Third round: A familiar face
OAKVILLE, Ontario (AP) -- Anthony Kim and Chez Reavie topped the leaderboard when the sun -- yes, the sun -- dipped below the trees at rain-drenched Glen Abbey, ending yet another long day at the RBC Canadian Open.
Reavie provided more drama on Sunday morning when he returned to the course and birdied the par-5 18th to take the outright lead from Kim. Kim had made nine birdies and an eagle in 21 holes Saturday for a share of the lead with Reavie during the suspended third round.
The two will play together in the final group later Sunday afternoon.
"Anthony and I play different games," Reavie said. "He hits the ball really long and I don't. So I need to stick to my game plan, hit fairways and greens and give myself opportunities to make birdies."
The 23-year-old Kim, tied for 26th at 4 under through 15 holes when second-round play was suspended Friday night, went birdie-birdie-eagle Saturday morning for a 2-under 69, then added a bogey-free 64 in the third round to match Reavie at 15 under, although Reavie re-took the lead the next morning.
"I've put myself in a good position," said Kim, a two-time winner this year. "I'm looking forward to the challenge tomorrow."
Reavie was 2 under through 16 holes when darkness ended play on the course saturated by more than 8 inches of rain in a week. He had a 25-foot putt from the fringe on No. 17 when he called it a day.
"When we got up to 17, I didn't want to putt. It was too dark to read my putt," said Reavie, the 26-year-old former Arizona State player in his first PGA TOUR season. "We figured we had to play 18 in the morning, so what difference does finishing 17 do.
"I've got to be back here at 7:30 to finish and that's what I'll do. Then I'll get some rest. Somehow, I'll figure out what to do after to get ready for my final round."
Reavie's choice was the correct one. He made his par putt on 17, then birdied 18 with a solid up-and-down from the greenside rough.
Kim's morning finish gave him a 7-under 29 on the back nine after he played the front nine Friday in 5-over 40. The American played the final nine holes of the second round and first nine holes of the third in 11-under 60.
"I was just trying to take it one shot at a time and chip away at that 40," said Kim, the Wachovia Championship and AT&T National winner coming off a seventh-place tie in the British Open. "My swing's coming back. I feel comfortable out there."
He birdied the par-5 18th in fading light to temporarily tie Reavie.
"It was a pretty long day," Kim said. "It's always hard to stop and start, especially when you have some momentum like I did when I finished birdie-birdie-eagle. I would have liked to have gone off pretty soon, but that's just the way the cards fall sometimes. You just have to deal with it and just try to keep plugging away."
Scott McCarron had a 63 -- the best round of the week -- to get to 12 under. He had 11 birdies, three bogeys -- all in the first four holes -- and four pars.
"I didn't even know how many birdies I made," McCarron said. "It was just like, `Hit the next tee. Hit the fairway.' That is the only thing I could control."
Steve Marino (67) also was 12 under, and Billy Mayfair (68) followed at 11 under. Marino birdied the final five holes on the front nine.
• To read to remainder of this story, click here.
| TRIVIA QUESTION | ||
|
| Saturday's Best |
|
The par-5, 524-yard 18th was the easiest with a third-round scoring average of 4.225.
The par-4, 443-yard 10th was the toughest with a third-round scoring average of 4.287.
|
Billy Mayfair's second shot on No. 5 landed in the bunker, but he had no trouble getting it out and sending it 69 feet to the green for a tap-in for birdie. 
Scott McCarron had a wild moving day with only four pars in his round -- he shot 8 under for a 63 and jumped 24 spots up the leaderboard to tie for third. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
|
KIM HAPPY WITH LAST 27 HOLES, TIED FOR FIRST
By Dave Perkins, Special to PGATOUR.COM
OAKVILLE, Ont. -- Anthony Kim was the star of the show early in the morning and late at night at the RBC Canadian Open, climbing into a share of the lead -- at least temporarily -- with some brilliant holes of golf.
Kim played 21 holes yesterday as the weather-scarred Open stopped and started for rain. He was 11 under for those 21 holes and fashioned a score of 60 over one 18-hole stretch -- completing a record-low back nine of 29 to end his second round and beginning his third round with a front nine of 31. He final nine holes weren't too shabby, either -- a three-under 33.
