Jeff Maggert made one of five birdies at the 18th hole on Sunday at THE PLAYERS.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Sergio Garcia wasn't the only player who saw his chance to win THE PLAYERS Championship dissolve at the 17th hole on Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Maggert was tied for the lead at 12 under when he stepped to the tee at the 137-yard par 3. The 49-year-old, whose third and last PGA TOUR win came at the 2006 FedEx St. Jude Classic, chose a 9-iron for the dicey and delicate shot to an island green.

He caught the ball thin, though, and the shot came up short, splashing into the pond that claims 10,000 balls of less significance each year.

"When I hit my shot, I was yelling at it to go, because I thought it had a chance to get up on that little ridge there," Maggert recalled. "I didn't really think the wind was blowing hard enough to keep it short of the green. I didn't take a real aggressive line. I was just trying to hit it right on the top and maybe let it take the slope down.
   
"... It looked like it was close, but close but no cigar."

Maggert, who was playing in his 20th PLAYERS Championship this week, had stepped to the 17th tee 67 times in competition. So he knew what to expect. He knew what could happen, too.

"You just live with it," he said. "You know it's going to be a test of nerves, and you just go up there and try to hit a good shot. At the end of the tournament when things are on the line, it's the ultimate risk-reward. So you've just got to get up there and try to hit a good shot and get out of there with a par."

Maggert didn't, but he rebounded well. Shaking off the double bogey, he hit a brilliant approach to the 18th hole and rolled in a 3-footer for one of just five birdies made there on Sunday. As a result, Maggert ended up in a tie for second -- his best finish of the season and his first top-10 since he tied for fifth at last year's Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, a span of 37 events.

No one played better on the weekend than the Texan, who shot 8 under for the final two rounds and closed with a 70 on Sunday. He stayed patient throughout the week, and he hopes to build on this success as he heads back to the Lone Star State to play in the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

"I felt like I executed pretty well, and, yeah, just disappointed to come up short," Maggert said. "But it's a funny thing about this game. You put it behind you, you go to next week, and you get up on the first tee on Thursday and you start all over. If you're worried about what happened four days prior, then you're not going to last very long out here.

"You look forward and look to the next shot, the next hole, and the next tournament."

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Eight years ago, Fred Funk made history by becoming the oldest player to win THE PLAYERS Championship at 48 years, 9 months and 14 days.

Sunday, Jeff Maggert has a chance to eclipse that.

Maggert, who turned 49 on Feb. 20 of this year, shot a 6-under 66 Saturday, coming within one of matching his career-low at TPC Sawgrass.

He'll enter Sunday within reach of the lead at 9 under with 18 holes to go.

Asked what his expectations were coming into the week, Maggert joked, "To make the cut."

"I'm still very competitive on the inside and want to play well every week, but it's just tough, just trying to keep it together and keep your health in good shape," he continued. "One week my wrist hurts, the next week my shoulder hurts, so I'm working my way through it."

Maggert came into this week without so much as a top 25 on his resume this season, and he'd broken 70 just once in his last 24 rounds.

Saturday, however, he was spectacular, going out in 31 and charging up the leaderboard after five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on the front nine.

Maggert added two more on Nos. 10 and 16 before making his lone bogey of the day on the final hole, where he missed the green left then hit his bunker shot across the green.

He also needed just 22 putts.

In 19 previous appearances in THE PLAYERS, Maggert has just two top 10s -- both third-place finishes in 1994 and 2000. His best career score here was a 65 in the opening round in 1994.

Can he see himself winning?

"That's why I'm here," said Maggert, who came into the week fourth in driving accuracy and 40th in greens in regulation. "We've still got that in our blood. This course in particular probably really suits my style of game at this point in my career. I feel I can come out and hit the ball well and shoot a good score."

 

Jeff Maggert has withdrawn from the Valero Texas Open, citing a wrist injury.

The 48-year-old injured his wrist while playing from the bunker on the par-5 14th (his fifth hole of the day). He was 3 over at the time having bogeyed three of his first four holes.

Maggert arrived at TPC San Antonio having missed his last three cuts.

 

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Jeff Maggert, who turns 49 next month, has stolen a page from the young guns and is now tied for the lead at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.

Maggert has made seven birdies through 15 holes on the Nicklaus Private Course and he's tied with Jerry Kelly, Bobby Gates and Ricky Barnes. Kelly and Gates are through 16 and 15 holes, respectively. on the Nicklaus while Barnes has played 10 holes at La Quinta.

