Third round: Turnesa on top for third day in a row
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Marc Turnesa topped the leaderboard for the third straight day in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, shooting a 3-under 69 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over three players.
After opening with rounds of 62 and 64, the PGA TOUR rookie shoot a 3-under 69 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Chris DiMarco (63), Michael Allen (64) and Ken Duke (67). Turnesa had a 21-under 195 total at TPC Summerlin.
"There were some low scores, but none of them were really from the leaders," Turnesa said. "So, I think I'm a bit fortunate.
"I kind of got off to a slow start. I think I was struggling a bit. I hit a few wayward shots, and it wasn't quite like the previous two days where everything was going my way. I had a good back nine and was able to hold the lead."
Matt Kuchar was tied for the lead with Turnesa with a hole to play, but closed with a double bogey for a 71. He was two strokes back at 19-under along with Zach Johnson (70) and Chris Stroud (67).
DiMarco eagled Nos. 9 and 16 and added six birdies. He played the last six holes in 6 under for his best round since a 62 in the 2003 Phoenix Open. After finishing in the top 30 on the money list from 1999 to 2005, he has missed 15 cuts in 26 events this year and is 143rd on the money list.
"It's nice to be back in the hunt," DiMarco said. "It's a birdie-fest out there. So for me to shoot 9 under today, I definitely played catchup, and that's all you want to do is play catchup and give yourself a chance for Sunday on the back nine. That back nine is fun because a lot of things could change. A lot could be done."
Another big mover was the 49-year-old Allen, who quickly moved to 17 under with three birdies and an eagle on the first four holes.
Duke moved up five strokes by making eight birdies that offset three bogeys.
Johnson, who won the Valero Texas Open last week, has made only seven bogeys in his last seven rounds, but two of them came in the third round.
Twelve players were cut at 8-under 208 following Saturday's round, leaving 71 players in the field.
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| Saturday's Best |
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The par-5, 492-yard third was the easiest with a Saturday scoring average of 4.253.
The par-4, 420-yard 10th was the toughest with a Saturday scoring average of 4.181.
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Matt Kuchar's eagle on the ninth hole -- he chipped in from 51 feet and watched it roll across the green and into the cup -- moved him to 19-under for the tournament. 
Chris DiMarco's 63 was the low round of the third round and helped him move into a tie for second. It was his lowest round since a 62 in 2003. | QUOTE OF THE DAY | ||
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TIMBERLAKE PUTS ON A SHOW
Where could almost every teenage girl, casino tourist and PGA TOUR golfer in Las Vegas be found on Friday night? The Justin Timberlake and Friends concert, of course.
The annual event Timberlake started this year, the concert featured the tournament host plus the Jonas Brothers (hence the screaming teenage girls), Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Boyz II Men, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, 50 Cent, WILL.i.am and special surprise guest Lionel Richie.
Each performer got to pick two or three of their biggest hits -- "Umbrella", in the case of Rihanna or "Bleeding Love" from Lewis -- during their time on stage. Timberlake emceed the event and entertained the crowd as well with nearly a dozen of his own hit songs. The busy star also performed with "This Love" with Levine and "Easy" with Richie.
Chris DiMarco, one of the low scorers on Saturday, couldn't say enough positive things about Timberlake's performance.
"I always appreciated him as an entertainer, but actually seeing him last night was truly amazing," DiMarco said. "He has a gift, without a doubt. He didn't miss a beat. I think he got everybody he needed to get in last night (for thanking them). Right out of the gate he thanked the pros and said how much we tick him off because we can hit shots like we hit.
"So he's just got that gift. He's unbelievable. The way he performed the other artist's songs were tremendous. My wife and I had a ball last night."
Most golfers attended the event with their wives, girlfriends or a group of pals. The event lasted until nearly 1:00 a.m. PT at Planet Hollywood on The Strip, but DiMarco said it didn't appear to negatively affect their game.
Matt Kuchar said Timberlake's presence in the TOUR event and in the concert only helps the Shriners cause.
"It was cool to see so many people show up and support this great cause and help Justin Timberlake out," he said. "It was some great playing."
Timberlake announced at the concert that $1 million had been raised for the Shriners Hospitals for Children charity from the concert's proceeds.
HELPING HANDS
Chris DiMarco credited two people for helping with his recent resurgence on the PGA TOUR. One was Rick Smith, whom he joined forces with in August. They've been working on a few adjustments to DiMarco's swing, especially focusing on getting rid of the bad habits incurred when DiMarco had a shoulder injury in late 2007.
"It's nice to have somebody. We worked real hard these last two and a half, three weeks ago. He met me at Lake Nona and we worked for a good half a day. We worked on some things and, you know, just trying to eliminate the left for me, which has been my problem," DiMarco said. "I've been able to do that."
The other person was DiMarco's wife, Amy, who has been traveling with him for the past few weeks on the road. DiMarco shot 64 in the final round of the Valero Texas Open last week and is 20-under par after three days at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open following rounds of 69-64-63.
