Deutsche Bank Championship, Round 3
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
WRAPPING UP ROUND 3 (5:45 p.m.): Steve Stricker couldn't have hand-picked a better playing partner than Jerry Kelly. The two are extremely comfortable with each other and, at least somewhat as a result, the two played extremely well on Sunday.
Stricker bounced back from a second-round 72 with a sizzling 65 today. Kelly, though he stumbled late, was very solid with a 67 of his own. They won't play together in tomorrow's final round -- Stricker will play with Retief Goosen, who, like Stricker and Sean O'Hair, is 13 under through three rounds -- but Stricker will be in position to win for a second straight week.
Stricker, who has already won twice this year, is coming off a tie for second at last week's Barclays and is quickly turning into Mr. September (or Mr. Playoffs). Should he win tomorrow, Stricker will also take over the top spot in the FedExCup standings. He has plenty of pursuers, though -- nine players are within three of the lead going into tomorrow. Buckle up. This one should be fun. -- Brian Wacker
BACK-NINE BLITZ (5:40 p.m.): The back nine at TPC Boston has been very productive for Sean O'Hair through the first three rounds. He has been bogey-free in every round and is a collective 7 under on the back nine. At 13 under, O'Hair will enter the final round tied for the lead with Steve Stricker and Retief Goosen. -- Mike McAllister
TIGER FROM 5-10 FEET (5:30 p.m.): When he started the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, Tiger Woods was ranked 13th on the TOUR in putting average from 5-10 feet.
But after making just 40 percent of his putts from that distance at The Barclays, Woods dropped to 34th in that category. And through three rounds at the Deutsche Bank Championship, he's still having trouble with those putts, making just 50 percent (8 of 16).
In fact, he's missed four putts from 5-7 feet, including two on Sunday -- at the par-5 seventh when he misfired from 5 feet, 5 inches for birdie, and the par-3 11th when he missed a par putt from 5 feet, 9 inches, leading to his second three-putt of the tournament.
Inside 5 feet, Tiger has been perfect this week, making all 42 putts from that distance. He ranked second in that category coming into the tournament.
But if you're wondering why Tiger is nine shots off the pace going into Monday's final round, that 5-10 foot range is part of the explanation. -- Mike McAllister
EXPERIENCE BEYOND HIS YEARS (5:10 p.m.): Kevin Na is just 25 years old, but he's already made 157 starts on the PGA TOUR. Alas, he's still winless, but that could change on Monday with another good round at TPC Boston.
Na shot his second consecutive 66 and is now 12 under through 54 holes, just one shot behind clubhouse leader Steve Stricker. Maybe the time is now for Na to break through on the Playoffs stage.
Na, who turns 26 on Sept. 15, said he would go out there "with this attitude like I've got nothing to lose, just try to stay right there ... and go with a clear mind. I think that's what I'm going to try to do."
Na has been in contention several times this year -- he has eight top-10 finishes in 23 starts, including a couple of thirds at the FBR Open (solo) and THE PLAYERS Championship (shared).
"I've played a lot of good golf on Sunday where I was right there and just feel a little short," he said. "Was I putting too much pressure on myself? I don't know, but that's just the attitude that I'm going to go out there with tomorrow."
Certainly Na thinks it's about time that he gets that first win on TOUR.
"I think as soon as I get my first win," he said, "I think more will start coming." -- Mike McAllister
EASY FINISH (4:50 p.m.): A lot of low numbers have been put up here this week and with the 18th hole at TPC Boston playing as the easiest on the course, we should see an exciting finish Sunday. How easy is the finishing hole here? Well, it was the easiest finishing hole on the PGA TOUR last year (and could be again this year). See below for more. -- Brian Wacker
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STRICKER ON TOP (4:15 p.m.): It didn't take long for Steve Stricker to get rid of whatever bad taste he had in his mouth after yesterday's over-par round.
Playing with good friend and fellow Wisconsin resident Jerry Kelly, Stricker just turned in the best round of the day so far, a 6-under 65 that has him at 13 under for the week and in the lead for the moment.
Today's round was much more like his first one than his second one. Stricker had the flat stick working, for the most part, and needed just 23 putts. That's a little misleading since he only hit 10 of 18 greens in regulation, but it's also a testament to his short game and evidence as to why he leads the PGA TOUR in scrambling.
