The Live Report, Round 3: WGC-CA Championship
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
ELS, SCHWARTZEL LEAD (6 p.m.): Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel share the lead through three rounds at TPC Blue Monster at Doral. Els shot 70, but it could have been better if not for two lip-outs. Schwartzel, on the other hand, had six birdies and just one bogey in a round of 67.
The two South Africans have company, though, most notably Padraig Harrington, who is just one back after a 67 of his own. Robert Allenby, meanwhile is two back. -- Brian Wacker
MICKELSON INJURY (5:33 p.m.): Phil Mickelson had another wild day -- he hit just six fairways and made five birdies and five bogeys to shoot even par and sit at 4 under through three rounds. Mickelson also appeared to injury himself at one point, reaching for his elbow on his second shot on the 18th hole. According to NBC, Mickelson said he stung his elbow on the shot by hitting into the ground and that it's a little tender. Mickelson, who has had this happen before, also said the pain should dissipate in 12 to 24 hours. -- Brian Wacker
ELS STILL LEADING (5:13 p.m.): The third round is starting to wind down at TPC Blue Monster at Doral, and Ernie Els is still in the lead, but by only one. It could be two or three if not for a couple of putts that didn't quite fall. He just had a 35-footer lip out on No. 14...one hole after a 4-footer for par lipped out. -- Brian Wacker
BLOWING AWAY (4:54 p.m.): How bad was the wind? It was, in a word, "fierce," according to Paul Casey.
The Englishman said there were holes where it was hard to tell whether the wind was helping or hurting because of the gusts. As a result, it was difficult at times to how far the ball was going to go.
"I only hit lob-wedge into 18," Casey said. "I've never hit lob-wedge into 18 before. I was actually a bit shocked as to what I needed to do. Very surprised standing there.
"And on other holes, suddenly became brutal. I could not even reach 13 today with a 3-iron. I ripped a 3-iron. It's only 205 yards to the front. Could not get close with it." -- Helen Ross
SURGERY ON THE HORIZON (4:23 p.m.): You might recall that Martin Kaymer's 2009 campaign was shortened by two months when he broke four bones in his right foot in a go-kart accident shortly after he tied for sixth at the PGA Championship,
Kaymer had posted back-to-back wins on the European Tour earlier that season and did manage to come back to finish third in the inaugural Race to Dubai. He picked up his seventh win in January at the Abu Dhabi Championship, too.
But Kaymer now plans a three-week break after the Masters during which time he'll have surgery in Germany to take out the screws and the titanium plate in his foot. He expects to be idle for about 10 days.
"It's not hurting at the moment," Kaymer said. "... But you can't go running. I can't do anything. So I talked to my doctor in Germany and he said, if you want to, you can take them out already, so, why not?" -- Helen Ross
CHANGE IS GOOD (4:10 p.m.) Wonder what the difference was in Martin Kaymer's second round and his third? Well, you can start with his performance on the greens.
The German used 10 fewer putts on Saturday in shooting 66 than he did posting Friday's 72. Granted, two of those birdies -- at Nos. 14 and 15 -- came from the fringe, and thus they didn't count as putts, but still the improvement was dramatic.
Putting has been a particular area of emphasis of late for the German, who ranks No. 8 in the world. "So one day it should pay off," he said. "Obviously today was one of those days. Maybe tomorrow."
Kaymer started the third round tied for 22nd and had worked his way into a tie for third at 8 under when he finished just before the leaders made the turn. Ernie Els, who was Kaymer's idol when he was a kid, sets the pace at 12 under.
"I think most important is you're patient," Kaymer said. "Everybody will make bogeys and everybody will make a couple of three-putts out there because it's so difficult. Every single shot is difficult, even when it's downwind. The hole plays shorter, but it's still difficult.
"... Every day was very different. First day, there were a lot of holes downwind and into the wind. Today was more across. So I would say today was by far the toughest day." -- Helen Ross
ALLENBY'S WOES (4 p.m.): Not much has gone right for Robert Allenby today. Despite hitting eight of his first nine greens in regulation, his putting has plagued him once again. Through his first nine holes, Allenby has taken 18 putts and is 1 over with one bogey and eight pars. That's dropped Allenby four shots back of Els into a tie for third.
