Bo Van Pelt is nearing the turn and still leading, but he now he has company in Kris Blanks, who just birdied the ninth hole to pull even with Van Pelt at 5 under. Van Pelt, meanwhile, has played his first eight holes in even par.

This isn’t a U.S. Open, but it’s sure played like one with a premium on par -- John Daly said Saturday the rough is similar to that of the U.S. Open and the greens similar to a PGA Championship.

As for who else is in contention, Sean O’Hair just made the turn in 2 under and is within one at 4 under for the week. After that there’s some separation with three others at 1 under -- John Daly and Geoff Ogilvy are among that group.

Meanwhile, Canadian Adam Hadwin’s hopes appear to be dashed. He’s 4 over through eight holes after two bogeys and a double bogey through eight holes. He’s now back to even par and five strokes back.

After blocking his tee shot way right and making bogey on the opening hole, Bo Van Pelt has since bounced back with a birdie on the par-4 fourth, where he rolled in a 9-footer on the 418-yard hole. That puts Van Pelt up by two and back to 5 under, but there are still plenty of players close behind him on what’s already been a difficult day of scoring.

Just how tough has the scoring been? Only seven players, including Van Pelt, are under par for the tournament.

One of them is John Daly, who is 1 over through five holes here in the final round but still just four shots off the lead. Daly of course hasn’t won since 2004 and hasn’t been in contention since a pair of runner-up finishes in 2005. But he’s been bombing his way around Shaughnessy pretty well.

One thing to keep an eye on: Daly has played the back nine at Shaughnessy extremely well with nine birdies and just one bogey (actually a triple bogey). If he can survive the front nine without any more bogeys, he could make a run on the back. Click here to follow Daly live .

It’s been a long time since John Daly has been in this position, in contention going into the final round. But that’s what he’s in after a 3-under 67 Saturday at Shaughnessy G&CC, where Daly is seeking his first win since 2004.

On a course where accuracy off the tee is paying off for Chad Campbell, Daly has somehow managed to bomb-and-gouge his way into the hunt. Saturday, Daly just 57 percent of his fairways, but he did manage to hit nearly 80 percent of his greens.

At one point, Daly made four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine before finishing with five birdies and just two bogeys. And it was because he hit driver most of the day that he was able to set up those opportunities.

“If you do lay-up, you can't get to the green on your approach shots at all,” Daly said. “Some of the par-4s are so long you have to drive it. You've just got to attack. I mean, it's the only way you can do it.”

As for Daly trying to win for the first time in seven years, he’s trying to not let himself think about that.

“It would be nice, but it's so hard you're thinking more about the golf course,” Daly said. “It would be great of course. I just know it's not where you can say, okay, that's six holes. I screw up a little bit and I can make eagle on that. You can't do that out here. Every hole is just too hard.”

Competitive is something Daly has struggled to be. With limited status, he’s made just 14 starts this year and made the cut in five of them. His best finish was a tie for 65th at Torrey Pines.

Daly also hasn’t had a top-10 on TOUR since 2005 when he had a pair of runner-up finishes that year. But with recent weight loss and rounds like Saturday’s, Daly is feeling good about himself.

“I have so much more energy,” he said. “It’s a new me and hopefully it pays off.”

With Shaughnessy G&CC stifling scoring, it doesn’t take make much to make a move on the leaderboard. Case in point: Chad Campbell, who just eagled the par-5 seventh to get to 5 under and two shots clear.

The eagle for Campbell came when the Texan hit it to just over 11 feet and then made the putt on No. 7.

The other name moving up the leaderboard: John Daly, who is 3 under through 15 holes and 2 under for the tournament.

Daly, who isn’t exactly known as a fairways and greens guy, has hit just half his fairways here in the third round, but he’s also hit 80 percent of his greens. The result for Daly: Four birdies in his last five holes. In all, he has five birdies and just two bogeys to put himself in contention.

By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM For 35 holes, John Daly was the model of consistency at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club. He shot an even-keel round of 70 in Round 1, and was one-over par through his front nine in Round 2. He then birdied three of his next seven holes which got him to 2 under, two shots off the lead. But No. 18 was a roller coaster for Daly. He drove it in the thick left rough but was able to advance his ball within 24 yards of the green. He hit a wedge to 25 feet, but blew his par putt 5 feet 6 inches past the hole. He then missed the bogey attempt. And his double-bogey putt. Daly tapped in for a round-ending triple bogey that dropped him to 1-over par. The good news for Daly is that he’ll be around for the weekend. Including this event, he’s made five cuts this year and is currently 222nd in FedExCup standings.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

How did John Daly make a 13 on the par-4 fourth hole Friday?

“Two‑putted,” he said. “[Had a] 20‑footer for 12.”