"What's helped the last couple weeks is that my wife has traveled with me and I haven't had the loneliness of being on the road," he added. "I've been able to kind of mull in my own dwellings, so to speak. In the last couple of weeks, she's been out and takes my mind off it. We go out to dinner, have a nice glass of wine and kind of relax."
| What the leaders said... | ||||||||||||||||
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SPECIAL GUEST SHOWS UP AT TIMBERLAKE, HARMON CLINIC
The combined efforts of three PGA TOUR golfers, the tournament host, the tournament ambassador and the world's long drive champion paled in comparison to the skills of MLB pitcher Greg Maddux.
Immediately after play ended on Saturday in Las Vegas, Butch Harmon called his pupil Justin Timberlake to the range for a clinic. The stands were packed with fans and the grass surrounding the range was filled with kids from the local First Tee chapter and children who have benefited from Shriners Childrens Hospitals. Harmon also brought out Nick Watney, Fred Couples and Charley Hoffman as well as the world's long drive champion Mike Dobyn to put on a show. Katie Walker, a 19-year-old collegiate golfer who has a prosthetic leg and was born with a heart murmur, one kidney and a missing tibia, also joined the festivities.
Harmon allowed Watney, Couples and Hoffman to demonstrate their talent and then gave them a chance to critique Timberlake. Ever the jokester, Timberlake took the criticism in stride.
"Do they charge as much as you?" Timberlake teased.
After the lessons, a trash can was set up about 50 yards out in the middle of the range. Timberlake had five tries to pitch a ball inside the can but couldn't convert.
"Try to hit the little ball, not the big ball. You know, the earth," Harmon told him after Timberlake took a huge chunk out of the ground and only sent his shot a few yards.
| 68.8 | Scoring average in the first round at TPC Summerlin |
| 68.7 | The average score in the second round |
| 69.4 | The third-round scoring average, which was slightly higher than the previous two rounds |
"I think it's the ball between my ears that's a problem," Timberlake quickly replied.
Walker also failed to land it inside the trash can with her five attempts. The TOUR pros all went together and, after about 20 shots, Watney finally landed one inside.
Then Harmon brought out his special guest. Maddux, a 7-handicap golfer and Los Angeles Dodger's pitcher, was given a baseball to throw into the can. On his first try, he pitched it straight inside the target.
Harmon capped off the clinic with a lesson -- "the one thing to take out of this clinic is to have fun," he said, "It's the greatest sport and you can play it for your whole life." -- while Timberlake passed out Xbox 360s to each of the young Shriners children.
INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
XM Satellite Radio announcer Fred Albers offers these observations from Saturday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
Chris DiMarco took his time on the par-5 16th hole, 56 yards to the front of the green, 73 to the hole. DiMarco walked all the way to the green and back and then calmly holed out a wedge for an eagle. DiMarco is 20-under par and one shot out of the lead.
Marc Turnessa was nervous on the driving range. Fidgety and quick. Once the round began, however, the nerves left and Turnessa turned in a 3-under 69 that has him 21-under par and in sole possession of the lead. So much for pregame jitters.
Michael Allen said there was nothing special in his pregame warm up. "I always hit it good on the range," said Allen. There was something very special about the start of his round. Allen went birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie. On the scorecard it read 3-3-3-3. Allen shot 29 on his opening nine and finished at 20-under, one shot out of the lead.
THE PLACE TO BE
Like the FBR Open at the start of the year at TPC Scottsdale, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open has a few unique spots for people to congregate. One of the places, known as Restaurant Row, has an excellent view of the 16th green and par-3 17th hole.
However, it's not the golf that attracts fans. Several of Las Vegas' most famous eateries, including The Palm, Bleu, the Earl of Sandwich, Planet Hollywood, Planet Dailies, BLT Burger, Pinks and CJ's Texas Barbeque, have brought out food for fans to purchase. Krispy Kreme doughnuts also has a wide variety of doughnuts as well as refreshing smoothies.
The best thing about Restaurant Row? All of the food is less than $5. From crab cake sliders to glasses of wine to crème brulee-filled strawberries, it's a wonder the players don't take a mini-detour at the 17th hole and partake in the treats themselves.
THINGS TO WATCH ON SUNDAY
1. Marc Turnesa. Obviously he's the leader going into the final round, but can he handle the pressure? Turnesa had the 54-hole lead at the Viking Classic before losing in a playoff to Will MacKenzie. He says that's not going to be on his mind. "I'm not going to be thinking about Mississippi regardless," he said.
2. George McNeill. The defending champ posted a 67 for the third straight day and sits just six shots off the lead. The way the course is playing, it's possible he can make up those strokes and have a shot at back-to-back wins.
3. The scoring average. It was 68 for the first two days but moved up to 69 on Saturday. Will players continue to go low on the par-72 course?
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