One of the only players to have played every single round of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup since its inception in 2007, Stricker has made the postseason his own personal playground with a win at the 2007 Barclays and, excluding THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, five top-10s in seven events.
At this rate, another top-10, if not a win, doesn't seem far behind. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Stricker's scorecard from today:
NEW LEADER (4 p.m.): Dustin Johnson is one of the longest hitters on the PGA TOUR, ranking fourth with an average of 307.2 yards off the tee. He's also one of the game's best putters, too., ranking 13th on TOUR with an average of 1.74. Maybe that's why he's first in birdie average.
All that has helped Johnson, an outside candidate for a Presidents Cup Captains pick, move into a share of the lead here at 12 under with Retief Goosen and Kevin Na, who is in with a 66.
Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker, meanwhile, have each dropped a shot on the last couple of holes to fall one back. Eleven guys, by the way, are now within two of the current lead. -- Brian Wacker
BOMB'S AWAY (3:40 p.m.): Jeff Overton's putt of 80 feet, 9 inches for birdie on the 14th hole is the longest putt thus far at TPC Boston this week.
Earlier in the day, Jerry Kelly rolled in a putt of 78 feet, 7 inches.
Below are the top 5 longest putts of the week as the leaders head into the back nine Sunday. -- Mike McAllister
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A LOT ON THE LINE FOR WILSON (3:24 p.m.): Mark Wilson was surprised when someone mentioned Sunday that he wasn't a lock to play in next week's BMW Championship. The man who started the week ranked 23 spots above the elimination line knows it's highly unlikely he'll fall that far.
"I'm just focused on playing the best I can and hopefully (I'll) be in Atlanta in a few weeks," Wilson said.
Wilson did just that, too -- holing a shot for eagle from 97 yards out at the first hole to get things going in a positive direction. He got up-and-down from the greenside bunker at the fourth hole and rolled in two more birdie putts of 16 and 25 feet to shoot 66.
"Today was good," Wilson acknowledged. "No bogeys and (I) started out with an eagle which was a good jump-start. I just played solid after that. So I'm excited for tomorrow."
Wilson will be playing in the friendly confines of home next week. He plays out of Cog Hill, which hosts the third Playoffs event, and he lives in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst. And with another strong week, Wilson could be making his first appearance in the Playoffs finale at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
That's a huge goal given that a spot in the top 30 in the FedExCup standings earns a berth in the first three majors of 2010. The two-time PGA TOUR winner has only played in three majors in his entire career.
"I'd like to put those on my schedule as soon as possible," Wilson said. "... It's been a progression in my career. When I first got out here I'd try to explain to people back home why I wasn't playing in certain tournaments. (I'd say) well, my number didn't get in because I'm q-school and I'm down the list. Ah, they're always like tell me when you're really on TOUR. OK.
"So then I win, and it's why aren't you at the U.S. Open? Why aren't you at the Masters? Well, I'm not quite there. So it would be like another step up. You're always playing for something and everything's not quite good enough. I'm sitting there watching those tournaments on TV and those are the ones obviously, the general public associates golf with the most so it would be a treat to play in those and hopefully play well." -- Helen Ross
Below is a look at Wilson's scorecard from today:
TIGER IN WITH A 72 (3:05 p.m.): The birdie on the 18th hole was a glimpse of Tiger Woods brilliance. After finding a fairway bunker, Woods punched out then stuck his approach from 147 yards to inside 3 feet. Unfortunately, though, it was one of his few highlights on the day. Woods finished with a 1-over 72 and is now just 4 under through 54 holes of the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Right now, that has him in a tie for 29th, eight shots back. By the end of the day, he could be further back with just Sean O'Hair and Jim Furyk the only players near the top of the leaderboard over par today.
Woods, meanwhile, was never able to get anything going. He took a penalty drop on his first hole of the day after losing his drive to the right. He would take another penalty on No. 16, where he also made bogey. On the day, Woods hit 10 of 14 fairways and just 10 of 18 greens in regulation -- his worst ball-striking effort of the week -- while taking 27 putts. Of those putts, though, none came from beyond 6 feet.