Allenby has yet to three-putt, but he's also missed two putts from inside 10 feet and is 0-for-3 from 10-15 feet and 0-for-2 from 15-20 feet. -- Brian Wacker
KAYMER IN WITH A 66 (3:31 p.m.): The wind continues to wreak havoc here at TPC Blue Monster at Doral -- Vijay Singh just found the water on No. 10 -- but that didn't stop Martin Kaymer any. He just turned in a 6-under 66 that featured eight birdies and 22 putts. As a result, Kaymer is now tied for third and just three shots back of Ernie Els. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Kaymer's scorecard from Saturday. Click here to replay his round with Shot Tracker.
ELS BOUNCES BACK (3:15 p.m.): Earlier in the week, Ernie Els talked about not trying to win the tournament on a Thursday. He also talked about how he can't let one bad hole get him down. Case in point: Els bogeyed No. 2 today, but has since bounced back with birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to open up a two-shot lead.
On both holes, Els hit his approach to inside 10 feet, setting up easy birdies putts. That's been the key for Els all week. He ranks fourth in the field in greens in regulation and has hit four of six on what is a very windy day here in the third round. -- Brian Wacker
RENAISSANCE MAN (2:52 p.m.): Charl Schwartzel is a man of eclectic tastes.
He turned pro when he was just 18 and in seven years has risen to No. 35 in the world. He's won five times on the European Tour and is chasing what would be the biggest title of his career -- by far -- this week at the CA Championship.
Schwartzel, who will be married in September, also is a licensed pilot, flying his own twin-engine light aircraft. He enjoys hunting and lists cars as another hobby.
Perhaps most interesting, though, is the fact that Schwartzel went six weeks without hitting a golf shot early in the 2009 season when he went on a safari in the Serengeti. He drove 8,000 miles and witnessed the migration of 1 million wildebeest, 300,000 gazelle and 200,000 zebra. -- Helen Ross
WAY BACK (2:35 p.m.) Ernie Els used to play some golf with Charl Schwartzel's father back in their native South Africa. In fact, they teamed to win a better-ball tournament in 1987.
"I guess he was born then just about ," Els said, chuckling. Just barely, though.
The 25-year-old Schwartzel was a guest at Els' house in Jupiter, Fla., earlier this month as he prepared for the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. And now they find themselves tied at the top of the leaderboard at Doral.
"He won everything as a junior, very similar to Trevor Immelman," Els said. "But he's even more impressive because he's longer, he hits the ball a really long way. He's just got so much talent. When he gets a break out here, you know, you're going to see the next superstar out of South Africa, basically."
When told of Els' comments, Schwartzel was characteristically modest. He's won five times around the world, including two on the European Tour earlier this year in South Africa.
"It's always nice when you get compliments, but especially when they come from guys like Ernie who's won so much in the game," he said. "Hopefully I can live up to it. " -- Helen Ross
ELS GIVES ONE BACK (2:35 p.m.): It didn't take long for Ernie Els to give back that birdie he made on the first hole. Els hit an errant tee shot on the par-4 second, finding the fairway bunker on the right. His next shot sailed over the back of the green and he was unable to get up and down. -- Brian Wacker
GOOD RECOVERY (2:19 p.m.): Ben Crane put together one of the best rounds of the early finishers -- and he did it despite starting par-double bogey-bogey.
Crane made six birdies over his next 15 holes, including three straight starting at No. 15 on the way to a 32 on the back nine. The round of 3 under boosted him to even par for the tournament.
Crane, who won the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year, said he's been working hard on his mental approach this year. He started the third round well back in the pack, but stuck to his guns and moved 16 spots up the leaderboard.
"It was just a great opportunity to be struggling a little bit and to be able to keep running my system, my program, we call it," Crane said. "It's just fun when you're doing the things you set out to do and the scores follow. So it was exciting."
The wind, Crane said, continues to be a factor on this sun-kissed Saturday. It's blowing between 10-20 mph and gusting in a variety of directions.
"You get blown over kind of when you're swinging. so it affects where you're going to make contact and then trying to control the ball in the air," he explained. "You just do your best and let the wind take it wherever it's going to go.
"It's hard out there. I'm very impressed with the scores these guys are shooting." -- Helen Ross
ELS OFF TO GOOD START (2:10 p.m.): It didn't take long for Ernie Els to take advantage of what's been the easiest hole on the golf course this week, the 529-yard first. Els made birdie and now leads Robert Allenby by two shots. Check out the chart below and you'll see exactly why Els is in that position.
