Round 3, HP Byron Nelson Championship

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May. 23, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in today's third round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
8:00 am ET No. 1		Jeff Maggert, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III Maggert is strong in Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation. He just needs a hot round with the flat stick.
9:00 am ET No. 1		D.A. Points, Jesper Parnevik, Glen Day After a quick lesson from Singh, Parnevik is starting to play like his dynamic old self.
9:10 am ET No. 1		Dustin Johnson, Robert Allenby, Ken Duke Johnson leads the field in Driving Distance. If he can putt a little better, he's got a great chance.

Saturday's forecast

Chance of Storms
Temp: 82 high/65 low
Mostly cloudy in the morning, followed by a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Winds out of the north-northeast at 5 to 10 mph.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR Network on-site correspondent John Maginnes looks back at Friday's second round and previews Saturday's third round:

Scoring on Friday was considerably better than it was on Thursday -- more than a shot better. If that trend continues on Saturday, we could be in for one wild Moving Day. Every player who made the cut has more than just a chance to win this golf tournament; they are in vital contention. Players who posted 1 under, which was the cut line, find themselves just seven shots off the lead this morning.

Considering that those players will have the luxury of an early tee time, and presumably benign conditions, on Saturday morning, expect some big moves to be made. The wind is always a factor in the afternoon in Dallas this time of year, so the leaders will find much more difficult conditions than those pursuing them in the early hours of Moving Day.

I have never liked the expression "Moving Day" because a 64 is good every day, and a 75 is bad every day for the best players in the world. But on a par-70 course with typical Texas conditions, Saturday could live up to its overused billing. A hectic moving day should lead into a good, old-fashioned Sunday shootout at the Las Colinas corral. Pick your gunslinger now and take cover.

Stat of the day

Co-leader Rory Sabbatini, a South African who resides in the Dallas area, made four consecutive birdies (Nos. 4-7) on his back nine Friday to post a 6-under 64, his low round this season. Sabbatini is coming off consecutive missed cuts at the Quail Hollow Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship after posting his best finish of the year, a tie for second at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

NOTEWORTHY NUGGETS:
• Co-leader John Mallinger eagled both par 5s in the second round. He holed a 15-yard, bunker shot for eagle at the seventh and a 16-foot putt for eagle at the 16th. Mallinger closed out his round with four consecutive 3s on Nos. 15-18 (birdie-eagle-par-birdie).

• Brian Davis has the longest active streak of 18 consecutive rounds of par or better on the PGA TOUR. During that stretch, he has tied for 19th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, tied for 38th at the Quail Hollow Championship and tied for fifth at both THE PLAYERS Championship and Valero Texas Open.

• New Zealand's Danny Lee made his second cut in three PGA TOUR starts as a professional, and is four off the lead. Lee tied for 38th at Quail Hollow after missing the cut in his first start as a professional in New Orleans.

• The 1987 HP Byron Nelson Championship winner and U.S. Presidents Cup Team Captain Fred Couples is in contention again, five shots off the pace. Couples will turn 50 and become eligible for the Champions Tour in early October but continues to show he still belongs on the PGA TOUR. Currently No. 76 on the FedExCup points list, Couples posted season-best ties for third at the Northern Trust Open and the Shell Houston Open.

Thus far at TPC Four Seasons

Round	Leader	Low round (par 70)	Key links
	Kent Duke, James Nitties (-5)	65: Kent Duke, James Nitties	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Melanie Hauser column \| Notebook
	Rory Sabbatini, John Mallinger (-8)	63: Justin Leonard	Daily Wrap-Up \| Live Report Melanie Hauser column \| Notebook

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today Win McMurry updates action from the second round of the 2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship and previews what to watch for in the third round. Watch it
	Shot of the day John Mallinger hits his approach to within inches on the par-4 15th hole setting an easy birdie in Round 2 of the 2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship. Watch it
	Round 2 highlights Rory Sabbatini and John Mallinger share the 36-hole lead at the 2009 HP Byron Nelson Championship. Watch it