

The Deutsche Bank Championship, the second leg of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, has started, and PGATOUR.COM's crew is on the scene. We'll provide updates all day during Sunday's third round, so check back often.
THIRD ROUND: Leaderboard | PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | FedExCup live projected points
SKINS HELP: Last Tuesday, Mike Weir, Camilo Villegas and Vijay Singh participated in the inaugural Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge five-man skins game at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, N.Y.

Villegas was the big winner, taking home $220,000 of the $500,000 total purse. Singh was second with $180,000, while Stewart Cink won $100,000. Weir and host Begay were shut out.
While Weir didn't win a skin, he doesn't think it's a coincidence that he, Villegas and Singh are three of the top four players on the leaderboard entering Monday's final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.
"I was a little disappointed not to get a skin, that's for sure," said Weir, who has a one-shot lead over Villegas, and two over Singh and Sergio Garcia. "But we had a good time and I think playing well that day kind of led me into here, it really did.
"Camilo and I were talking the same thing. It's good practice sometimes, just instead of being on the range and practicing, maybe to play. And there's a little bit of competition going on, and it worked, actually.
"When I played my first Canadian skins game, I finished second to Tiger the same week in the Western Open. So there's something to that, maybe playing and being a little competitive early in the week, trying to get you in the mindset." -- Mike McAllister (7:20 p.m. ET)
TOUGH DAY FOR CLARK: Fresh off his 9-under 62 on Saturday, Tim Clark came into the third round with the lead and a chance to position himself for his first PGA TOUR win.

He still has a chance, but the 2-over 73 he shot Sunday makes it a lot tougher. He'll start Monday's final round at 12 under, five strokes off the lead held by Mike Weir.
During a stretch from the eighth hole to the 16th hole, Clark posted six bogeys. But after finishing his rounds with two birdies that at least gives him a chance Monday, Clark wasn't too discouraged.
"It was tough scoring for me," Clark said. "I felt like I still hit the ball good, hit a lot of fairways. Front nine I played really good, missed a few putts and somehow wound up shooting over par."
But those birdies "keeps me in the tournament," Clark said. "Seven back would have been too much. At least I finished good. You know, I'd really be disappointed if I didn't make a couple birdies coming in." -- Mike McAllister (7:06 p.m. ET)
RECORDS SET: Two tournament scoring records were set after Sunday's third round...
LOWEST 54-HOLE SCORE: Mike Weir's 17-under 196 (61-68-67). The previous record was Adam Scott's 15-under 198 (69-62-67) set in 2003.
LOWEST MIDDLE 36 HOLES: Ben Crane's 14-under 128 (65-63). The previous record was Adam Scott's 13-under 129 (62-67) set in 2003. -- (6:57 p.m.)
TOUGHER ON SUNDAY: The windy conditions had an impact on the scoring in Sunday's third round, although you wouldn't know it by the 8-under 63s shot by Camilo Villegas and Ben Crane.
Here's how the third round compares to the first two rounds at TPC Boston: -- Mike McAllister (6:45 p.m. ET)
| Scoring numbers through three rounds at TPC Boston | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEIR WITH 54-HOLE LEAD: Mike Weir is in with a 4-under 67 that gives him the tournament lead at 17 under, one stroke better than Camilo Villegas.
Of Weir's eight career wins on the PGA TOUR, only one has come when he's led after 54 holes.
This will be the 10th time he has led or tied for the lead after 54 holes in his TOUR career. -- Mike McAllister (6 p.m. ET)
| Mike Weir with the 54-hole lead | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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MICKELSON OUT: Defending Deutsche Bank champion Phil Mickelson was one of 14 players who will not play in Monday's final round after failing to finish in the top 70 and ties after Sunday's round.
Officially, the 14 players will be listed as Made Cut, Did Not Finish. They will win money and receive FedExCup points. Kenny Perry, who entered the Playoffs with the most FedExCup points, also came up short.
With the 36-hole cut falling at 3-under 139, 86 players advanced to Sunday's third round. Since there were more than 78 players to make the cut, the field was cut again. Seventy-two players wil particiapate in Monday's round.
