club. I thought if he can kick start his year here, maybe I could too," he said.

Dunakey shot his 59 in the second round of the 1998 Miami Valley Open, matching the record Begay established three weeks earlier at the Dominion Open. He three-putted the last hole from 25 feet, missing a chance for 58 from 3 feet.

"It seems like it happened ages ago," Dunakey said Saturday.

He started the day eight shots off the lead after opening the tourney with a 74 and shooting a 4-under 68 on Friday.

"I felt comfortable probably because I was so far from the lead," Dunakey said. "I'm thinking there's no reason to get stressed out. The worst case scenario is I'd have to get a job."

"Sometimes I wake up and just don't feel like it's there and I have to grind it out," he said.

"Today, it was one of those days where I woke up and was in a good mood and the sun was shining. I made a birdie on the first hole and kind of fed off that," he said.

He bogeyed the par 4 eighth, but reeled off three straight birdies on the back side and finished with a sand wedge to 3 feet of the pin on No. 18 "and kind of wiggled it in.

"I wasn't breathing at that point," he said.

Dunakey, who lives now in Port Charlotte, Fla., joined the PGA Tour last year and won $298,069, including a tie for third in the 1999 Honda Classic. But he finished 133rd on the money list, where only the top 125 are guaranteed a return to the Tour.

The result was he lost his Tour card and had to return to qualifying school to try to win his way back. He said he went there with a "bad attitude" and didn't think he had a chance to qualify after the first two days.

"I was feeling sorry for myself, moping around," he said.

"Then my wife (Jennifer) gave me a good talking to on the phone. She told me I was not playing just for myself, I was playing for the family and how I did reflected on them," Dunakey said.

That turned him around and he qualified for the Tour again this year. He's missed the cut in 12 of the 17 tournaments he's played in. But he tied for fifth at the Greater Greesnboro Open in April, tied for 20th at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June and tied for 18th at the B.C. Open last month to bring his winnings on the year to $182,767.

He figures it will take nearly $400,000 to make the top 125 this year, so the $540,000 winner's check that is part of a $3 million purse at Reno is looking pretty.

Dunakey said he didn't even know if he'd end up playing in the tournament. He had planned to fly to Reno Monday, but his 4-year-old son Nicholas had other plans.

"I had my first experience of `Daddy, don't go,' " he said.

So he decided to wait another day and fly Tuesday. But Delta then canceled his flight out of Sarasota, Fla., on Tuesday. He ended up arriving in Reno at 11 p.m. Wednesday night and didn't get to practice before Thursday morning's tee time.

Since then, he said he's been getting to bed early and avoiding the casinos.

"I haven't placed a bet," he said. "To me, playing blackjack is like putting 3-footers and I don't like to putt 3 footers."