Southport, NC – Richard Scott of St. Simons Island, GA and Jeremy Pope of Pawleys Island, SC are the 54-hole co-leaders through three rounds of the eGolf Professional Tour's inaugural Championship at St. James Plantation. Both players are tied at 6-under 210 and are just 18 holes away from claiming the $32,551 first-place prize.

Scott began his third round trailing overnight leader Pope by three shots after posting a second-round 69 at the Reserve Club, which co-hosted the first two rounds of the event with the host Founders Club. Scott was the only player in two days of golf to break 70 at the Reserve.

Jeremy PopeThe soft-spoken Scott cruised around the front nine of the P.B. Dye-designed Founders Club course in 1-under 35 after posting birdies at Nos. 2 and 6 and a bogey at the par-3 fifth. On his closing nine, the native of Kingsville, Ontario, Canada would record an eagle at the par-5 11th, but offset it with a bogey at No. 15 that would leave him at 2-under for his round and 6-under for the event.

Playing one group behind Scott was Pope, the tournament's 18- and 36-hole leader. Ten straight pars greeted the 37-year-old Pope to start his day as a birdie could not be had until the docile par-5 11th, where he would finally end the streak. Three pars to follow kept Pope in the lead until untimely bogeys at 15 and 17 dropped him back to 1-over on his round and in a tie for the lead with Scott.

While Pope is still looking for his first eGolf Tour title, Scott is looking to add his second after capturing the Championship at Walnut Creek in October of 2007.

For Scott, winning is more of the norm as opposed to the exception. A standout amateur career saw him become a rare three-time winner of the prestigious Canadian Amateur Championship in 2003, 2005 and 2006. While in college at the powerhouse University of Georgia, Scott was a member of the Bulldogs' victorious 2005 NCAA Championship team.

Both Scott and Pope are known for their calm demeanors on the golf course. It is not often that either player shows a hint of emotion and therefore leaves it up for question as to just how they are playing. Saturday's final round should prove to be a test of patience and perseverance on a golf course that aptly went by the name of “The Gauntlet” just a few years ago.

Martin UretaMartin Ureta of Chapel Hill, NC and Tommy Rymer of Sarasota, FL are tied for third, one shot behind the co-leaders at 5-under 211 through 54 holes.

Ureta, a native of Chile, is just a few months removed from representing his country in the World Cup. A former standout at UNC-Chapel Hill, Ureta is coming off of the best finish of his eGolf Tour career just two weeks ago at the Golf in Morocco Classic, where he posted rounds of 70-66-71-69—276 to notch at T4 finish.

For Rymer, a third-round 71 was punctuated by a birdie at the par-4 18th to keep him within striking distance with just 18 holes to play. The native of Minnesota is competing on the eGolf Tour for the first time this year and has three made cuts in five starts thus far. The former Florida State golfer was a dedicated hockey player growing up in “The North Star State,” but turned his attention to golf after enrolling at the David Leadbetter Academy as a junior golfer. Rymer currently resides in Sarasota, FL.

The round of the day, and arguably the tournament, came from former PGA TOUR caddie Chris Mundorf of Raleigh, NC. Mundorf posted a stout 6-under 66 in windy conditions on Friday and moved up roughly 50 spots into a tie for 12th after making the cut on the number at 5-over 149. A former All-American at N.C. State, Mundorf caddied on the TOUR from 2007-2009 for J.B. Holmes and Troy Matteson.

Final-round play 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.