Here's a list of the 14 players who did not advance to Monday: -- Mike McAllister (5:59 p.m. ET).
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BIG NAMES READY: Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els will be in prime striking distance going into Monday's final round.
Garcia shot a 3-under 68, while Singh and Els posted 2-under 69s. Garcia is at 14 under for the tournament, tied for third with Singh. Els is among the group one stroke back.
Garcia and Singh, incidentally, will be in the same group for the third time this week.
With the top three players in the FedExCup points paired together for the first two rounds in each Playoffs event, Garcia and Singh were in the same threesome (with Kevin Sutherland) for the first two rounds. -- Mike McAllister (5:48 p.m. ET)
OH, THAT WIND: The key to scoring low in Sunday's third round has been the ability to handle the breezy conditions. Ben Crane did it earlier in the day, and Camilo Villegas did this afternoon. Both players shot 8-under 63s, lowest of the day.
"It was a little tricky, the wind," Villegas said. "It was pretty much sideways on every hole, and it was hard knowing whether it was helping a little bit or hurting a little bit, and when you misjudge the win in those situations, it's going to be a six-, seven-yard difference.
"My caddie and I did a great job in terms of the wind, and we hit some good tee shots, good second shots and obviously we rolled some good putts. So I'm happy with the way I handled myself out there today." -- Mike McAllister (5:33 p.m. ET)
LAST GROUP: As Mike Weir rises up, Tim Clark has fallen back in the last group of the day.
With three holes left, Weir is 4 under on his round and has taken the tournament lead, moving to 17 under for the tournament, one stroke ahead of Camilo Villegas.
Meanwhile, Clark has bogeyed five of his eight holes and is now 3 over on his round, 11 under for the tournament.
To follow the rest of their round on Shot Tracker, click here. -- Mike McAllister (5:20 p.m. ET)
VILLEGAS TIES CAREER LOW: In shooting 63 on Sunday, Camilo Villegas not only shot his best round in a year, but also tied his career-low round -- which he set a year ago here at the Deutsche Bank when he shot 63 in the first round.
Here are Villegas' all-time low rounds on TOUR: -- Mike McAllister (5:15 p.m. ET)
| Camilo Villegas' lowest rounds on TOUR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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IMADA BACK IN FORM: Japan's Ryuji Imada will be the first to admit that his game has been less than stellar since winning his first TOUR event at the AT&T Classic.

Even if he weren't gracious enough to admit it, the numbers prove it. In seven starts since the win, Imada has missed the cut four times -- all in his last five events. The only cut he's made over the last five starts resulted in a tie for 69th at the Wyndham Championship.
Furthermore, it took 15 competitive rounds for Imada to fire a round in the 60s after the victory.
"I took a lot of time off after the win and when I take a lot of time off, I usually don't play well," Imada said. "I've been starting to play a lot more and I've been working with my coach and that's the reason for the big change this week."
Shooting in the 60s, however, has not been an issue this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Through 54 holes, Imada sits at 11 under with rounds of 69-65-68.
"I had my coach come up to work with me this week," Imada said. "My swing, at the set up, was a little bit tilted to the right. That was causing me to hit a lot of shots to the right. He got that fixed and now I'm starting to hit a lot of good shots."
Right now, Imada, who currently sits at No. 31 in the Playoffs standings, said his goal is to keep the solid play going long enough to earn a spot in the 30-player TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
"I needed some time off after the win," he said. "I was real busy with all the other stuff that comes along with winning. I wasn't mentally ready to play. So, I wanted to be ready and fresh for the end of the year, so I feel good, my body is good and I'm ready to go." -- T.J. Auclair (4:59 p.m. ET)
WEEKLEY HITTING THE GREENS: Boo Weekley hit every green in regulation during Sunday's third round. He now has hit 48 of 54 greens in regulation this week, an 88.9 percent clip. That leads all players in this week's field. -- Mike McAllister (4:57 p.m. ET)
VILLEGAS' BIRDIES: Here are Camilo Villegas' eight birdies on Sunday. To replay his round on Shot Tracker, click here. -- Mike McAllister (4:54 p.m. ET)
| Camilo Villegas' eight birdies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VILLEGAS SHOOTS 63: Camilo Villegas just finished shooting the second 8-under 63 of the day and has now taken over the top spot on the leaderboard at 16 under, one shot ahead of Mike Weir.