Add all that up and Woods isn't going to win and could be in danger of losing his hold on the top spot in the FedExCup standings. -- Brian Wacker
MICKELSON UNABLE TO MAKE A MOVE (2:55 p.m.): Phil Mickelson appeared poised to build on his second-round 68 when he birdied the first hole on Sunday and made the turn at TPC Boston in 1 under. But he stumbled on the back, making three bogeys in a four-hole stretch beginning at the unlucky 13th and ended up with a 72.
Mickelson did manage to close on a positive note when he made a 4-footer for birdie at the 18th hole. He'll start Monday's final round at 2 under for the tournament and likely hop an early flight home.
"It was up and down," Mickelson said. "The course is in great shape. There's a lot of birdies out there. I made a few of them early on and thought I might have a good round but gave them back on the back nine."
Sunday's cool breezes definitely have been a factor on the tree-lined layout. But there are still opportunities to score.
"The wind is making it still play a little difficult but we're still seeing birdies," he said. "There are still birdie holes out there. The birdie holes -- the par 5s that are reachable and the drivable par 4, No. 4 and some of the shorter par 4s -- you can still make birdies there.
"So it's not as thought the wind is going to raise the scores that much." -- Helen Ross
TIGER UPDATE (2:30 p.m.): Three bogeys, one birdie. That's not the stuff of comebacks. Unfortunately for Tiger Woods, though, it's his reality here in the third round.
Woods, 2 over for the day and just 3 under for the week, is well back of the lead and once again it appears to be a mix of problems as he plays out the last couple of holes in his round.
Woods already had to take two penalty drops -- one on the first hole after an errant tee shot, another on the par-3 16th after his tee shot found the hazard -- and he hasn't made a putt over 6 feet all day. In fact, Woods has missed two putts inside 10 feet.
Woods said it himself yesterday, when he putts well, he plays well and he's right there and right now he's not and consequently, he's not. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY PULLS EVEN (2:15 p.m.): Jerry Kelly, who won earlier this year in New Orleans, has yet to miss a fairway today and has missed just two greens in regulation while taking just 12 putts in his first nine holes. Add all that up and it comes out to a front-nine 31 in which Kelly made six birdies and one bogey. That also ties him for the lead -- at least for now -- with Jim Furyk at 12 under. -- Brian Wacker
TIGHT AT THE TOP (2:05 p.m.): Another beautiful day, another day of red numbers at TPC Boston. Jim Furyk, who shared the lead with Sean O'Hair when play began today, is still in the lead -- by himself -- for now, but you get the feeling that might change. Why? Because there are currently 15 players within three shots of Furyk here in the third round.
Though one of those players is not Tiger Woods -- he's struggling at 2 over today and 3 under for the week -- there are a number of notable players nipping at Furyk. Mike Weir, Justin Leonard, Retief Goosen, Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington are just a few of them.
In other words, you have to think there's a very good chance that someone will shoot 64 or 65 to take the lead by the end of the day. -- Brian Wacker
WISCONSIN'S BEST (1:45 p.m.): Different day, different result, at least so far for Steve Stricker. A day after shooting a disappointing 1-over 72, Stricker is back to playing how he did in the first round, and he's doing it with the comfort level of having one of his best friends, Jerry Kelly, as a playing partner.
The two have fed off each other all day, each playing their first seven holes in 4 under. As a result, the two are now within a stroke of the lead, which is held by Jim Furyk alone after a bogey at the first hole by Sean O'Hair.
As for Stricker and Kelly, they both birdied Nos. 1, 4 and 7, while Stricker added another birdie at No. 2 and Kelly, who bogeyed No. 5, at Nos. 3 and 6.
They're hardly alone, however. Including Stricker and Kelly, seven players are currently at 11 under. -- Brian Wacker
PRESIDENTS CUP UPDATE (1:25 p.m.): Think Greg Norman doesn't have a tough decision facing him?
He has to announce his two Captain's Picks on Tuesday and -- unlike his American counterpart Fred Couples who has long been focused on Hunter Mahan and Lucas Glover -- Norman has at least four players from which to choose.
Japan's Ryo Ishikawa fired a 1-under 70 on Sunday to win the Fujisankei Classic on the Japan Tour. It was the second win in four starts for the phenomenal Ishikawa, who turns 18 on Sept. 17 and was ranked 20th in the final International Team standings.
