Third round: Sutherland hopes to close '08 in style

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Kevin Sutherland's best performance this year came at The Barclays, where he competed -- and lost -- in a playoff with Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh in the second Playoffs event.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Kevin Sutherland shot a 7-under 63 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over George McNeill after the third round of the Frys.com Open, the fifth of the PGA TOUR's seven Fall Series events.

RELATED LINKS

Leaderboard: Saturday
Sutherland's scorecard
Final-round tee times
Photos: Saturday action
Projected money list

VIDEO

Sutherland shoots 63, leads
Mallinger on third-round play
Goydos on his Saturday 66
McNeill shoots 66, one back
Beckman shoots third-round 64
Tway shoots 6 under

The 44-year-old Sutherland had a 14-under-196 total on Grayhawk's Raptor Course. McNeill followed his second-round 63 with a 66.

"I've played terrific all year," said Sutherland, who won the 2002 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship for his lone TOUR title. "This is my last tournament of the year, so it'd be great to cap it off with a win."

With just over $2 million in 2008 earnings and 32nd on the money list , Sutherland had seven birdies in his bogey-free round.

"I came here just to play and have fun and I plan to do that," said Sutherland, a playoff loser this year in The Barclays.

The 29-year-old McNeill won a Fall Series event last year in Las Vegas for his lone TOUR title.

"I've always played pretty well towards the end of the year," McNeill said.

Paul Goydos (66), John Mallinger (66) and Steve Allan (68) were 12 under, Cameron Beckman (64) and Woody Austin (65) were another stroke back, and 49-year-old Bob Tway (64), Mathew Goggin (68) and second-round leader Arron Oberholser (71) were 10 under.

Beckman is winless since the 2001 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.

"I got off to a pretty good start," Beckman said. "All week long, I've been hitting a lot of greens. Played real solid all day."

Tway hasn't won since 2003. He eagled the 10th hole, but double-bogeyed the 16th.

"I had a chance to shoot really low today. I holed it at 10 to go 6 under. I had a few more pretty respectable birdie chances the next few holes and didn't make them."

Oberholser had a one-stroke lead over Allan coming into the third round. He bogeyed the 11th hole and double-bogeyed the 12th.

Defending champion Mike Weir (69) was 7 under.

TRIVIA QUESTION

Kevin Sutherland took full advantage of moving day and surged into the lead during the third round of the Frys.com Open at Grayhawk Golf Club. His day was about as perfect as perfect can be with a bogey-free, 7-under 63 -- three birdies on the front, four on the back. Prior to Sutherland's stellar Saturday in Scottsdale, what was his lowest round on TOUR? See the answer at the bottom of the page

Saturday's Best

EASIEST HOLE TOUGHEST HOLE The par-5, 562-yard 4th was easiest with a Saturday scoring average of 4.570. EAGLES: 1 BIRDIES: 36 PARS: 39 BOGEYS: 2 OTHERS: 1 The par-3, 211-yard 16th was toughest with a Saturday scoring average of 3.203. EAGLES: 0 BIRDIES: 8 PARS: 54 BOGEYS: 10 OTHERS: 7

SHOT OF THE DAY ROUND OF THE DAY Bob Tway holed out for eagle on his approach to the par-4 10th hole and found himself in contention after the third round of the 2008 Frys.com Open. Watch his shot. Kevin Sutherland reminded everyone why he was in a playoff with Sergio and Vijay earlier this year with a bogey-free, 7-under 63. Check out his scorecard

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I think pressure tends to equate with how you're playing. I feel more pressure when my game is a little shaky. Like I've kind of done it with smoke and mirrors, and all of a sudden I'm near the lead when the game doesn't deserve to be near the lead." -- Paul Goydos, who had some heartbreak at THE PLAYERS earlier this year, on how it feels playing through pressure when you're in contention headed into Sunday

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.

Steve Allan has an unusual warm-up technique. He hits balls using only his right arm saying it allows him to feel the club head and work on his swing path. It must work. On the first hole, from 159 yards away, Allan holed a 9-iron for eagle.

George McNeill hit 18 greens during his third round but also took 32 putts. On the 17th green, he had a 24 footer for birdie, but first to play was fellow competitor, John Mallinger, who was on the same line 27 feet away. Mallinger's putt just missed, and McNeill took note of the break. He then made his 24 footer to move to within one shot of the lead. "I am struggling with speed and break this week, so I appreciated John giving me the read," grinned McNeill.

Mallinger is not blessed with great length, but he has a disciplined game. At the 332-yard 15th, Mallinger was tempted to hit driver but stayed with his game plane and layed up, leaving wedge to the green. He hit his approach to within 5 feet and made birdie thanks to his course management.

FRYS.COM OPEN: NOTES FROM THE THIRD ROUND
By Doug Milne, PGA TOUR Staff

• 2007 Frys.com Open champion (in Las Vegas) George McNeill fired a 4-under 66 in the third round of the Frys.com Open to move to within one of Sutherland's 14-under lead.

• Accuracy into the greens was the key to McNeill's success as he was 100 percent in greens in regulation. So far this week, he has missed just three greens in regulation through 54 holes. The three he missed each came on Friday.

• A week after winning in Las Vegas last year, McNeill came to Grayhawk for what was then the Fry's Electronics Open, where he tied for 16th. The two-week combination was worth $802,500.00.

• Following his second-round, 8-under 62, 44-year-old Paul Goydos kept himself in the game on Saturday with a 4-under 66.

• Since his playoff loss to Sergio Garcia in May at THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Goydos has struggled somewhat until two weeks ago, when he posted a tie for 19th at the Valero Texas Open. His combined second- and third-round 128 total is the lowest 36-hole combination of his career.

• Highlighted by two third-place finishes, John Mallinger is amidst a strong sophomore season. He kept the heat on in the third round of the Frys.com Open with a 4-under 66 to sit two shots behind Sutherland.

• For more notes from the third round, click here.

THINGS TO WATCH ON SUNDAY
1. Paul Goydos. This over-40 guy had enough game in 2008 to make it into a playoff for THE PLAYERS Championship title, which he handed to Sergio Garcia after an unlucky ball in the water at TPC Sawgrass' infamous 17th. Can he get that game back -- and better it -- on Sunday?

2. Arron Oberholser. Oberholser lost a huge chunk of 2008 to injury, and he showed that he was happy to be back in the first two rounds. His 1-over 71 on Saturday hurt, but don't count him out just yet; he's more than capable of going low here.

3. The money list. With only two more Fall Series events left, those outside the top 125 will be pulling out all the stops to change their fortunes -- no pun intended. Keep an eye on that bubble; someone will be making a move.

TRIVIA ANSWER

A 63 on the PGA TOUR is nothing to sneeze at, so Kevin Sutherland is sure to be thrilled to have matched his previous low round on TOUR. Sutherland's previous 63 came in 2007 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on the Spyglass Hill course during the second round. Sutherland went on to finish in solo second at that tournament. Can he go one better this week?