Villegas needed just 22 putts on his bogey-free round, which included eight birdies and 10 pars. -- Mike McAllister (4:14 p.m. ET)
NOTABLES FALLING OFF PACE: Ernie Els and Jim Furyk haven't been able to get anything going Sunday. Both are at even par for their rounds, and on a course that keeps yielding low scores, that means both are backing up.
Same for Anthony Kim, who seemed set up to make a serious run considering he likes a fast birdie pace. Kim is 2 over through 13 holes, having started off with a bogey on the first hole to set the tone.
Kim double-bogeyed the par-4 ninth when he had to take a penalty stroke after his tee shot went too far left and he had to play another shot off the tee.
Ben Curtis, who has played so well in recent months, having nearly won at the PGA Championship and last week at The Barclays, is 4 over for his round through 10 holes. He just double-bogeyed the par-4 10th when he had to take a penalty shot after his approach shot and then found the primary rough when his next shot. -- Mike McAllister (4:10 p.m. ET)
SINGH AND GIR: Through his first 46 holes at TPC Boston this week, Vijay Singh has hit 40 greens in regulation. That includes nine of his first 10 greens on Sunday. -- Mike McAllister (3:56 p.m. ET)
HEY, ITS RYUJI: We haven't really seen much of Ryuji Imada since his breakthrough PGA TOUR win in May at the AT&T Classic in Atlanta. He did tie for 18th at the U.S. Open, his best finish in his six starts since his win.
But in his last four starts, he's missed three cuts -- including last week at The Barclays -- and tied for 69th at the Wyndham Championship. If you take out his scores at the Wyndham, Imada had not broken 70 since Atlanta going into this week's event
He's regained his touch, though. He shot 69-65 in his first two days, moving steadily up the leaderboard, and is now at 11 under for the tournament with one hole to play Sunday. -- Mike McAllister (3:52 p.m. ET)
LOW 54 CHASE: As Tim Clark reaches the end of his front nine, he's at 16 under for the tournament, leading by two shots. At this point, he needs to shave four more shots to have the lowest first 54 holes on the PGA TOUR this year. -- Mike McAllister (3:38 p.m. ET)
| Low first 54 holes on TOUR in 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VILLEGAS STILL ROLLING: Camilo Villegas has now moved into a tie for second at 14 under for the tournament, two strokes off Tim Clark's pace.
Villegas just rolled in a 13-1/2 foot putt for birdie on the par-4 14th and is now at 6 under for his round.
Not only is Villegas looking for the first win of his career, but he's looking to shore up his spot in next week's BMW Championship. Villegas entered this week 68th in FedExCup points, with the top 70 after Monday advancing to St. Louis.
To follow the rest of Villegas' round on Shot Tracker, click here. -- Mike McAllister (3:25 p.m. ET)
CRANE ON THE COURSE: Even though he shot an 8-under 63, Ben Crane thinks TPC Boston is playing more difficult than in the first two days when the field scorched the course, with two players (Mike Weir, Tim Clark) challenging to match the TOUR-record low of 59.
"The course was certainly firmer and there were so many gusts of wind," Crane said. -- Mike McAllister (3:20 p.m. ET)
CRANE'S LOW IN THIRD ROUND: With his 8-under 63 on Sunday, Ben Crane came within one shot of tying the best round of his PGA TOUR career. Crane's career low is 62, which he shot in the first round of the 2005 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee.
But the 63 is his career low for a third-round score. In fact, of the four 64s he has shot in the third round, he has gone on to win twice -- a good omen when Monday's final round starts.