The trouble for Daly started when he heeled his tee shot and hit it well to the right on the hole.

“I really was hoping they wouldn't find it so I'd have to go back to the tee,” said Daly, whose ball was found by a spectator in the thick rough.

He then hit it a couple of times, took an unplayable, couldn’t get it out, took another unplayable and then was able to hit it far enough back to the left where he could take a drop.

Daly then hit it into the bunker left of the green, hit onto the green and two-putted.

At first Daly jokingly told his playing partner Todd Hamilton to put him down for an 18, which would have been the second such score of Daly’s career (the other came in 1998 at Bay Hill). Then Daly started counting and came up with 11 before figuring it out to be a 13 ( click here to replay the hole and his round ).

“I just lost track there for a while,” Daly said.

Up until that point, Daly had a good round going at 2 under through 12 holes. He then went on to bogey three of his next four holes and shot 81 to finish his week at 11 over.

“I just hit a horrible swing on 4,” he said. “Just a heel shank. I deserved it.”

After making a mess of the fourth hole, John Daly’s score on the par-4 was revised from an 18 to an 11 to a 13.

Apparently Daly had jokingly told his playing partner, Todd Hamilton, to put him down for an 18. No cameras were on scene to record the action, however, and it’s possible the score may again be revised.

The trouble began for Daly when he hit his tee shot well to the right and into the rough. From there, he struggled to advance the ball, hitting it no more than a few feet until eventually taking a drop. After that, he hit into a greenside bunker before reaching the green and two-putting.

The 13 dropped Daly from 2 under on his round to 7 over before he bogeyed three of his next four holes to close in 45 and finish with an 81.

Friday was not the first time Daly recorded a high number -- he had an 18 in 1998 at Bay Hill.

It’s also not the single-highest score on a hole on the PGA TOUR this season. That honor goes to Kevin Na, who recorded a 16 on a hole during the Valero Texas Open.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

Count John Daly among those who wasn’t bothered by the heat in Memphis Thursday. Of course Daly lived in the area for 19 years so he’s used to it, even if he has spent some of his season playing in Europe.

“The heat helps,” Daly said. “You get older, you don't know which bone is going to crack when you get 45. Every time you swing, it pops out.

“Europe is great, but it's just cold all the time, I never get loose.”

Daly was plenty loose Thursday, making six birdies (and five bogeys) on his way to shooting 1-under 69 that leaves him in good position.

The second round, of course, will be key for Daly. He’s played in nine PGA TOUR event this year but made the cut in just two of them. Of those nine starts, Daly has opened with a 70 or better six times.

But Daly is happy with his position and his game heading into the second round at a familiar course.

“It was a good ball striking day,” Daly said. “Good to make some birdies.”

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

The cut line sits at even par right now and while it’s still early in the second round, it looks like Ben Crane will have a short week at Colonial.

Crane, who came into the week as one of the PGA TOUR’s most accurate players off the tee and into the green, ranking eighth in driving accuracy and 19th in greens in regulation, has been anything but that this week.

Through 33 holes, Crane has hit just 13 fairways and 18 greens and is 8 over for the week.

In terms of performance, his opening 75 was his worst score in relation to par since last year’s TOUR Championships presented by Coca-Cola where he shot 76 in the third round. It’s also just his seventh round over par in 31 rounds on TOUR this year.

Other notables currently on the wrong side of the cut: John Daly, Kenny Perry, Jerry Kelly and Trevor Immelman.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

Not unexpectedly, the scoring has slowed considerably in the afternoon wave at Colonial, where the low number on the board right now is 4 under (Kent Jones and Steve Marino).

In other words, the 8-under lead of David Toms and Chez Reavie is probably safe.

Here’s a look at how some notable players are faring, though:

Sergio Garcia: The Spaniard has played much better this season -- three top-25s, which included an eighth-place finish at Bay Hill -- and he’s continued that trend this week at 3 under through 13 holes. So far, Garcia has made just one bogey.

Hunter Mahan: At 3 under Mahan also has just one bogey on his round, and he’s hit seven of 10 fairways and 10 of 12 greens so far. Given Mahan’s accuracy, he should do well here if his putter gets hot.

Zach Johnson: The defending champ has been up and down so far -- four birdies, two bogeys -- but he’s played well of late with a tie for sixth at the Wells Fargo Championship and a tie for 12th at THE PLAYERS Championship, where he closed with a 66.

John Daly: Colonial isn’t exactly a bomber’s paradise so it’s no surprise Daly has struggled a bit -- he has three bogeys and three birdies through 15 holes. Daly’s struggled with the putter, having already taken 26 putts.

Rory Sabbatini: The 2007 winner of this event has hit just half his fairways and half his greens. The result? Three bogeys to offset his three birdies.