Big 54-hole leads: Who won and who didn't?

Sep. 1, 2010
By PGATOUR.COM staff

On the PGA TOUR this season, 15 players have led by three or more shots after 54 holes. Just seven of them have gone on to win the tournament.

A success rate of less than 50 percent is not exactly what you'd expect. But it shows the pressure that comes with being the leader at a TOUR event.

Here's a look at each player who's held a three-stroke-or-more lead after 54 holes this season.

Those who sealed the deal

Player	Tournament	After 54 holes	Final result
Steve Stricker	Northern Trust Open	Led by six strokes	Won by two strokes
Lead reduced to two early in final round, but Stricker composed himself to shoot 1-under 70
Camilo Villegas	The Honda Classic	Led by three strokes	Won by five strokes
Three straight birdies midway through round allowed him to cruise on back nine
Jim Furyk	Transitions Championship	Led by three strokes	Won by one stroke
Led by two going into final hole but almost blew it after his drive found the trees
Justin Rose	AT&T National	Led by four strokes	Won by one stroke
Looked shaky after a couple of three-putt bogeys but parred last seven holes for a final-round 70
Steve Stricker	John Deere Classic	Led by six strokes	Won by two strokes
Led by just two shots with five holes left but steadied himself to finish at 26 under, a tournament record
Louis Oosthuizen	British Open	Led by four strokes	Won by seven strokes
Enjoyed a stress-free final round with a 1-under 71 for a near record-setting win at St. Andrews
Arjun Atwal	Wyndham Championship	Led by three strokes	Won by one stroke
Shot 3-under 67 in final round to become first Monday qualifier in 24 years to win on TOUR

Those who didn't

Player	Tournament	After 54 holes	Final result
Kevin Streelman	Puerto Rico Open	Led by three strokes	Finished tied for 3rd
Shot final-round 1-over 73 while Derek Lamely went on to win with a 66
Rickie Fowler	the Memorial	Led by three strokes	Finished solo second
Found the water at the 12th hole for double bogey while Justin Rose won with a 66
Dustin Johnson	U.S. Open	Led by three strokes	Finished tied for eighth
Triple bogey-double bogey-bogey stretch early in round led to cringe-inducing 11-over 82
Justin Rose	Travelers Championship	Led by three strokes	Finished tied for ninth
Rose bogeyed the 12th and doubled the 15th en route to a final-round 5-over 75
Dean Wilson	RBC Canadian Open	Led by four strokes	Finished solo second
After shooting three straight 65s, Wilson shot a final-round 72 and was overtaken by Carl Pettersson
Jeff Overton	The Greenbrier Classic	Led by three strokes	Finished solo second
Shot 3-under 67 but it's hard to compete when Stuart Appleby throws out the fifth 59 in PGA TOUR history
Nick Watney	PGA Championship	Led by three strokes	Finished tied for 18th
Made double bogey on the first hole and closed with an 81 as Martin Kaymer ended up winning in a playoff
Martin Laird	The Barclays	Led by three strokes	Lost in a playoff
Three-putted 72nd hole to drop into a playoff, then lost on a spectacular approach shot by Matt Kuchar