On the European Tour, Thongchai Jaidee finished fifth at the Omega European Masters. The 37-year-old from Thailand has already won twice on the European Tour in 2009 and ranked 16th when Greg Norman's 10 qualifiers were finalized after the PGA Championship.
Jeev Milkha Singh, who was 12thin the final standings, shot 3 over on Sunday and finished 49th in Switzerland. The veteran from India, who has 15 wins worldwide, missed several crucial weeks to earn points during the summer with a rib injury.
South Africa's Rory Sabbatini was bumped down to 11th when Y.E. Yang won the PGA Championship. He won the HP Byron Nelson Championship earlier this year but has broken 70 just six times in 24 rounds since that victory and missed his last two cuts.
The Captain's Picks for both the International and U.S. teams will be announced at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. You can watch the announcement live on PGATOUR.COM. -- Helen Ross
AHEAD OF THE PACK (1:15 p.m.): Jim Furyk and Sean O'Hair, who sit atop the leaderboard dead-locked at 12 under, will tee off in about 20 minutes from now.
O'Hair played his first 13 holes yesterday in 8 under (birdie-birdie-birdie-par-birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie) en route to a 7-under 64. Coming into this week, he has six top-10 finishes, including a win at the Quail Hollow Championship in early June. He missed the cut at last week's Barclays with a pair of 77s , but that was just his fourth missed cut in 20 starts this year.
Prior to this week, O'Hair had made just 12 birdies in his last three events, the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship and The Barclays. Through two rounds here, he has already amassed 12 birdies and an eagle. The 64 also matches his lowest round of the year (Round 2 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial) and was one stroke shy of his career low of 63, which came in the third round of the 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Furyk, currently No. 18 in the FedExCup standings, got to a share of the lead by hitting all 18 greens in regulation Friday and 15 of them on Saturday.
This marks the 16th 36-hole lead of Furyk's career -- compared to third for O'Hair, who has never gone on to win in this situation. Of the previous 15 leads for Furyk, he's only gone on to win twice -- at the 1995 United Hawaiian Airlines Open and 2003 U.S. Open. -- Doug Milne
DANGER ZONE (1:03 p.m.): Five players who are in danger of not advancing to next week's BMW Championship didn't do themselves any favors Sunday morning by posting over-par rounds.
• Briny Baird, this week's bubble boy at No. 70 in FedExCup points, shot 3-over 74 and is now 1 over for the tournament. He's fallen to 84 on the projected points.
• J.J. Henry, No. 73 in points, also shot 74 and has fallen to 86th on the projected list.
• Richard S. Johnson, No. 85 in points, shot 74 and is projected to 91st.
• D.J. Trahan, No. 95 in points, shot 76 and is projected to 96th.
• And Ryuji Imada, No. 99 in points, shot 75 and is projected at 100th.
Those five still have Monday's final round to move up the leaderboard and squeeze into the top 70 in points. -- Mike McAllister
ON THE MARK (12:51 p.m.): Mark Wilson is playing in his fifth straight event, but he's showing no ill effects from all the competition. In fact, he appears to be prospering today, playing his first 15 holes at TPC Boston in 5 under.
Wilson's best finish during that stretch is a tie for 22nd at Reno. In the early going today, he's moved up from a tie for 43rd into a tie for 16th at 8 under -- and he's creeping up the projected FedExCup standings, as well.
Wilson, who won his second career PGA TOUR event earlier this year, entered the Deutsche Bank Championship ranked 47th. He was likely safe, but his solid play this week has put him in really good position for a "home" game in Chicago next week.
The former UNC All-American lives in Elmhurst, Ill., and plays out of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, which hosts the BMW Championship next week. He's currently projected at No. 37 with the top 70 gaining entry into the third event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
Wilson, who has his sighst set on the finale at East Lake, has a degree in mathematics from Chapel Hill and he understands the FedExCup points system better than most.
"Obviously the Top 30 is my goal," Wilson said at Greensboro several weeks ago. "I'd like to get there, never been there, never been in THE TOUR Championship. I would like to get there. The importance of (the points) weighing five times is huge. ...
