Round 4, THE PLAYERS Championship

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May. 10, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in today's fourth round of THE PLAYERS Championship. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
10:35 am ET No. 1		Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy Neither of these two major champs had they week they hoped for, but both possess silky swings well worth watching as we wait for the main event. Track 'em
1:30 pm ET No. 1		Woody Austin, Kenny Perry Coincidentally, Austin and Perry produced Saturday's best rounds, 4-under 68s. If either or both can stay hot Sunday, they could get into the mix. Track 'em
2:25 pm ET No. 1		Alex Cejka, Tiger Woods Will it be the same old thing, where a plucky challenger collapses in the mere presence of Woods? Or can Cejka polish off the biggest win of his career? Track 'em

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent Mark Carnevale previews Sunday's fourth round:

It was very evident that the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass fought back in the third round. That wasn't surprising to me as what were very green and lush putting surfaces earlier in the week took on a slight hue of brown as the players progressed through the third round. This, after all, is how the players -- well at least most of the players -- wanted it. Be careful what you wish for!

As we head into the final round, one player has separated himself, that being Alex Cejka. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts this week, this tournament's winner is normally the player who has played the best. Alex is surely an example of that trend, but he'll need to continue his solid play on Sunday to claim his first PGA TOUR win.

Sunday's forecast

Mostly Sunny
Temp: 91 high/72 low
Sunday should be a gorgeous day, but very warm and humid. The winds should waft in from the southwest at 9 or 10 mph.

This by no means will be easy with a large number of players lurking behind him. Yes, he does have a five-shot lead, but it doesn't take us long to look back a month and a half to know that Tiger Woods came from five down in the final round to claim victory at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The difference on Sunday will be that the Stadium Course is very different than Bay Hill. You can be aggressive here, but if you're off, you will pay the price, and it usually is a big one.

Cejka mentioned something to the PGA TOUR Network's Michael Collins after his third round -- that he he had black pants and a red Shirt to wear for Tiger on Sunday. If that is a shot at intimidation, for Alex's sake, I would hope not. The world's No. 1 eats up situations like that.

What you need to look for is how Alex starts his final round. There are some good birdie opportunities in the first four holes and, to me, he needs to get under par early to show the other players they will need to come get him.

No matter what happens Sunday, this edition of THE PLAYERS is a huge success in my mind. The golf course has been tough but fair. The crowds have been good, and I expect they will be enormous for the final round. The only thing I would ask Commissioner Finchem is, "Tim, can you bring the temperature down just a bit?"

I will be with the final group on Sunday, and I'm expecting some exciting golf. I'll be there for every shot, thinking, "Boy, do I love my job."

Stat of the day

Alex Cejka's five-stroke lead entering the final round is the largest 54-hole lead in tournament history, bettering a four-stroke advantage by Greg Norman in 1994 and Larry Mize in 1986. This is the first time in shis career that Cejka has held an outright lead through 54 holes.

NOTEWORTHY NUGGETS
• The third-round leader/co-leader has won 14 of 18 events (78 percent) on the PGA TOUR this season. Last year, the third-round leader/co-leader only won 22 of 46 events (48 percent).

• Should Alex Cejka go on to victory, he would become the fifth international player in the last eight years to win THE PLAYERS and only the second player in tournament history to make it his first PGA TOUR win (joining Craig Perks, 2002).

• In the last 10 PLAYERS Championships, only Stephen Ames (2006), Adam Scott (2004), Hal Sutton (2000) and David Duval (1999) have managed to turn a 54-hole lead into victory. Since THE PLAYERS moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982, the third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 11 of 27 times (41 percent).

• This week marks the first time Tiger Woods has produced three-consecutive sub-par rounds at THE PLAYERS since the final three rounds in 2001, when he went on to win. His tie for second entering the final round is his best standing since 2001, when he was also tied for second.

Thus far at TPC Sawgrass

Round	Leader	Low round (par 72)	Key links
	Ben Crane (-7)	65: Ben Curtis	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Helen Ross column \| Notebook
	Alex Cejka (-11)	65: Angel Cabrera, Daniel Chopra	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Helen Ross column \| Notebook
	Alex Cejka (-11)	68: Woody Austin, Kenny Perry	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Helen Ross column \| Notebook

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry updates action from the third round of the 2009 PLAYERS Championship and previews what to watch for in the final round. Watch it
	Shot of the day Retief Goosen makes a very impmressive birdie from 147 feet on the par-4 14th hole during Round 3 at TPC Sawgrass. Watch it
	Third-round highlights After a solid 72 on Saturday, Alex Cejka leads by five after Round 3 of the 2009 PLAYERS Championship. Watch it