August 25, 2009

GALENA, OH — Jack Schone had the best nine-hole start of his career last Wednesday at Royal American Golf Links. The 92-point round included birdie putts at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th holes.

Schone opened the round with a bump, but then went 'full throttle' by completing the front nine with a 2-under 34 worth 52 points. The back nine at Royal American stole a stroke back from Jack as he finished the back nine 1-over par.

"It was just one of those days, I guess," said Schone. "I hit a lot of good shots and obviously made a lot of putts. That's really all it is, you just make putts."

The Iowan finished with a career-low 1-under 71 in the Virtual Tournament to shoot up the leaderboard. The round was his best round in relation to par in three years.

“This year, I’ve been moving in the right direction,” Schone said. “I just need to focus and do my stuff."

He had his lowest round, in relation to par, since the even par round at Glen Ross Golf Course back in July 2007.

"It was just one of those stretches where I really, honestly, wasn't thinking anything other than just keep hitting good shots," Schone said. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't get ahead of myself and start thinking about a score because that is usually the kiss of death."

The 92-point round bounced Schone into 5th position in the 2009 Virtual Tournament with 69.1 points per round. There are four months left in the season-long tournament.