The Starter, Round 3: Wyndham Championship

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Aug. 21, 2010

The third round of the Wyndham Championship is set to begin Saturday. Here's a preview:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
11:40 a.m. ET No. 1		Scott Piercy, Martin Laird Piercy has moved up to No. 126 on the latest FedExCup projections, and just needs to move up a bit (or hope someone moves down) so he can secure a spot in the Playoffs.
12:30 p.m. ET, No. 1		Boo Weekley, Tim Herron Herron is trying to climb from 174th in the FedExCup standings into the Playoffs while Weekley is looking for a Ryder Cup spot.
1 p.m. ET, No. 1		Arjun Atwal, Brandt Snedeker Atwal is still hoping to play his way onto the TOUR in 2011 while Snedeker seeks his second-career win -- and second at the Wynham Championship.

MORE ROUND 3: Tee times | Inside the field | Inside the course | Transcripts

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Brett Wright previews Friday's action:

Saturday's forecast

Partly Cloudy
Temp: 90 high/70 low
Chance of precipitation 10 percent. Winds from E at around 10 mph.

The scoring conditions for the third round of the Wyndham Championship are perfect. There is almost no chance of rain. A light breeze will wash across the course all day long. The bentgrass greens are showing some serious stress and you can already see disscoloration on high spots and visible brown and purple patches where the sun has just scorched them. This weather will dry out the moist fairways and players will get the roll that adds length and makes the course shorter, but also brings in play the treacherous bermuda rough, that grabs clubs through impack. More sun will firm up the greens a bit, and with another day like this the final round may allow this old Donald Ross masterpiece to show its teeth. Remember how benign Whistling Straits seemed before the final round during the PGA Championship?

Are you a number watcher? If so this is your week. All the players competing for something this week. Many for the chance to dance in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, by earning enough points to make the 125-man field. Watch Tim Herron, who is projected to move up from 174 to 152 in FedExCup points. He needs a great weekend to break into The Barclays and the top 125. Then look at players simply trying to secure their way into the second stage of the playoffs -- the Deutsche Bank Championship. One of these players is Jonathan Byrd who is projected at 108th after a solid start at 8 under par. Then there is the next level with a guy like Kris Blanks who wants to make it to the BMW Championship; he's currently projected at 68 on the points list and is three spots shy. There are even players to focus on for their attempt to secure a tee time at East Lake for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, like Fredrick Jacobson, who is 10 spots shy of his goal and needs to go out this weekend and compete for the Wyndham title down the strech.

There are also Ryder Cup contenders that are aiming to catch captain Corey Pavin's attention. Lucas Glover and Justin Leonard are among those hoping to impress with a strong finish, or better yet, a win this week.

So many numbers and postitions to keep up with make this one of the most exciting tournaments of the year; so go out tomorrow and watch a mix of modern points scoring on a traditional classic Donald Ross golf course.

INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Todd Jones, Head Instructor at THE TOUR ACADEMY at TPC Sawgrass, provides a few helpful hits while you watch the first round.. For more information about THE TOUR ACADEMY, click here.

The second round of the Wyndham Championship ended with two players tied atop the leaderboard at 12 under par. Arjun Atwal and Brandt Snedeker have played their way to a one-shot advantage with Kevin Streelman, Lucas Glover, and John Rollins each a shot back with 36 holes to play. In a recent conversation with a veteran player, he mentioned to me that the key to contending is to play the par 5s "under par" and the attack the par 3s whenever possible. If you take a look at the performance of those at the top you can see that they are doing just that. They are a combined 14 under par on the par 5s and 10 under par on the par 3s.

This is also a great rule of thumb for all who enjoy this awesome but challenging game. Strive to give yourself the best chance to score by taking advantage of the par 5s. Take the hole apart with your strengths. If the hole is a three-shot hole play it that way. Get the tee shot in play, lay up to a good yardage, and be aggressive into the green by taking enough club to get the ball to the hole. On the par 3s always tee the ball up ensuring a perfect lie and then establish your yardage to the back of the green. Once again this will guarantee that you have enough club to get the ball to the hole. Use this strategy and you could be contending for a "championship" of your own.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today: August 21, 2010 There's a lot riding on the line for some players trying to qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Casey Black breaks down who needs to make a move this weekend to qualify and who leads heading into Saturday. Watch it
	Second Round Highlights Brent Snedeker shoots a second-round 5-under par 65 to join Arjun Atwal atop the leaderboard at 12-under par during second round coverage of the Wyndham Championship. Watch it
	Shot of the Day: Justin Leonard Justin Leonard makes a 24-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 15th and finishes with a 7-under par 63 during the second round of the Wyndham Championship. Watch it