Click here to follow Els' group live with Shot Tracker. -- Brian Wacker
| Ernie Els - This Week vs. The Field vs. 2010 Season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KUCHAR ON THE MOVE (2 p.m.): Matt Kuchar is now fifth on the leaderboard after making the turn in 31 at TPC Blue Monster at Doral. He still hasn't missed a fairway, but more impressively he's taken just 10 putts. Of course, when you're hitting it inside 10 feet on your approach shots, putting is a lot easier. So far, Kuchar is 6-for-6 on putts inside 10 feet and 3-for-3 on putts from 10-20 feet. -- Brian Wacker
SHOT OF THE DAY CANDIDATE (1:50 p.m.): The Best birdie of the day so far? That might belong to long-hitting Alvaro Quiros. The Spaniard yanked his tee shot on the par-5 fifth so far to the left it landed on the fourth tee. That wasn't much of a problem, though, as Quiros got up-and-down from 93 yards by rolling in a 19-footer for birdie. -- Brian Wacker
THE HOLE STORY (1:42 p.m.): With the 18th hole no longer playing as the most difficult on the golf course, what hole is? The 220-yard par-3 13th. The wind is blowing near 20 mph from the west, which means its mostly into the players' faces on No. 13. That's added up to a 3.4 stroke average and just three birdies ... and 16 bogeys (13 pars, for those of you keeping score at home). The wind should die down a little this afternoon, but don't expect the 13th hole to play much easier. -- Brian Wacker
EARLY MOVERS (1:22 p.m.): Matt Kuchar couldn't break 71 in either of the first two rounds, but he's making a run up the leaderboard at 4 under through his first six holes. Kuchar, who won at Turning Stone last year, has yet to miss a fairway and he's missed just two greens on his way to four birdies in those first six holes at TPC Blue Monster at Doral.
Martin Kaymer is also out fast with three birdies in his first eight holes as he seeks his first top-10 of the season. Right now, Kaymer is tied for 11th. -- Brian Wacker
ALLENBY'S RUN (1:10 p.m.): It's hard to believe Robert Allenby hasn't won on the PGA TOUR since 2001. Looking at the numbers, though, you have to think there's a good chance of that drought ending if not this week, then some other week.
Since '01, Allenby has made more than 15 cuts in a season just twice. In that same period, prior to this year, Allenby has averaged just over 23 starts. This year, though, Allenby, who is one shot back of leader Ernie Els, already has three top-10s, including a runner-up at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
This week, Allenby's three eagles are part of the reason he's in contention. And if it weren't for the final four holes at TPC Blue Monster, he might be leading. Through the first two rounds, he's played Nos. 15-18 in a collective 5 over with four bogeys, one double bogey and one birdie.
What will Allenby do on that stretch this weekend? We'll find out in a few hours. -- Brian Wacker
ELS MAKING IT LOOK EASY (12:48 p.m.): Even TOUR players can struggle with seemingly the simplest parts of their game. Ernie Els had been playing the ball too far up in his stance. The result was a snowball of bad habits. Els and his two caddies noticed it, fixed it and the result is a one-shot lead here in the third round and seven top-10s in Els' last 14 starts on TOUR.
That's given Els a lot of confidence at TPC Blue Monster at Doral, where he's tied for 14th in driving accuracy, fourth in greens hit, third in scrambling and fourth on putts inside 10 feet. If he keeps that up, Els will get his first win since the 2008 Honda Classic. -- Brian Wacker
| Ernie Els Round Comparison | ||||||||||||
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MORE WEATHER NEWS (12:38 p.m.): What a difference a day makes. Saturday's weather is spectacular with grey-blue cloudless skies and abundant sunshine. Temperatures will be in the upper 70s and winds in the 10-20 mph range. Sunday should be a carbon copy. -- Helen Ross
NEW DAY, NEW WEATHER (12:30 p.m.): Rain and lightning caused two stoppages in the second round of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, but that was the last we'll see of it the rest of the weekend. The other bit of good news for players is that the 18th hole at TPC Blue Monster at Doral is playing downwind for Round 3 -- something that wasn't the case the first two days.
The first two rounds, the 467-yard par-4 finishing hole played as the toughest and second-toughest hole on the course, yielding just 10 birdies and a stroke average over par. It's early in the third round, but right now the 18th is playing as the third-easiest hole with a stroke average of 3.83. Of the six scores recorded on the hole, there have already been two birdies. If the hole continues to play downwind, it will totally change the complexion of the round. -- Brian Wacker
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