Round 4: Deutsche Bank Championship

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Sep. 7, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

The first groups are ready to tee off at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
1:40 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		Retief Goosen, Steve Stricker Stricker recovered nicely from a second-round 72 and has the chance to get his third win of the year.
1:30 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		Sean O'Hair, Kevin Na Na's steadiness has been obvious all weekend -- three rounds in the 60s. He will need to remain aggressive to win.
1:20 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		Padraig Harrington, Scott Verplank Another final round with Harrington in the hunt? Maybe a Monday final round will be the lucky charm for Paddy.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Fred Albers previews Monday's round:

The 72nd hole of the Deutsche Bank Championship should be entertaining. The tournament could very well be decided on the 18th hole of Monday's final round. It's a 538-yard par 5 which is playing as the easiest hole at TPC Boston.

Monday's forecast

Partly Cloudy
Temp: 71 high/53 low
Partly cloudy. Winds from the east at 5 to 10 mph.

It has surrendered nine eagles and 153 birdies while playing to a stroke average of 4.458, more than half a stroke under par. Even if a player is two shots behind headed into the final hole, he will have a chance to tie. The hole will be cut in the right rear portion of the green in the final round. There is a slope just three paces behind the cup, which will funnel overly aggressive approaches off the green.

The 36 hole tournament lead stood at 12 under. The 54 hole lead is just one better at 13 under. So what happened? Why was TPC Boston a much tougher course on Sunday than it was on Saturday? Green speed. The greens have dried and gotten firmer as the tournament has progressed. Golfers are much more cautious with their approaches and speed of their putts. That trend will continue in Monday's final round.

Pat Perez employed his "pedal to the medal" strategy in the third round with limited success. He shot 75 and is now tied for 43rd. Perez has already qualified for the BMW Championship but wants to make THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. To do so, Perez needs a couple top-10 finishes so he is playing aggressively, shooting at every hole location. The firmness of the greens worked against that strategy on Sunday, but Perez will continue his aggressive play through next week's BMW and hopes to be rewarded with a trip to Atlanta.

Stat of the day

Padraig Harrington was bogey free in the third round. In fact, Harrington has made just three bogeys through 54 holes, the fewest of any player in the field along with Retief Goosen (-13), Mark Wilson (-8) and Jason Day (-7). Day has also posted two double bogeys.

The Film Room

	Round 3 Highlights Three share the lead after three rounds of golf at the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship. Watch it
	Woods posts 72 in Rnd. 3 of 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship Tiger Woods was wet off the tee at the par-3 16th but recovered nicely and went on to finish with a tight approach at the par-5 18th and a birdie four in the third round of the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship. Watch it
	Shot of the Day: August 6, 2009 Steve Stricker hits a precise approach on the par-5 18th then holes an easy eagle putt to take a share of the lead. Watch it

Thus far at TPC Boston

Round	Leader	Low round (par 71)	Key links
	Steve Stricker, Sean O'Hair, Retief Goosen (-13)	65: Steve Stricker	Daily Wrap-Up \| The Live Report Helen Ross column \| Mike McAllister column \| Round 3 notebook
Round	Leaders	Low round (par 71)	Key links
	Sean O'Hair (-12)	64: Sean O'Hair	Daily Wrap-Up \| The Live Report Helen Ross column \| Mike McAllister column \| Round 2 notebook
Round	Leaders	Low round (par 71)	Key links
	Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk (-8)	63: Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk	Daily Wrap-Up \| TheLive Report Helen Ross column \| Mike McAllister column \| Round 1 notebook