By Chris Dunham, PGATOUR.COM Ryan Moore has an opportunity
to take advantage of a rare home game in the golf world. The Las
Vegas resident and former UNLV Rebel is tied with Brendon de Jonge
and Jonas Blixt after 54 holes of the Justin Timberlake Shriners
Hospitals for Children Open. He will chase his second PGA TOUR
victory Sunday with plenty of support from friends and family.
“It's fun having them all out here, and I've had a ton of
support all week,” Moore said. “Obviously it would make
it extra special at this point if (a win) were to happen tomorrow.
But I've obviously got a long ways to go. I've got two guys that I
am playing against that are playing great golf and then a course
that's playing very scorable. Somebody that's a handful of shots
behind us can go out and shoot 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-under. You've seen
those scores this week.” With five shots separating the lead
three from the pack, there will be a feeling of a final-group match
for the title in Vegas. If Saturday’s 21-birdie showing is
any indication, Moore, de Jonge and Blixt could put on quite a
show. “It's nice playing next to guys that are playing well
and making putts,” Moore said. “Sometimes it makes that
hole look even bigger when you see them just keep dropping. That's
what was happening, especially on the back nine today. Both of them
got rolling and made a bunch of birdies in a row and I kind of
threw in a couple here and there and kind of stayed there with
them.” Blixt birdied six of his final seven holes while de
Jonge carded four consecutive birdies on holes 14-17. Moore, the
only bogey-free member of the group Saturday, made four birdies of
his own on the inward nine to close out his group-best 65. Moore
came to TPC Summerlin in top form, following top-25 finishes in all
four events of the FedExCup Playoffs. He capped the Playoffs with a
tie for third at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and is
positioned to follow-up that showing with yet another strong
finish. “I'm just going to keep my head down and just keep
playing golf exactly how I've been playing all week and see what
happens in the end,” he said. A victory by Moore would make
him the second-consecutive Vegas resident to win at TPC Summerlin.
A year ago, Kevin Na outdueled fellow local Nick Watney for his
first PGA TOUR title. Na (-9) and Watney (-10) are 10 and nine
shots back respectively this week, leaving the door wide open for
Moore to get the lion’s share of the cheers on Sunday.
