The Starter, Round 3: Travelers Championship

text size

Jun. 26, 2010

The third round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands is set to begin. Here's a preview of Saturday's action:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
12:04 p.m. ET No. 1		Stewart Cink, Bo Van Pelt Cink is alive and hoping to be the second three-time winner of this event. Van Pelt is seeking his fifth top-10 finish in eight starts.
1:50 p.m. ET, No. 1		Vijay Singh, Bill Lunde Both winless since 2008, Singh's win on the PGA TOUR, Lunde's on the Nationwide Tour, but both are in position to make a weekend move.
2 p.m. ET, No. 1		Justin Rose, Kevin Sutherland Rose has tourched the course with 15 birdies in 36 holes. Sutherland is not far behind, notching 10 without a bogey for his twin 65s.

MORE COVERAGE: Tee times | Notebook | Scores | Transcripts

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Doug Stevens previews Saturday's action:

Despite Justin Rose's 62 and his recent win at the Memorial, don't think this tournament is over by any means. Four and 5 shot leads can evaporate in minutes. But something Justin told me Wednesday and reiterated after the second round is that he's in a mental "place" right now where it doesn't matter if his swing is a little off because he's thinking positive thoughts, and staying away from looking past the next shot he has to play. He'll wake up and know he's four shots up, but hopes not to have anything but that first drive on the first hole on his mind.

Saturday's forecast

Partly Cloudy
Temp: 84 high/67 low
Chance of precipitation 20 percent. Winds 5-10 mph from W.

Kevin Sutherland isn't the only player hoping to make a run, but he's the most likely, because he's just not making any mistakes. None. Bogey-free. When I reminded him of that and told him I hoped I wasn't jinxing him, he said he knew very well that not only was he bogey-free, but that he really hasn't had any stressful pars all week. His always nearby towel will likely get a workout this weekend, but he's certainly not throwing it in to Rose, though the player known as Linus did tell me he might try to cool him off with a few waves.

Sutherland's biggest success in recent years was at Ridgewood in the Barclays two years ago, when he lost in the playoff that included Vijay Singh. That was when Singh was convincing himself he was the best putter in the world, won back-to-back to grab the FedExCup. His putter woes since have been well-chronicled, but when I asked Vijay what the strength of his game was this week, he said "putting". Been a long time since we heard that --beware the wily veterans like Singh and Corey Pavin, and Sutherland, this weekend.

The Film Room

	Live@ Highlights: Travelers Championship Round 2 Catch all the Live@ highlights from the 15th and 17th holes from the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.Watch it
	Round 2 Highlights Justin Rose continues to fire at the flags leaving short putts for birdie en route to a second-round 62 and a four-shot lead heading into the weekend at the 2010 Travelers Championship. Watch it
	Shot of the Day: Bill Lunde Bill Lunde chips in for eagle at the par-4 15th hole during second-round coverage of the 2010 Travelers Championship.Watch it