Patrick Cantlay, the former UCLA standout who is playing on a sponsor's exemption, heads a group of seven players at 6 under. Also at that number are Jason Kokrak, Roberto Castro, James Hahn, Kevin Stadler, Aaron Baddley and Stephen Ames.

Phil Mickelson, who is making his 2013 PGA TOUR debut,  is having a difficul time at La Quinta. The two-time champion, who has battled flu-like symptoms for the last 10 days, is 1 over through 14 holes.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Leaderboard | Projected Money List LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- One round down, three to go -- at least for those looking to land a spot in the all-important top 125 on the money list. As Jonas Blixt, who is already well inside that number, put it earlier this week, guys playing for a card is where all the stress lies because they’re playing for their jobs. Others, meanwhile, are eyeing the top 30 or top 70, which gets players into the Masters or invitational events. With that in mind, here’s a look at who moved up, and who fell down, in the opening round of the season-ending Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. WHO’S UP>>> Camilo Villegas: He made the biggest jump of anyone on Thursday. Entering the week, Villegas was 150th on the money list and faced with the possibility of having to go to the second stage of q-school if he fell any further. He responded with a 7-under 65 to sit just one shot off the lead. As such, he’s now projected to climb more than 50 spots should he hold that position. Villegas has struggled since winning two years ago at The Honda Classic, falling outside the top 200 in the world. But he’s played much better of late with three straight finishes in the top 30. Villegas attributes the turnaround, in part, to a more positive outlook. “The biggest change is definitely mental and attitude,” Villegas said. Case in point: He three-putted his opening hole, No. 10 on the Palm Course, only to have nine one-putts the rest of the round. Started: 150th. Projected: 107th. Kevin Chappell: The Californian began the week inside the bubble, but just barely. A 67 gave him a little more cushion. It was also a good sign given his recent play. Chappell came here having missed three of his last four cuts. He also hadn’t broken 70 in any of his opening rounds during that stretch. Another good omen for Chappell: He tied for third here a year ago. If he does that again, his future status will be more thn secure. As for his round, he tallied a half-dozen birdies and just one bogey. He also took just 24 putts, which included 10 one-putts (though that number is a bit skewed since he hit just 10 greens in regulation).  Started: 123rd. Projected: 118th. Chez Reavie: If not for a playoff loss in Boston last year, Reavie wouldn’t even have to worry about his status for next year. As it is, he came to Disney on the outside looking in. A 68, however, puts him right on the bubble (replacing previous bubble boy Billy Mayfair). One big upside for Reavie: His 68 Thursday matched the low score on the much more difficult Magnolia Course here. That will put him in very good position going into the second round. Started: 132nd. Projected: 125th. Charlie Wi: He’s never won in 183 starts on TOUR. A victory this week, though, would have double meaning since it would move him inside the top 30 on the money list and get him into the Masters. This is the eighth first-round lead of Wi’s career and third this year -- he opened with a 61 at Pebble Beach’s Monterey Peninsula CC and a 66 at Bay Hill. Started: 45th. Projected: 29th. Charles Howell III: He began the week 73rd on the money list. He’s now projected to move up to 69th after one of just five 68s on the Magnolia Course. Howell had a pair of eagles in his round, on the par-5 fourth and par-5 10th. He also missed just three greens in regulation. Started: 73rd. Projected: 69th. WHO’S DOWN>>> Rod Pampling: The Aussie came into this week precariously perched just two spots inside the number. After a disappointing 70 on the Palm Course, which played nearly two strokes under par and two strokes easier than the Magnolia Course, Pampling is now projected to finish 126th. Pampling’s 31 putts certainly didn’t help. Neither did a bogey on his final hole of the day, the par-4 ninth. A year ago, Pampling shot 76-69 to miss the cut here. Started: 124th. Projected: 126th. Boo Weekley: The two-time TOUR winner came into the week flirting with the magic number. A 2-under 70 on the Magnolia dropped him one spot in the projections. He’s still safe for now, and he got the more difficult course out of the way on a breezy afternoon, but he’ll need to be careful. Weekley missed four of his last five cuts coming into this week. Started: 121st. Projected: 122nd. Jeff Maggert: The veteran crept closer to the bubble, dropping two places in the projected money following a 72 on the Palm Course. He still has another season before he’s eligible for the Champions Tour, so being fully exempt is important to Maggert. Started: 122nd. Projected: 124th. Billy Mayfair: A year ago, Mayfair entered this week on the wrong side of the number before tying for sixth to finish inside the top 125. Thursday, he shot a 72 on the Palm Course to fall off the bubble. Things started off well enough for Mayfair with three birdies through his first seven holes on the back nine. Then he double bogeyed the 18th and added three more bogeys on the front nine to close in 1 over.  Started: 125th. Projected: 127th. Gary Christian: The 41-year-old rookie said this week he’s just enjoying the ride. It could be a short one if he doesn’t move inside the top 125. He came to Disney two spots outside the number and fell one more after opening with a 71 on the Palm Course. Part of the problem: He had just three birdies on a course that played a couple of strokes under par. He didn’t give himself many opportunities, though, hitting just nine greens and still taking 28 putts. Started: 127th. Projected: 128th. NOTABLES Robert Karlsson: He came into the week 161st on the money list and is projected to drop a spot after opening with a 1-under 71 on the Magnolia Course, which has him in a tie for 48th. Justin Leonard: The 12-time winner entered 138th and fell a half-dozen spots following a 73 on the Magnolia Course. He does have a career money exemption for next season if needed, however. Stuart Appleby: A 74 on the Magnolia Couse has the Aussie projected to tumble four more spots to 166th. In three of his last four starts, Appleby has finished over par.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Nearly two decades ago, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, known then as the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic, was the site of Jeff Maggert’s first career victory on the PGA TOUR. Now he’s just hoping to keep his card. At 122nd on the money list coming into this week, this is an important tournament for the 48-year-old. He’ll turn 49 in February and would like to be fully exempt for next season before becoming eligible for the Champions Tour in 2014. “As long as I’m fully exempt out here I’ll probably weight my schedule more to the regular TOUR, but I will kind of go back and forth,” Maggert said Tuesday. “There’s a big discrepency between [Champions Tour] prize money and [PGA TOUR] money. The regular TOUR has really jumped ahead. If you can play well on this tour, from an economic standpoint you have to win 4-5 times on the [Champions Tour] to boost your earnings compared to what can you make on the regular TOUR.” Eventually, however, as Maggert points out, you can’t fight time. “Year after year, it gets harder to compete,” he said. Maggert just hopes he has at least one more fully exempt year to do so.

Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012
1 p.m. ET: Jonas Blixt
1:30 p.m. ET: Jeff Maggert

Wed., Nov. 7, 2012
12:30 p.m.  ET: Gary Christian
12:45 p.m. ET: Tommy Gainey
1 p.m. ET: Erik Compton

The leaders are about to start their third rounds at the John Deere Classic and fittingly, they’re all seeing green lights. The average winning score in the last 10 years at TPC Deere Run has been 19 under, so 36-hole leader Troy Matteson knows he can’t rest on his laurels after posting a 13-under mark to this point. “On a course like this you just got to try to keep shooting 5 , 6 , 7 under a day as best you can,” he said. “You really don't know what's going to happen. A guy could shoot 59 the last day and you shoot 6 under and you get lapped. You can't really plan for that.” Joining Matteson in this afternoon’s 1:42 p.m. ET final pairing is 48-year-old three-time TOUR winner Jeff Maggert, whose 9-under 62 was Friday’s best score. “I feel like I need another really good score, too,” Maggert said. “Feel like I need a 7 or 8 under the next Saturday or Sunday to keep myself in position. You don't expect to come out and shoot 9 under par every day, but I feel like I'm going to need one more really good round and then another round that's solid.” Maggert’s last TOUR victory came in 2006 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Matteson’s two TOUR victories came at two different tournaments called the Frys.com Open -- the first at TPC Summerlin in what is now the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Playing ahead of the final pairing are Brian Harman (-12) and J.J. Henry (-11). Gary Christian (-11) and Ricky Barnes (-11) are another group ahead while Robert Garrigus (-11) is joined by a three-time champion here who has more TOUR wins than the other seven players mentioned combined. Steve Stricker, a 12-time TOUR winner seeking the “Stricker Slam” this week at TPC Deere Run enters today’s action just three back of the lead. Stricker’s last two third rounds at the John Deere Classic have been a 62 and a 63, both leaving him with the 54-hole lead. “There is a lot of good players and a long ways to go, so I just have to keep doing my thing,” Stricker said. “I need a low round. That's what it's going to take. One of these two rounds on Saturday or Sunday I'm going to have to put up a real low one and get right in there.” Long story short, don’t expect anyone to slow the torrid scoring pace they’ve been on in the early going. “It's a shootout,” Matteson said. “These tournaments where you got to shoot 20 plus under to win are really fun because we get to make a lot birdies and see how the chips fall at the end of the day. It will be a very interesting finish.”