Carthage, N.C. – Humble, cordial and enthusiastic. Three words to describe eGolf Tour rookie Chesson Hadley of Raleigh, NC. The former Georgia Tech star is making just his second tour start this week after wrapping up a decorated college career in the heart of Atlanta. A junior season slump highlighted by a self-described "me first" attitude brought Hadley back down to Earth and may have just kept him level-headed enough to win quickly in the pro ranks. Rounds of 64-66-67—197 at the Bushnell Championship have the 22-year-old on the precipice of doing just that.

Hadley began the third round at Little River Resort trailing overnight leader, and recent tour winner, Jason Kokrak by a single shot at 13-under for the event through 36 holes. Matching outward nines of 1-under 35 by both players would leave Hadley trailing with nine holes to go on Friday, but he would start to chip away at Kokrak's lead with some stellar iron shots on the back nine.

Jason Kokrak"I hit it close on 10, but missed it. When I birdied 11, that kind of got me going a bit and I was able to fire at a few more pins from there on out," said Hadley after his round.

The birdie at the par-5 11th would be followed by birdies at 13 and 15, and when Kokrak could only add a birdie at 13, Hadley had played his way into a one-shot cushion. At the uphill par-4 18th, he would add a 10-foot birdie putt to ice a third-round 67 and put him two shots clear of the field. The importance of that putt was not lost on Hadley.

"I made a 10-footer for birdie on 18, and that was big to grab a two-shot lead," said Hadley. "Anytime you have a lead going to the last round, that's a big deal."

In just his second professional start, Hadley is showing the maturity and the game of a seasoned player. A humbling post-round discussion about how fortunate he has been this week highlights a kid in his early-20s not getting too far ahead of himself.

"I've had some things really go my way this week," said Hadley. "I've been putting well and making a lot of good decisions. I've been really lucky, but I'm also really optimistic right now."

After a standout junior career in AJGA (American Junior Golf Association) events, much was expected of Hadley when he signed with powerhouse Georgia Tech. The urban campus would not make most think of top-level golf, but alums like Stewart Cink, David Duval and Troy Matteson have helped make Tech one of the perennial NCAA contenders year in and year out.

For Hadley, not qualifying for a single event during the fall campaign of his freshman year was a tough pill to swallow, but a stout spring semester – highlighted by a T4 finish at the NCAA Championship – brought on a stroke of confidence in the kid from Raleigh.

"College was a bit of a wake up. School is no joke, especially at Georgia Tech," Hadley said. "I struggled early, but I played well in the spring to finally get going and figure out how it all works."

A sophomore year ending in first-team All American honors put Hadley on the map as one of college golf's best players. But with the accolades can come added confidence, and at times it can come in waves. Too little is a bad thing, too much is even worse.

"My junior year is the reason I try to stay optimistic and not get ahead of myself. That year, I got a little arrogant and cocky and I don't want that to happen again," Hadley said. "I'm just trying to be as thankful as I can with everything that happens."

During that junior year, Hadley finished fourth on the team in scoring average and finished outside the top 125 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings at year's end. The wake-up call brought Hadley from cloud nine back to reality and possibly re-ignited a passion for perspective that can pay dividends when you least expect it.

More grounded and back to his humble upbringing, Hadley's star was on the rise again as a senior when he capped off his four-year college career with an individual win at the ACC Championship this past April.

A T10 finish at last week's Bolle Classic – his first start as a professional – would have many believing that Hadley is finding professional golf easier than expected.

Tommy BiershenkWell, everyone except Chesson Hadley of course.

"I'm not really surprised, I'm just thankful," said Hadley, who is set to get married in 22 days. "My biggest concern is making sure I keep perspective about what it's really all about and just having a good attitude. It's important to take it all in stride."

With days of arrogance and cockiness washed in the past, Hadley is in prime position to come out on top of a 202-player field this week in Carthage, NC. In Saturday's final round, he'll be paired with Kokrak and Tommy Biershenk – the top two players on the tour's money list. He might just need all the perspective he can muster.

Kokrak, a native of Warren, OH, has put together his best season as a professional this year. With a win at the tour's Cabarrus Classic in March, the former Xavier University standout vaulted to the top of the tour's money list and remained there for much of the season. That win gave the former Xavier University star a spot in the Nationwide Tour's South Georgia Classic, where he would post rounds of 68-67-75-75—285 on his way to a T13 finish and a spot in the following week's Stadion Athens Classic at UGA. The top 25 players each week on the Nationwide Tour automatically earn spots in the next full-field event. Kokrak would finish T34 in Athens.

One of the longest players on tour, Kokrak has been able to leave his mark on Little River's fairways this week with average tee shots well in excess of 300 yards. Never one to be short of confidence, Kokrak will likely look to use his length to his advantage on Saturday as he eyes win No. 2 over the tour newcomer.

The round of the day came from current leading money winner Biershenk, who is tied for second with Kokrak at 16-under 199. The former Nationwide Tour player and Boiling Springs, SC native carded a 7-under 65 to move from T6 to T2 on the week.

Biershenk, who captured the tour's Bolle Classic for his third career title just last week, has been arguably the hottest golfer on any level of golf over the past month. Beginning with a T3 finish at the tour's Grand Harbor Open at the end of May, Biershenk is a combined 77-under par in his last 15 rounds on tour. If you're doing the math at home, that's a staggering 5.13 under par on average per round. To take that number further, the former Clemson Tiger standout is on pace to average 20-under or better for three consecutive tournaments.

Former PGA TOUR player Cameron Yancey of Blackstone, VA is in solo fourth with rounds of 63-68-69—200. Still eyeing his first career eGolf Tour win, Yancey has been knocking on the door with the 18-hole lead in each of his last two starts.

In solo fifth is Brian Harman of St. Simons Island, GA. Harman, a two-time United States Walker Cup team member, is the highest ranked player on the tour's money list without a victory this year. The former University of Georgia golfer has five top-10 finishes and over $54,000 in earnings in 2010 alone, putting him sixth on the money list. Rounds of 68-66-68—202 have him five shots behind Hadley heading into Saturday's final round.

Final-round play in the Bushnell Championship will begin at 8:00 AM on Saturday morning, with players competing in threesomes off of Nos. 1 and 10 tees. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.