By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

SAN FRANCISCO -- Fredrik Jacobson did exactly what he had hoped to do on Saturday. Now he has to take advantage in today's final round of the U.S. Open.

Jacobson went out and fired a 68 in the third round that could have been even better to give himself a chance to win his first major championship. At one point Saturday, the Swede reeled off three straight birdies -- and he narrowly missed two more from inside 15 feet to extend the streak as he made the turn.

As a result, Jacobson will play in the penultimate group Lee Westwood, teeing off at 6 p.m. ET. He owns sole possession of third place at 1 over, two strokes off the lead.

"I knew before the round that if I could put a good number up today that I most likely could give myself a chance for (Sunday)," Jacobson said. "It was a big day out there today to try to close the gap a little bit and get into contention.
   
"So the first few holes I didn't hit the fairways and they're tough as it is, even if you are in the fairways. So I had to work really hard the first six holes to play those 1 over, and I think that was key.  So I hit a good shot on 7 to get myself back to even and then played really solid from there."

Jacobson's best finish in a major is a tie for fifth at the 2003 U.S. Open -- interestingly, the one won by Jim Furyk, who starts the final round tied for the lead with Graeme McDowell. He also tied for sixth that year at the British Open but has yet to post another top-10 in one of golf's crown jewels.

That's not to say Jacobson, who will defend his first PGA TOUR title at the Travelers Championship next week, hasn't played well in majors of late. He's finished in the top 20 in three of the last four he's played, including last year's U.S. Open where he started the final round in sixth place.

Jacobson feels the experience on golf’s biggest stage will help Sunday.

"Any time you can draw from good memories it helps," Jacobson said. "Obviously it's a new situation, it's a new tournament, so we're always starting from scratch; but I think last year being in contention here in the U.S. Open and also playing pretty well in the Masters this year -- at least being around it a little bit and also getting to play the majors over the last two years or year and a half -- helps. 

"So I have some consistency going."

 

By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM

Of all the corners of the golf world that exhaled with Tiger Woods winning an official PGA TOUR event for the first time in 30 months at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, perhaps the biggest exhale came from Nike headquarters.

Woods, of course, is the frontman for Nike Golf, having worn the swoosh on his clothes since joining the TOUR in 1996. He originally played Titleist golf balls in his early years as a pro, then picked up Nike’s new balls in 2000 and its clubs in 2002. Two years ago he shelved the last non-Nike product in his bag – his longtime trusty Scotty Cameron putter – for a Nike Method.

By winning at Bay Hill, Nike got a boost for its new VR Pro Blades, which feature a more precise forging process and Nike’s proprietary high-frequency grooves. What the company didn’t get as much of a boost for was its 20XI ball.

Though Woods’ hat has a 20XI logo on the side, his bag doesn’t have any of the company’s new resin-core balls. He’s still playing the ONE Tour D.

Whereas most TOUR players are quick to put the newest balls in play, Woods’ model is three years old. It’s the oldest item in his bag.

Nike ball design guru Rock Ishii told me at January’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando that he leans on Tiger every time he sees him to put a 20XI ball in play on TOUR, and that Tiger has had success with the ball in testing. But the ONE Tour D is still his choice.

Tough to argue after watching him win by five shots at the Arnold Palmer.

NEW NOME: Ping introduced the first USGA-approved adjustable-length belly putter shaft this week. Used on its Nome 405 putter, it allows a player to adjust the length within a 9-inch range (from 37.5 inches to 46.5 inches) to create his or her own custom fit.

“With the popularity of belly putters we saw a unique fitting opportunity because shaft length is so critical to performance,” Ping CEO John Solheim said. “Adjustability is key because the standard 42-inch belly putter fits a narrow range of people.”

To adjust the putter, Ping provides a tool that threads into a locking stainless-steel ring on the shaft, and when the ring is loosened, the shaft slides telescopically. Tightening the ring gets the putter ready for play again. (Like other adjustable clubs such as drivers, adjustable putters may not be changed during a round of golf, per USGA rules.) The shaft is available in Ping’s three different bends for a straight, slight arc and strong arc stroke types.

NEXT TO HEX: Callaway staff players Fredrik Jacobson and J.B. Holmes put Callaway’s new Hex Black Tour ball in play at Bay Hill for the first time, switching from the company’s older Tour i(z) model.

Jacobson also picked up fresh wedges for the upcoming Masters, moving away from the stock-soled wedges he prefers into grinds with bounces reduced and moved more toward the center of the sole. With the closely mown surfaces at Augusta National, less bounce is preferred by most players.

IMITATION: Reigning PLAYERS champion K.J. Choi visited Odyssey’s putter rep and asked for a duplicate of the White Hot XG #7H used by Luke Donald in winning the Transitions Championship. According to Callaway, he said there was something about the rails protruding off the back of the putterhead that made it far easier to swing on plane. The only modification Choi made to the putter was to add his usual Super Stroke Fatso grip.