To replay Crane's round on Shot Tracker, click here. -- Mike McAllister (3 p.m. ET)
| Ben Crane's lowest third-round scores | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CRANE SHOOTS 63: There was Mike Weir's 61 in the first round. Tim Clark's 62 in the second round. Will Ben Crane's 8-under 63 stand up as the best performance of the third round?
Crane just finished off the 63 on Sunday that propelled him up the leaderboard. He now is at 13 under for the tournament, just one shot off the lead that Tim Clark and Mike Weir currently share.
How did Crane do it Sunday? Well, he hit 13 of 14 fairways, and 17 of 18 greens in regulation. Oh, and his putter was on fire. Here are his nine birdies (he bogeyed the 12th hole).. -- Mike McAllister (2:25 p.m. ET)
| Ben Crane's nine birdies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEIR LIKES TO RALLY: Of Mike Weir's eight PGA TOUR wins, seven have come when he's trailed the leader after three rounds. The only exception is his 2004 Northern Trust Open win.
But that doesn't mean Weir, who is playing with tournament leader Tim Clark in today's final pairing, doesn't play well in the third round. In fact, he often has made a big move on moving day in those eight wins -- just not enough of a move to grab the lead.
Here is how Weir has performed in the third round of each of his eight wins. -- Mike McAllister (2:15 p.m. ET)
| Mike Weir on moving day in his wins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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VILLEGAS MAKES MOVE: The third round has not been kind to Camilo Villegas this year, but he's making a move today.
Villegas is 3 under through his first seven holes and now stands at 11 under for the tournament. Villegas rolled in an 18-foot putt for birdie at the par-5 second hole, a three-footer for birdie at the drivable par-4 fourth, and a two-footer for birdie at the par-4 sixth.
Here is Villegas' scoring average for each round coming into the Deutsche Bank. -- Mike McAllister (1:39 p.m. ET)
| Camilo Villegas' scoring average in 2008 | ||||||||||
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EURO RYDER CUP PICKS: Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey are the two Captain's Picks by Nick Faldo who will fill out the 12-member European team at next month's Ryder Cup at Valhalla.


Faldo, who announced the picks live from Scotland, said he picked Poulter because "Ian's obviously a very determined guy. I love his attitude."
And Casey? Faldo said "Tee to green, Paul has been playing absolutely the best through this summer." Faldo said he wanted to see Casey improve his putting statistics, which he did in the last few weeks.
Poulter and Casey will join Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson on the European team.
In picking Poulter and Casey, Faldo passed over Darren Clarke, a two-time winner on the European Tour this year, and Ryder Cup mainstay Colin Montgomerie.
The Scot hasn't been on form this year but he has risen to the occasion in eight previous Ryder Cups with a 20-9-7 record -- and he has never been beaten in singles with a 6-0-2 mark. Clarke, who was at the emotional heart of the 2006 team as a Captain's Pick just a month after the death of his wife, has a 10-7-3 Ryder Cup record.
Faldo said Poulter was "absolutely gobsmacked" when he reached the Brit by telephone to let him know that he had been selected. Casey, though, is still waiting for the good news.
"Paul is actually airborne," Faldo said. "So he hasn't been told yet."
Poulter was a member of the 2004 Ryder Cup team. He played two matches at Oakland Hills, winning his singles match and losing in Four-ball.
Casey was a member of the 2004 and '06 European Teams. He has a 3-1-2 mark in those two affairs -- going 1-0-2 in Four-balls, 1-0-0 in Foursomes and 1-1 in singles.
Both players played the first two rounds at the Deutsche Bank before missing Saturday's 36-hole cut.
U.S. Captain Paul Azinger will announce his four picks on Tuesday in New York City.
For more on this year's Ryder Cup, click here. -- Mike McAllister/Helen Ross (1:20 p.m. ET)
PHIL STILL GETS CHEERS: There aren't too many players who are greeted by applause when they walk out of the scorer's trailer. Maybe the winner on Sunday, but certainly not a player destined to miss the cut.

That's exactly what happened, though, to Phil Mickelson, whose title defense at the Deutsche Bank Championship appears to have come to a halt on Sunday after he shot 1 over at TPC Boston.