Next come Scott McCarron and Steve Marino, each at 12-under 201, followed by Billy Mayfair at 202, then a four-way tie at 203, including Mike Weir.
Kim began his day birdie-birdie-eagle to finish the second round, a successful rally by the 23-year-old budding star that prompts one more comparison to the young Tiger Woods.
In the 2000 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, Woods was hovering near the cut line toward the end of the second round when he produced one of the greatest finishes in the history of golf, going 2-3-3-3 on Nos. 15, 16, 17 and 18, which translated at the time to birdie-eagle-birdie-eagle. Woods went on to win the tournament with his memorable 6-iron out of the fairway bunker at the 72nd hole.
• To read the remainder of this story, click here.
| What the leaders said... | ||||||||||||||||
|
| Read full interview transcripts | |||||
|
INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
XM Satellite Radio announcer Doug Bell offers these observations from Saturday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
"It's not very often you ever hear the conversation between a player and his caddie. For most loopers, it's better to be seen and not heard -- unless you're Billy Mayfair and his bagman Todd Montoya. The duo started working together two months ago, and, at Billy's request, Todd is vocal on the course. I couldn't help but notice while following Billy in the opening round of the RBC Canadian Open, when he started to swing, Montoya barked out "tempo" and "release!" So far, the Marine drill sergeant approach is working. Billy was tied for fifth going into the soggy third round."
| FedExCup movers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Projections for players in top 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
YOUNG GUYS SHOWING OFF
Compiled by Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.
Rookie Chez Reavie recorded only one hole over par through his first 46 holes played at this week's RBC Canadian Open. Over the past 25 years of the event, no rookie has started the Canadian Open by recording only one hole over par in their first 46 played. The previous low for a rookie was two holes over-par and belonged to Paul Gow in 2001.
| 2 | Number of players to win golf's Triple Crown (U.S., British and Canadian Opens in one season): Lee Trevino in 1971 and Tiger Woods in 2000. |
| 7 | Number of times Jack Nicklaus finished in second place at the Canadian Open. Nicklaus never won this event. |
| 24 | Including this year, the number of times the Canadian Open has been hosted at Glen Abbey Golf Course. |
Beginning with a birdie on his 29th hole of play at this week's RBC Canadian Open, Anthony Kim played his next 17 holes 12 under-par to climb into title contention. Over the past 25 years at the Canadian Open, only one other player has played an 18-hole stretch better. At the 2000 Canadian Open, Tiger Woods played his 34th to 52nd holes 13 under-par. Woods went on to win the event.
Sean O'Hair recorded 15 holes under par through his first 40 holes of play at this week's RBC Canadian Open. For O'Hair, it's the most holes under par over the first 40 holes of an official PGA TOUR event. O'Hair's previous high for holes under-par through the first 40 played of a TOUR event had been 13 and occurred twice; the 2006 and 2007 Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley.
O'Hair was able to rebound nicely from a rough start to his second round yesterday at the RBC Canadian Open. O'Hair started his second round by double bogeying each of his first two holes. He was able to recover, though, and finished the day by shooting an even par 71. Only 11 players in the last 25 years on the PGA TOUR have made double bogey or worse on their first two holes played in a round and came back to finish the round at par or better. Coincidentally, the last player to accomplish this feat was Sean O'Hair in the final round of the 2006 Funai Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort.
THINGS TO WATCH ON SUNDAY
1. Jim Furyk. The two-time defending champion isn't ready to give up his title just yet, so don't count on him to go quietly. Furyk still needs a win this season, and with a 4-under 67 in the third round, he's on his way there.
2. Mike Weir. Heading into Sunday, Weir is the only Canadian with a chance to make some noise at their national Open. It'll take a big round -- he's tied for sixth at 10 under after three days -- but it would mean the world to him to take this trophy home.
3. Fred Couples. Isn't it nice to see Freddie's name in the upper half of the leaderboard? The gentleman of the PGA TOUR has already had three top-10 finishes this season and a top 25, so it's hardly something new to see him play well, but will he get another strong finish this week? Either way, he's always enjoyable to watch.
| TRIVIA ANSWER | ||
|
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FREE iPHONE APP
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network