WINNER’S BAG: Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard:
Driver: Nike VR Tour (8.5 degree, Graphite Design DI 6X shaft)
Fairway wood: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition 3-wood (15 degrees); Nike SQ II 5-wood (19 degrees)
Irons: Nike VR Pro Blades (3-PW)
Wedges: Nike VR Pro (56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Nike Method 001
Ball: Nike ONE Tour D

It all started with a birdie splash from a greenside bunker on the par-4 7th hole at Sheshan International Golf Club. Eleven holes and eight more birdies later, Martin Kaymer was signing for a 9-under 63 that gave him a three-shot victory at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Kaymer, who entered the day five shots behind overnight leader Fredrik Jacobson, opened his round with six pars before his assault on the course got him to 20 under and into the winner's circle. In a way, this victory brings things full circle for Kaymer, who lost in the finals of the first WGC of the season, the Accenture Match Play Championship. A year after earning his first major championship in the final major of the year, Kaymer picks up his first WGC in his final 2011 opportunity. Jacobson, who had played so solidly through three rounds, settled for second-place honors following his Sunday 71. Graeme McDowell finished third at 16 under while Charl Schwartzel, Paul Casey and Rory McIlroy shared fourth at 15 under. Click here to read more about Round 4 at Sheshan International

Martin Kaymer has birdied eight of his last 11 holes, including six of eight on the back nine, to take a one-shot lead over Fredrik Jacobson late in the final round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Kaymer entered Sunday's final round five shots behind leader Fredrik Jacobson but has posted eight birdies and no bogeys through 17 holes. Jacobson shot an even-par 36 on the front nine but has two birdies on the back nine with two holes remaining. Currently in third, three shots behind Kaymer, is Graeme McDowell. Charl Schwartzel, the current clubhouse leader, is four back at 15 under.

Fredrik Jacobson remains alone in the lead at Sheshan International Golf Club after 10 holes, but there are a number of battle-tested players right on his heels. Paul Casey is 5 under through 11 and Martin is 4 under through as many holes and both have reached 15-under totals, one shot behind Jacobson. Two off the pace are Rory McIlroy and Louis Oosthuizen while Graeme McDowell, Adam Scott and Bo Van Pelt are three back.

The stage is set for the final round at Sheshan and the major players, at least the final trio, will match Saturday's cast. Fredrik Jacobson posted a 5-under 67 Saturday and will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Jacobson pushed his lead to four shots after birdies on the 13th and 14th holes but parred in, allowing the other members of his group to gain ground. Joining him in the final group again will be Louis Oosthuizen, who is two back at 14 under, and Adam Scott at 13 under. Both players started the day one shot behind Jacobson and took vastly different paths to secure positions in Sunday's final group. Oosthuizen started slow, not getting a birdie until the fourth hole, but was bogey-free in his 4-under 68. Scott, who is looking to become the first player not named Tiger Woods to win back-to-back World Golf Championships, started with two birdies, was 3 over from holes 4-15, then closed birdie-birdie-eagle for a 3-under 69. U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy made the most of moving day. His 7-under 65 moved him to 12 under, tied with Lee Westwood, four shots behind Jacobson. Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer will enter the final round five back. FedEx St. Jude Classic champions Harrison Frazar and Xin-jun Zhang had Saturday's best rounds, each posting 8-under 64s. Zhang is joined by Paul Casey and last week's CIMB Asia Pacific Classic champion Bo Van Pelt at 10 under through three rounds. TOUR Rookie Jhonattan Vegas matched McIlroy's 7-under 65 and heads to Sunday at 9 under, tied with Ian Poulter, Hunter Mahan and Keegan Bradley. Defending champion Francesco Molinari has yet to break 70 this week and heads to Sunday's finale at 5 under, tied for 30th. Click here to read more about Saturday's third round

Fredrik Jacobson (-14) has been a constant on, or around, the top of the leaderboard throughout the third round of the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. He's currently two shots ahead of Louis Oosthuizen, who entered the day one back, but the names behind those two have been undergoing seismic changes. Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer are each 4 under , 14 and 13 holes into their respective rounds, and find themselves just three back. Also in that group is Paul Casey. The four-way tie at 10 under includes Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. The Northern Irishmen are 5 under and 4 under on the day with a few holes to play. Jhonattan Vegas, a TOUR rookie who won the Bob Hope Classic in January, and Harrison Frazar, who earned his maiden victory earlier this year in Memphis, are the day’s biggest movers. Vegas is finished after a 7-under 65 moved him to 9 under on the week. Frazar has bounced back from a Friday 75 to be 9 under through 16 holes in his third round. Frazar started on the back nine and had seven birdies, one bogey and one par to turn at 6 under. He’s alternated pars and birdies on his first seven holes on the front nine.

Fredrik Jacobson birdied three of the first four holes in Round 3 to move three clear of the pack at Sheshan. This long double-breaker was the second of his early birdies.