The much-loved Mickelson stands 2 under for the tournament and is on the 54-hole cut line. He said he planned to go home to San Diego for a few days and spend time with his family as school starts this week.
"I enjoy playing golf in the New England area and I certainly love this golf course," Mickelson said. "It's terrific. We've had so many weeks where it just eats you up that it's nice to have a week that you can make some birdies. Unfortunately, I didn't make enough."
What about the BMW Championship next week at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis? Mickelson likely will remain in the top 10-15 in the FedExCup standings after this week and still has a chance of winning the $10 million bonus.
"I think I'm scheduled to play," Mickelson said. "I think I'm committed so far." -- Helen Ross (1:03 p.m. ET)
LOOK OUT FOR ELS: We haven't mentioned much about Ernie Els in the first two days, which is surprising on two fronts -- 1) He's the eighth-ranked player in the world and 2) He'll enter the third round nicely positioned to contend after shooting 66-65 in the first two rounds, putting him at 11 under, just three shots off the lead.

We looked at Els' stats on ShotLink through the first two rounds, and nothing stands out in fairways hit (tied for 111th in the field) and greens in regulation (tied for 67th).
But his 25.5 putts per round ranked him second, as did his average approach shot proximity to the hole (24 feet, 10 inches).
Whatever the numbers say, it's good to see the Big Easy put a couple of low rounds. Not since the 2007 Verizon Heritage, when he shot 65-65 in the first two rounds and eventually finished second, has he gone this low in consecutive rounds in one tournament.
Els and playing partner Sergio Garcia will tee off at 1:05 p.m. You can follow that twosome on Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Mike McAllister (12:55 p.m. ET)
CRANE UPDATE: Ben Crane is at 4 under on his round today and currently has a bogey-free round through 10 holes Sunday. Among his four birdies is a 35 foot, 1 inch putt on the eighth hole. -- Mike McAllister (12:30 p.m. ET)
66s ARE IN: Four 5-under 66s have been shot by players teeing off early Sunday -- Jesper Parnevik, Michael Allen, Bill Haas and Justin Leonard. All four players now stand at 8 under for the tournament.
Leonard, by the way, started and finished his round in great fashion. He opened with two straight birdies, and finished with a birdie on the 17th and an eagle on the par-5 18th when he holed out from the intermediate rough from 33 feet. -- Mike McAllister (12:20 p.m. ET)
MICKELSON ... OUT?: Defending champion Phil Mickelson is in serious danger of missing the third-round cut after shooting a 1-over 72 on Sunday.
Mickelson currently stands tied at 77th, 2 under for the tournament. If he stays in that spot, he'll will not play tomorrow.
With the 36-hole cut falling at 3-under 139, 86 players advanced to Sunday's third round. Since there were more than 78 players to make the cut, the field will again be cut to the low 70 players and ties after today's round.
If Mickelson does somehow make the cut, he can probably thank the eight-foot putt for birdie that he rolled in on the par-5 18th. -- Mike McAllister (12:05 p.m. ET)
HIGHER SCORES EXPECTED?: The last group on Saturday -- 36-hole leader Tim Clark and Mike Weir, who's one stroke behind -- will tee off at 1:35 p.m. ET. Last week at The Barclays, the final group teed off at 1:55 p.m.
XM golf analyst Brian Katrek doesn't know for sure why the tee times are moved up 20 minutes, but he has a theory -- scoring will be tougher than the first two days, so that means players will take more strokes and rounds will take longer to finish. Thus to fit the TV window (NBC, 3-6 p.m.), tee times were moved up.
Again, just a theory. But it seems to make sense. -- Mike McAllister (11:30 p.m. ET)
WEATHER UPDATE: Should be a perfect day to watch golf. Sunny skies throughout the day, with temperatures ranging from 67 to 85 degrees. Breezy conditions are forecast to develop this afternoon, as northwest winds increase to 10-20 mph. The lack of cloud cover, along with those winds, may prevent any golfer taking their shots at a 59, as Mike Weir did on Friday and Tim Clark did Saturday. -- Mike McAllister (11 a.m. ET)