Peter Williamson

Wyatt and Williamson, a recent Dartmouth grad who won the ACC individual title three times, overtook the 36-hole leaders Friday with matching, 2-under-par 70s for 209 totals. One stroke back at 210 are a pair of Floridians, gutsy little Central Florida grad Brad Schneider, he of the reconstructed left leg, and Jupiter’s Daniel Berger, a rising Florida State soph. Schneider gamely fought back after a tough-break double bogey on the second hole with solid play and a 70-foot eagle putt on No. 15 to top Wyatt’s similar feat. Georgia’s Keith Mitchell, the 36-hole leader, suffered a meltdown in Little Rock’s triple-digit heat, soaring to 7-over-par in his opening five holes before gaining his equilibrium and an 80-216.

Wyatt, Alabama All-American from Mobile, overcame his own shaky start of 2 bogeys in the first three holes to roar back to take the lead on the back nine. When he rolled in a 60-foot eagle putt on the 15th, it appeared Wyatt would start the final round as sole leader. However, he bogeyed the final hole to fall into a tie with Williamson, who chipped in twice for birdies during the round. Williamson won the North-South Amateur two weeks ago and feels he has some momentum. “My immediate (pro) future may be determined by what happens here,” he said. “Winning here would be special.”

Wyatt likes the position of being tied for the lead into the finale. “This is the position you want to put yourself in,” he said. “I’d love to win the Southern Am for a lot of reasons.”

The winner will earn the Southern Am’s exemption into the PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational next spring in Orlando.