Tim Petrovic is back to playing what he likes to call “Petro golf.”
What exactly is that? Hitting lots of fairways and greens, according to Petrovic. He’s doing just that here in the third round. So far, Petrovic has yet to miss any of his eight fairways and he’s missed only one green out of 10. The only downside is that he’s not exactly getting it done with the putter, which is something he’s known for. Petrovic has just two one-putts and he’s only 1-for-5 from 10-15 feet. -- Brian Wacker
Tim Petrovic is back to playing what he likes to call “Petro golf” this week in Memphis.
“I heard that all down the line last week,” said Petrovic, who shot a 4-under 66 Thursday at TPC Southwind a week after finishing in a tie for fifth at the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley.
What exactly is Petro golf? “Not trying to overhit shots,” said Petrovic. “Boring golf. Just hitting a lot of fairways and greens.”
That’s not so boring, of course, especially when it leads to five birdies, just one bogey and a round in which he took only 25 putts.
One of those birdies for Petrovic, who has finished in the top 6 in two of his last three starts, came on his first hole of the day, where he poured in a 31-footer.
“For me, less is more,” Petrovic said. “It’s not so much putting stuff in, it’s about pulling out what’s already in there. I’m 43, you’re not going to teach me any new tricks. It’s the old thing Sam Snead used to say -- ‘Dance with what brung you here'.’” -- Brian Wacker
Tim Petrovic has been deadly accurate off the tee in the first three days, but he's struggling early in today's final round.
Petrovic missed two of his first three fairways but continues to hold steady at 13 under, two shots off the lead.
The fairways Petrovic missed on hole Nos. 1 and 3 were the first two he had missed on the front nine at Muirfield Village this week.
Through the first three rounds, Petrovic and Sean O'Hair led the field in fairways hit, with each player missing just four fairways. In the third round, Petrovid hit his first 13 greens until narrowly missing off the 18th tee in the first cut of rough.
Petrovic has been almost as accurate in greens hit in regulation, missing just 11 of 54 greens in the first three days. But he's missed two of his first five Sunday.
To follow the rest of Petrovic's round on Shot Tracker, click here.
Tim Petrovic must feel like the forgotten man this week, and for good reason.
He's 43 years old. He hasn't won in five years. He doesn't wear loud colors, unless you count the orange-ish shirt he wore Saturday. He also missed the first six cuts of the year.
So why is he threatening to ruin Rickie Fowler's coronation at Muirfield Village?
For one, he found something during the Texas swing, when he was sixth at the Valero Texas Open. He also closed with a 65 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. It was easily his best score on Sunday this season.
Second, Petrovic is a funny guy -- "This 43-year-old body is a temple," he joked on Saturday.
In all seriousness, Petrovic was concerned about the pace Fowler has set. Not with birdies or eagles, but with his tempo and playing style. Fowler plays very quickly, and it can take some getting used to. The final round is the second day in a row Petrovic has played with Fowler.
"I think Byron Nelson said it one time," Petrovic said. "He played with quick guys, and sometimes the crowd would even walk fast, and you just had to walk at your own pace. You start running with the crowd. Then you speed up. And then everything speeds up, and it throws you off a little bit."