Third round: Persistent Perry shows no signs of slowing
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) -- Kenny Perry can't figure it out, either.
The new putter? That seems to be helping. His surgically repaired knee? It feels fine, after he rushed back two years ago.
New equipment and better health aside, he can't explain why he's playing this well.
"If I knew the answer, I'd have done this 20 years ago," Perry said. "It's just going my way right now."
Perry finished with a flourish to move into a three-way tie for the lead through three rounds at the John Deere Classic on Saturday.
Perry, seeking his third victory in seven starts, birdied the 18th hole to finish at 4-under 67 for the day and 15-under 198 for the tournament. That tied him with Eric Axley (67) and Brad Adamonis (66), who, at 35, is the PGA TOUR's oldest rookie.
Jay Williamson (62) and second-round leader Will MacKenzie (70) were one stroke back.
Perry was at 15 under after sinking a nine-foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th before finding trouble on the 15th, hitting rough off the tee and two-putting from nine feet for a bogey. But he made up for it on the 18th, when his approach nearly hit the pin before settling a bit less than 6 feet to its left.
That drew oohs and aahs from the crowd and even a "You the man!" from one spectator. Perry then buried the putt to complete the birdie on the par-4 hole and pull even with Axley and Adamonis.
"They may have some anxiety," Perry said. "I'm not. I'm very relaxed. I'm enjoying the ride, I'm enjoying the walk. If it goes my way, great. If it doesn't, I really don't worry too much about it. It's been awesome how I've played this year. It's been so much fun."
Axley won the 2006 Valero Texas Open, while Adamonis is seeking his first victory. Now, they're at the top of a jammed leaderboard with Perry.
"I'm just not really going to pay attention to it," Adamonis said.
Axley said: "I think it's going to take a lot of birdies tomorrow. ... If somebody makes more than me, then I did the best I can do."
The 41-year-old Williamson converted eight plus an eagle while making the biggest move with a 9-under round of 62.
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| TRIVIA QUESTION | ||
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| Saturday's Best |
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The par-5, 557-yard 17th was the easiest with a third-round scoring average of 4.526.
The par-4, 484-yard 15th was the toughest with a third-round scoring average of 4.145.
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Brad Adamonis' 21-foot putt for eagle on the 17th hole helped him to a share of the overnight lead at the John Deere Classic, where's he's tied at 15 under. 
Jay Williamson fired out a shocking almost bogey-free 9-under 62 in the third round that included only one bogey, eight birdies and an eagle on No. 10. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY
Brad Adamonis, in his rookie year on TOUR, is certainly learning something new this weekend -- he's learning how it feels to have a share of the overnight lead going into the final round.
| 2 | The number of players in the top 10 at TPC Deere Run who are projected to move into/remain in the top 30 in FedExCup standings based on their play at the John Deere Classic this week: Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell |
| 3 | The number of times in Kenny Perry's career that he has had multiple wins in one season |
| 12 | The number of players who shot bogey-free third rounds: Chad Campbell, Philip Francis, Chez Reavie, Jeff Overton, Jerry Kelly, Aaron Baddeley, Jesper Parnevik, Rich Beem, Lee Janzen, Brian Gay, Andrew Buckle and Ron Whittaker |
"Yeah, I'm just going to go out there and try to do what I did today, take it one shot at a time. I know you hear it all the time," Adamonis said about sleeping on a one-shot cushion over Jay Williamson and Will MacKenzie. "I've got nothing to lose."
But, what might be more intimidating for the Rhode Island rookie, is the fact that he has everything to gain. Adamonis is currently 135th in the FedExCup standings, so a win would assure him much more playing time in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup than he's likely to see right now.
He could also find himself on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in just a couple of days if he can hold onto that lead, since he's not currently eligible for a British Open spot.
So how does the 35-year-old rookie plan to go about playing like he's got nothing to lose when he knows he has so much to gain?
"Try not to think about it," he said. "When I was younger playing a lot, and you add all this emotional stuff to the game, it really, I think, affects you and takes away your mental energy for the next day. That's what I think -- that's how I'm going to approach it."
A LITTLE STUMBLE, BUT HE'S STILL HERE
After a rocky start to his third round, Will MacKenzie still has a shot at the win going into Sunday. MacKenzie, who started the third round in the lead, gave himself a couple of obstacles to overcome on Moving Day.
"I was really struggling there in the middle of my round," the 33-year-old TOUR character said. "Then I had the big problem on 10, made dub there; that was just horrendous. I counted every shot, though; every shot on that seven I made. I couldn't get it in the hole any quicker."
For some golfers, the double bogey on the 10th hole might have been too much to recover from, but not for MacKenzie. The North Carolina native made his comeback in style with a big-time eagle on the 17th that not only saved his round -- he was headed for an over-par finish -- but also left him just one shot back of the leaders moving onto the 18th hole.
As if his shot of the day weren't enough, MacKenzie also had a chance to make birdie on the final hole for a four-way tie at the top with Perry, Adamonis and Axley. His approach shot landed 47 feet, 11 inches from the pin. An unlikley putt? Maybe. But MacKenzie hit it straight and steady, and it looked good until it slowly rolled to a stop just 8 inches from the hole. A tap in for par gave MacKenzie a 70 for the day and a chance for his second TOUR win on sunday
"I'm happy to be only one shot out," he said.
"I know a lot of people are in there, but for me individually, I've got a chance to win the golf tournament tomorrow, and that's all that matters."
| What the leaders said... | ||||||||||||||||
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| Read full interview transcripts | |||||
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BRITISH OPEN BOUND?
The top player at the John Deere Classic, who is not already eligible for the British Open, who finishes among the top 10 and ties will gain entry into the field at the year's third major. The exemptions are NOT passed on to the next player if a player does not use the exemption.
Last week, Fredrik Jacobson finished second at AT&T National and earned a trip across the pond next week. Here's a look at the current top 10 at the John Deere Classic and where they stand for the British Open.
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THREE THINGS TO WATCH ON SUNDAY
1. Kenny Perry. OK, OK you've heard enough. Well, tough. As long as this guy keeps playing the way he's playing, he's going to be on our radar. Besides, it's starting to look more like he's on his way to the best season of his career, not just a spot on the Ryder Cup team.
2. Tim Clark. This South African already has a berth in the British Open, but what he doesn't have is a PGA TOUR win. He came close here last year (finished one-shot back of winner Jonathan Byrd), and he tied for second just a few weeks ago at Colonial. A third-round 64 is reason enough to keep an eye on this guy.
3. Philip Francis. Who? We hear you say. Francis is an amateur who happens to be putting on quite a show at TPC Deere Run this week. He opened up with a 67-71 to make the cut and shot a bogey-free, third-round 64 to go into Sunday in solo 11th place.
| TRIVIA ANSWER | ||
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