Hilton Head Island, S.C. – Local favorite Chris Epperson of Hilton Head Island, S.C. wrapped up a second-round 67 on Friday morning at the eGolf Gateway Tour’s annual Palmetto Hall Championship presented by Sonesta HHI to reach 10-under 134 at the event’s halfway point, good for a three-shot lead heading into Friday afternoon’s third round.

The former Armstrong Atlantic State golfer, who earned an exemption into the Web.com Tour’s Rex Hospital Open this May as the tournament’s 36-hole leader, kept his foot on the proverbial gas in round three, notching five birdies on his way to a 3-under 69 – good for a 13-under-par tally and a commanding seven-shot lead heading into Saturday’s fourth and final round.

With weather and darkness delays wreaking havoc over the first two days at Palmetto Hall Plantation’s Cupp Course, the second round was not completed until 9:30 AM on Friday morning, with third-round play beginning shortly thereafter at 11:00 AM.

Epperson, playing the third round alongside Thursday night co-leaders Vaita Guillaume of Tahiti and Drew Weaver of High Point, N.C., got off to a solid start on Friday afternoon with a birdie on the par-5 second and back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to turn in 3-under 33 and 13-under for the week – five shots clear of Guillaume at the time.

On the tricky par-5 10th, Epperson’s third came up well short of a back-tier hole location, leaving himself 30 feet for birdie up a tricky slope.

With a putt most players would gladly two-putt and run off the green, the local legend poured in an unlikely birdie try to jump to 4-under on the day and 14-under overall – all while allowing for a slight fist pump of exuberance.

“That was one of those you want to snuggle up close – and then watch it go in. You have to make a few bombs in golf, and I’ve been fortunate to make some out there this week,” said Epperson.

Follow-up bogeys on Nos. 11 and 13 slowed his momentum somewhat, but failed to dent his lead as Guillaume added a bogey on the 12th and a double-bogey on the watery 13th to lose even more ground – dropping to six back at the time.

Vaita Guillaume

A routine birdie on the short par-5 15th moved Epperson to 3-under for the day and 13-under total, which is where he finished after pars over his final three holes left him with a third-round 69.

With a seven-shot lead in tow, he will look to pick his first eGolf Gateway Tour title and the event’s $14,000 first-place prize on Saturday morning.

“It’s the Cupp Course, and I’m not taking that for granted,” said Epperson of the demanding venue. “I definitely want to keep things going. Any time you start playing golf saying ‘don’t screw up,’ you’re going to screw up big time. The thing to do is play smart-aggressive. I know the course well enough that I know when to play towards and away things.”

After a handful of years on the mini-tours, specifically the eGolf Gateway Tour, Epperson posted a ninth-place finish at Q-School in December of 2013 to earn his 2014 Web.com Tour card.

The 32-year-old spent 2014 on the PGA TOUR’s developmental circuit, making six out of 20 cuts, including a season-best T20 at the Panama Claro Championship.

By year’s end, however, the happy-go-lucky nature that made him one of the tour’s more personable players had vanished into a pit of self-doubt after struggling on a level so close to every player’s dream.

After working hard on his game through the winter, Epperson feels as though he has moved past that low point and towards a promising 2015 campaign – one that seems to be on the precipice of starting with a bang.

“I forgot how to be patient out there last year. That was one of my keys before in prior years – I was always very patient,” he said. “After one event, one guy has a $150,000 lead on you, so you start to press and go for things you might not otherwise go for. I’m the guy that always ends up learning things the hard way, but I finally feel like me again.”

For all of Epperson’s success and accolades, there is one nagging absentee on an otherwise stellar resume. He has yet to win on the eGolf Gateway Tour.

Prior to his stint on the PGA TOUR’s developmental circuit, Epperson starred as one of the most consistent players on the eGolf Gateway Tour, collecting 11 top-5 finishes between 2012 and 2013 – including a third-place finish at the 2013 Palmetto Hall Championship, where he was the 54-hole leader.

That two-year stint delivered nearly $125,000 in earnings on golf’s equivalent of AA-baseball, which in turn allowed Epperson to acquire the nickname of “ATM” within the ranks of tour staff.

Ryan Nelson

“If there is an event I want to win, it’s this one. I love this course and it would be great to finally win on this tour, here in my hometown,” said Epperson, who has never finished outside the top 10 in the Palmetto Hall Championship. “It’s kind of sad that I haven’t won one yet, seeing as I started playing out here in 2006. It would be very special.”

Guillaume wound up with a 1-over 73 on the day after paring his final five holes following the double-bogey on 13.

The Paris-born former Campbell University star is coming off without doubt his top year as a professional. Guillaume opened 2014 with a win at eGolf Florida’s prestigious Citrus Open before adding a stellar six top-3 finishes on the eGolf Gateway Tour – including a win at the Sapona Ridge Classic and a runner-up at the season-ending Tour Championship (contested at Palmetto Hall).

Ryan Nelson of Charleston, S.C., Mike Miller of Brewster, N.Y. and Weaver wound up tied for third at 4-under 212 – a distant nine shots back of Epperson.

Nelson, a six-time winner on the eGolf Gateway Tour and winner of the 2014 Tour Championship, recorded the day’s low round with a bogey-free 68 to move 12 spots up the leaderboard in the afternoon’s opening twosome.

The 36-year-old father of two recorded a career year in 2014 with six top-5 finishes and the Tour Championship title adding up to $112,851 in season-long earnings – good for his first career money title.

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