Apr. 5, 2008
Johnson Wagner, Mathew Goggin, Charley Hoffman
Tee time: 11:50 a.m. CT
Tee: No. 1
Total TOUR wins: 1
Why you should watch: Wagner has seemingly come out of nowhere. He retained his PGA TOUR card for 2008, but the Virginia Tech alum entered Redstone with a grand total of $40,694 earned in nine starts this year. Wagner, who shot 63-69 in the first two rounds to take a three-shot lead, entered this event ranked 150th in Total Driving and 150th in Putting Average. He used only 53 putts in the first two rounds in Houston.
| 2008 stat comparison |
| Wagner |
9 |
3 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
72.34 |
| Goggin |
8 |
6 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
1 |
2 |
70.74 |
| Dawson |
10 |
3 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
1 |
2 |
72.49 |
|
Phil Mickelson, Jeff Quinney, Kevin Sutherland
Tee time: 11:10 a.m. CT
Tee: No. 1
Total TOUR wins: 33
Why you should watch: Mickelson will be playing with fellow Arizona State alum Quinney, who is still seeking his initial PGA TOUR win. The trio of Mickelson, Quinney and Sutherland all enter the third round at 4 under, miles behind Wagner. Neither Quinney or Sutherland are eligible for the Masters next week.
| 2008 stat comparison |
| Mickelson |
7 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
-- |
3 |
6 |
69.39 |
| Quinney |
9 |
6 |
-- |
1 |
-- |
1 |
3 |
70.73 |
| Sutherland |
8 |
7 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
1 |
4 |
70.53 |
|
Steve Stricker, Dean Wilson, Tim Wilkinson
Tee time: 10:20 a.m. CT
Tee: No. 10
Total TOUR wins: 6
Why you should watch: The success of left-handed Tim Wilkinson is one of the more interesting stories on the PGA TOUR in 2008. Wilkinson, a rookie, has already banked $632,708 in 2008, mainly on the strength of two straight top-10s. He was solo third last week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Wilkinson is one of the shortest hitters on TOUR, and despite the length of Redstone, he had adapted nicely in his first Shell Houston Open start. Wilkinson stays competitive with a strong short game and a penchant for bogey avoidance.
| 2008 stat comparison |
| Stricker |
8 |
6 |
-- |
1 |
-- |
4 |
6 |
69.83 |
| Wilkinson |
8 |
5 |
-- |
-- |
1 |
2 |
3 |
70.59 |
| Wilson |
9 |
4 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
71.77 |
|