U.S. Senior Open: Third-Round Notebook  PGA TOUR Staff HAVEN, Wis. -- Tom Watson's three-stroke lead after 54 holes at Whistling Straits is the largest margin in a U.S. Senior Open since Bruce Lietzke was four strokes in front of both Vicente Fernandez and Watson at the Inverness Club in 2003. That year was also the last time a 54-hole leader/co-leader went on to win the U.S. Senior Open.  Loren Roberts managed only a 73 Saturday, but is in second place. (Darren Hauck/AP)
• Since 1990, player(s) leading or co-leading the U.S. Senior Open after the third round have gone on to win the championship eight times. However, since 1998, only two third-round leaders have won: Don Pooley (2002) and Lietzke (2003). Thus far in 2007 on the Champions Tour, nine of 16 events have been won by the leader/co-leader heading into the final round. • Should Tom Watson go on and win Sunday, he would become the eighth player to claim both a U.S. Senior Open and a U.S. Open. • Since the 2004 U.S. Senior Open, Loren Roberts and Tom Watson are the only two players to lead senior majors after 54 holes and go on to win. Both did so at the Senior British Open. Last year at Turnberry, Roberts led after three rounds and went on to defeat Eduardo Romero in a playoff. Two years ago at Royal Aberdeen, Watson was the three-round leader and went on to defeat Des Smyth in a playoff. • Loren Roberts is no stranger to winning in Wisconsin, having claimed both the 1996 and 2000 Greater Milwaukee Open. In two of Roberts' other six victories on the PGA TOUR, Tom Watson was in contention. At the 1994 Nestle Invitational at Bay Hill in Florida, Watson was T2 after three rounds and Roberts was T7. Watson eventually finished in solo eighth place in that event, four strokes back. At the 1996 MCI Classic on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Roberts was the 54-hole leader and Watson was T10. Watson eventually finished T5 in that event, eight strokes back. • Denis Watson, the 2007 Senior PGA Championship winner, made a significant move up the leaderboard Sunday. Watson's 5-under 67 was the low round of the day and was one of just two scores in the 60s (David Eger/69). The round vaulted Watson from a T47 into a T6. • John Ross from Freeman, W.Va., and Brad Bryant from Lakeland, Fla., are the only two players in the field with three consecutive rounds of par/better at Whistling Straits. Ross is making his third appearance in the U.S. Senior Open and is T3 after 54 holes. He missed the cut in 2003 and finished T46 in 2004. Bryant is also making his third appearance in the U.S. Senior Open this week. He missed the cut in 2005 and finished T14 last year. • Only eight of the 62 players who made the cut had sub-par rounds Sunday. The par-4 18th hole again played as the most difficult (4.726). D.A. Weibring had the only birdie. Only one birdie was made at the par-4 eighth hole as well (Mike Goodes) but the hole ranked as the fourth hardest (4.371).The par-4 13th hole played as the easiest (3.903). • Just two eagles were made Sunday. David Eger holed a sand wedge shot from 60 yards at the par-4 14th, and at the par-5 16th Bob Gilder knocked a 3-wood second shot to within five feet and made the putt. • If Tom Watson wins Sunday, he could make a significant move up in the Schwab Cup standings. Watson is in 20th position and currently trails Jay Haas by 1,395 points. • Should he rally to win the U.S. Senior Open on Sunday, Loren Roberts would earn 940 Charles Schwab Cup points and vault into the top spot in the season-long race. Roberts is currently in fourth place, 697 points back of Haas. • Final-round play begins at 7:45 a.m. CT on Sunday with 31 twosomes all going off the first tee. |
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