Even-par 70 keeps Driscoll three ahead at Xerox Classic  PGA TOUR Staff ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- James Driscoll fired an even-par 70 on Saturday at the Irondequoit Country Club to maintain a three-shot lead at the Nationwide Tour's $600,000 Xerox Classic.  James Driscoll had four bogeys and four birdies in his even-par 70 on Saturday. (Jim Rogash/WireImage)
After playing the first two rounds without a bogey, Driscoll posted four on Saturday but made up for them with the same number of birdies (Nos. 9, 12, 16 and 17) to escape without losing any strokes off of his second-round lead. "I was up and down today after playing so steady the first two days," said Driscoll, who hit 11 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation. "But that is the type of golf course that this is. If you would have told me at the beginning of the day I would shoot even par and still be three up, I would have said no way." Driscoll has now held at least a share of the lead each day this week, but despite holding a sizable three-shot advantage he will have plenty of firepower on his heels during the final round. Among his nearest challengers are David Mathis (67) at three shots back, last week's winner Justin Bolli (69) and 19-year-old Australian phenom Jason Day (68), who are both four back, and two-time winners Roland Thatcher (64) and Nick Flanagan (70), who are five and seven shots back, respectively. "It is definitely a little cushion but not even close to being enough to know you are going to win," said Driscoll. "Hopefully I'll keep playing the way I have the first three days and come away with the victory." Driscoll got off to a slow start to the 2007 season -- missing the cut in four of his first six starts -- but has turned it on as of late with all five top-25 finishes coming in his last eight starts. Currently No. 31 on the money list, a win on Sunday would do wonders for Driscoll's attempts to finish among The 25 and receive a ticket back to the PGA TOUR. He last played on the TOUR in 2006 -- finishing a disappointing 187th on the money list -- after playing his rookie season in 2005 and finishing 100th in earnings. "A win would be great because I've had such a frustrating time the last two years," said Driscoll, who posted his sole Tour win at the 2004 Virginia Beach Open. "A win would just blow away what I had anticipated. You know, if you don't play well you don't deserve to be on the PGA TOUR. If you play well out here and finish inside the top 25, then you deserve to be on the PGA TOUR." Mathis, a 33-year-old native of Winston-Salem, N.C., posted four birdies and just one bogey on the day to stay within shouting distance of Driscoll's lead. "I played solid today," said Mathis. "I gave myself some good looks. All in all, it was a solid day." While playing well the first three days is encouraging to Mathis, he is actually just pleased to be playing on the weekend, having missed the previous five cuts. "I felt like I've been playing pretty well the last month or so ... but I just haven't been holing putts and getting anything out of my round," said Mathis. "I'm just thankful to be in the spot that I'm in heading into the final round." The round of the day was turned in by Thatcher with a 6-under 64. The former Auburn University standout began the day in a tie for 35th place and 11 shots off Driscoll's lead. But a scorecard that included nine birdies -- including a tournament-record 6-under 29 on the back nine -- resulted in moving up 29 spots and just five shots off of the lead. "I caught fire on the back nine," said Thatcher, who needed just 24 putts on the day. "Making as many birdies as I did doesn't happen too often on a golf course of this caliber. On courses where 20 under wins, you'd expect to get on a roll like that, but not out here." Thatcher will enter the final round seeking his third victory of the season, which would result in an immediate ticket to the PGA TOUR through the Tour's Three-Win Promotion. But after making up a sizable chunk of his deficit on Saturday, he'll need just as heroic of an effort during the final round. "I would have to have some help from guys out there this (Saturday) afternoon to have a chance," said Thatcher. "If James plays solid this afternoon, he will be hard to catch. But at least I made up some shots on the field today. The golf course is playing so tough ... I may have a reasonable chance tomorrow, but I'll have to take some chances." Third-Round News & Notes: The 54-hole leader has gone on to win 13 of 22 events this season. ... In the first two editions of the Xerox Classic, Rick Price is the only winner who also held the lead after 54 holes. Kevin Stadler, on the other hand, came back from three strokes down to win the 2006 Xerox Classic. ... There were no bogey-free rounds on Saturday. The total for the week still stands at eight. ... Sunday's winner will take home $108,000. |
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