Plenty of players ready to challenge Rollins on Sunday
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
SAN DIEGO -- John Rollins knows from personal experience it can be done.
He won his two PGA TOUR events by erasing a seven-stroke deficit at the 2002 Bell Canadian Open and a three-shot disadvantage at the B.C. Open presented by Turning Stone Resort in 2006.
So Rollins is hardly taking his position entering the final round of the Buick Invitational for granted.
That three-shot advantage over Camilo Villegas is big -- make no mistake about it. At the same time, Rollins knows there is still a lot of work to be done on Torrey Pines' South course, which is averaging nearly 2 ½ strokes over par.
"But if you want to get to this level and do these things, you're going to have to learn to sleep on the lead after the third round," said Rollins, who has run counter to form and is 10 under on the course that hosted the U.S. Open last summer.
"I'm just looking to relax, have a good dinner tonight, just try to get some rest and go back and play with my 14-month-old little girl. She'll keep me grounded for a while, I'm sure."
Rollins is bidding to become the fifth straight 54-hold leader to win on TOUR this year. Villegas, who won his first two TOUR titles in the last two events of 2008, led after each of the first two rounds but couldn't keep pace on Saturday.
A birdie at the second hole pulled Rollins even with the young Colombian and then he took the lead with a 10-footer at No. 4 and a two-putt birdie at the par-5 sixth. He made the turn in 33 and closed with a 37 to finish three rounds at 12 under.
The young Colombian's downfall was the ninth hole where Villegas caught a bunker shot thin, sending it sailing over the green and into the rough. He chipped back onto the green and two-putted from 40 feet for the double -- and suddenly found himself five behind.
But Villegas doesn't rattle easily. He made birdies on Nos. 11 and 13 to regain some ground, then hung tough after a three-putt bogey at the 14th to finish at 9 under.
"It's golf, and golf tournaments are four days," Villegas said. "Sometimes you're ahead and sometimes you're behind. Does it really change the way I play? Not really. There's still a lot of golf to be played.
"Who knows what the weather is going to be like on a tough golf course, greens with a lot of footprints. You've just got to stay committed, hit one shot at a time, and again, give it your best."
Nick Watney, bidding for his second PGA TOUR victory, is alone in third at 7 under after a 71. Rollins, Watney and Luke Donald, who is tied for fourth with Paul Goydos at 6 under, are the only players to have broken par in each of the first three rounds.
Watney knew that Rollins was lengthening his lead but the South Course was enough of a challenge. He also knows he likely needs a round like Rollins' second-round 64 to pull off the upset.
"I think I just need to stay patient and keep doing what I'm doing," Watney said. "They've distanced themselves out there a little bit, so it's my job to go get them, and obviously I'm going to need to play a good round.
"I can't make it up in the first hole, so I've just got to stay patient and do my best."
Donald has had more success at Torrey Pines than any of the leaders -- including Rollins. He finished second in 2004 and 2005 and has never been out of the top 24, but the Englishman has left himself quite a gap to close.
"It was pretty ugly today," Donald said. "I didn't hit too many quality shots out there, but I scored well, and that's part of the game, too. Glad to have got in 71 shots. I think, again, it was a tough day, but I scored very well."
The group at 5 under includes former Clemson teammates Lucas Glover and Charles Warren as well as hometown hero Charley Hoffman, who triple bogeyed the first hole when his tee shot lodged in a three.
The inconsistent weather had the players taking their rain gear on and off all day -- which Villegas called "annoying."
"I wish it was awful to be honest with you," Glover said. "It looks like Johnny has got a pretty good lead going, so we might need some weather to catch him. But we'll see. That's all we can do."
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