Rookie Wagner thinks Sunday might be his turn to shine  PGATOUR.com Correspondent HUMBLE, Tex. -- He really wanted that final putt to go in Saturday afternoon at the Shell Houston Open. Dead center would have been nice. Falling over the side would have been just fine, too.  Johnson Wagner shined after the rain Saturday in Houston. (Marc Feldman/WireImage)
Instead, he left it on the low side and had to settle for par. And a course record. The first one he's held in, well, his whole life. Never even shared one. He may only hold it overnight, but it's another step in the direction Johnson Wagner has been heading now for the past five years or so. You know the name. He lit it up on the Nationwide Tour last year after three years of struggling and almosts. Came within the Nationwide Tour Championship of winning player of the year honors on that tour and now he finds himself in major contention for his first PGA TOUR title. A five-birdie stretch on the soggy front nine Saturday led to a third-round, 8-under-par 64 on the Tournament Course at Redstone -- a round the shaved one stroke off Greg Owen's 2006 record of 65. It also gave Wagner a share of the weather-delayed lead in the clubhouse at 11 under when play was called for darkness. "I've just played great, really had a good feeling all week,'' Wagner said. "Today was really the same. I was comfortable out there.'' It all started Wednesday when he and caddie Steven Hale found the putting green tucked by the 10th tee and went to work. Three hours later, he had a good feeling for the speed and roll of these greens. "I definitely made more putts than I have in the past month or so, but I've been playing really solid out here," he said. "I've made a lot of cuts and just, you know, haven't quite been able to get into contention going into Sunday.'' Until now. Wagner, who turned 27 last week, has pressed too hard the past few Sundays. He's been farther back and well . . . . he has had to watch all his Nationwide buddies contend. Boo Weekley come within a three-putt of winning The Honda Classic in regulation. Brandt Snedeker finished third at the Buick Invitational. Jeff Quinney had four straight top-10s earlier this year. Bubba Watson, who was 15 under for the tournament and playing the 15th hole when play was called, had two top 10s earlier. Now, perhaps, it's Wagner's turn. "I'm going to be real patient and not try to press from the beginning,'' he said of the final round. "If I make a few birdies early, great. If not, I know they can be there.'' Wagner is poised and confident. Four years on the Nationwide Tour will do that to you. Even so -- and even though he won twice last year and battled Ken Duke for the Nationwide money title -- he had serious butterflies when he stepped onto the first tee at the Sony Open in January. "I was shaking on the first tee,'' he said. "It's my first PGA TOUR start, and I was really nervous. I overcame it, I guess, and ended up making the cut and having a decent finish. "I've progressively gotten more confident with each start, and I feel really at home out here.'' He certainly looked it Saturday. He warmed up well and when he hit a 6-iron to 10 feet at the fifth hole and rolled it in, he was off and running. He added a 25-footer at the sixth and then rolled in one just inside 9 feet, one just inside 4 feet and a nearly 15-footer on the next three holes. "You never expect to make every 15-footer,'' he said, "but it was nice that they all went in on that stretch." And they went in back-to-back at the 12th and 13th. In fact, he almost chipped in for eagle -- just after playing partner John Mallinger did -- on the 13th hole. "He was 10 yards behind me, same line and I just wanted to chip it in right on top of him,'' Wagner said, grinning. Wagner was born in Amarillo, but left the state when he was eight. He still has family in Texas and he's pretty comfortable in the Houston area, having played in the Nationwide Tour Championship here last fall. He'll be the first to admit it's taken him a while to win on every level. And he's confident going into his first real chance to win a TOUR event. But that doesn't mean he won't be a little nervous. The most nervous he's been in his career was when he qualified for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He missed the cut and watched that final brutal round from home. And he figures his stomach will be flying into his throat Sunday, too. But that's a good thing. He's watched his buddies get their chances these first three months and now he has his. "I've seen them do well,'' he said, "so why can't I?" Indeed. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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