"Everybody else is playing for the same amount of points. You can move up really quick. What I really like about the new system, you don't move up by just making the cut. You still got to play well on the weekend."
That's exactly what he's doing, too. -- Helen Ross
MORNING SERG (12:40 p.m.): Nice third round for Sergio Garcia, who needed to make a move in hopes of securing a spot in next week's BMW Championship.
Finishing his round Sunday morning with back-to-back birdies, Garcia posted a 3-under 68 to put him at 4 under for the tournament. He hit 12 of 14 fairways and rolled in two birdie putts outside of 15 feet.
Garcia entered this week's Deutsche Bank Championship 71st in FedExCup points, one spot shy of the top-70 cutline that will advance next week to Cog Hill. Now he's currently projected in the 68th spot, but he'll need another solid round on Monday to maintain or improve on his position.
In the first two years of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, Garcia finished in the top 10 -- ninth in 2007 and third last year. He tied for fifth at the Deutsche Bank last year. -- Mike McAllister
AK AND OU (12:30 p.m.): It looks like Anthony Kim took out the frustration of Oklahoma's loss to BYU last night on the golf course today. Kim, who spent two years as a Sooner and who earlier this year hired the school's strength and conditioning coach for men's basketball Darby Rich to be his full-time trainer, had his best round of the week this morning, shooting a 67 to get to 5 under for the week.
What was the difference for Kim, who hit the same number of fairways he did in Round 2 and four fewer greens? Putting, pure and simple. Kim took just 24 putts today, which included a perfect 15-for-15 mark from inside 10 feet.
Not that he or Rich still weren't upset this morning over the Oklahoma loss.
"It would have been a 10 [in terms of anger] if [tight end] Jermaine Grisham and [quarterback] Sam [Bradford] had been healthy," Rich said. "If OU beats Texas and runs the table, they still have a chance. It was still about a 7, though." -- Brian Wacker
TRACKING TIGER (12:15 p.m.): Tiger Woods began the day 11 shots off the lead here at TPC Boston and if he's going to put himself in contention at a tournament he's won once and finished second twice in, he's going to have to turn things around quickly.
Woods is already off to a sluggish start with a bogey at the first hole, where he blocked his drive to the right. He had to take a drop and eventually went on to make bogey. The next five holes weren't much better for Woods, either. He's made five straight pars, but has hit just one of six greens in regulation so far and just two of five fairways. And though Woods has just seven putts so far today, he hasn't putted well this week with 30 and 29 putts in each of the first two rounds.
"If I putt well, then I'm right there and I win golf tournaments," Woods said yesterday. "You can't out-ballstrike these guys. The equipment is too good now. The ball doesn't move too much, and the drivers are so forgiving, the irons are so forgiving, that you just can't out-ballstrike the guys. You have to make putts."
Those kind of numbers aren't going to get it done, obviously, and at this rate, Woods could be looking at one of his worst finishes here in his career, which was a tie for 40th in 2005 and his only finish outside the top seven here. (Click here to follow Woods' round live with Shot Tracker.)-- Brian Wacker
SURVIVE AND ADVANCE (12 p.m.): After yesterday's cut, any player currently ranked 37th or higher in the FedExCup standings cannot mathematically fall below 70th and is guaranteed to advance to next week's BMW Championship.
The three players that can still pass Tiger Woods (T28) for the No. 1 position are Steve Stricker (T15), Kenny Perry (T65) and Zach Johnson (T43). Stricker will be the top-ranked player if he wins and Woods finishes third or worse, or if Stricker finishes second and Woods finishes 27th or worse.
Johnson needs to win and have Woods finish 12th or worse; Perry needs to win and have Woods finish 32nd or worse.
The 2008 FedExCup champion, Vijay Singh (T43), is currently 78th in FedExCup points. He likely needs a 40th-place finish or better at Deutsche Bank to advance to the BMW Championship.
Sergio Garcia (T65) made the cut on the number at 1-under par, but he likely needs a 46th place finish or better at Deutsche Bank to advance to the BMW Championship.
Last week's winner, Heath Slocum, is currently third in FedExCup points and missed the cut, but the lowest he can fall in the rankings this week is seventh. (Click here for more projected finishes this week.) -- Kin Lo
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