Zurich Classic, Rd. 3
| PGATOUR.COM Instant Access | ||
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | ||
|
By PGATOUR.COM Staff
THIRD ROUND COMPLETE (6:25 p.m.): The third round of the Zurich Classic is complete with Jerry Kelly in position for his first win since the 2002 season, when he won twice, at the Sony Open in Hawaii and at the Advil Western Open.
At the Sony Open that year, Kelly held the first- and third-round lead before holding off John Cook by a stroke. Kelly's win at the Western, however, was much different. Though he shot four rounds in the 60s there, he had to rally in the final round with a 65 to erase a three-shot deficit for the win. -- Brian Wacker
CRESCENT CITY DAY (5:47 p.m.): The third round of the Zurich Classic is nearing conclusion, but it's already been a busy day for New Orleans. Earlier today, the host Hornets beat the Denver Nuggets in a playoff game to pull within 2-1 of their NBA playoff series. Just a few minutes ago, the Saints made their first-round pick in the NFL Draft, selecting Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. Later tonight, Jazz Fest will take center stage. And from the looks of it, Jerry Kelly will have a very comfortable lead going into the final round after hitting it to 8 feet on the 16th hole to set up a birdie and extend his lead to four shots. Kelly just missed the putt, but he's still in good position with the third round wrapping up. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY EXTENDS LEAD (5:32 p.m.): Jerry Kelly just extended his lead to three shots with his third birdie of the day. You have to hand it to Kelly, he hasn't hit it great today, but he's bogey-free and made birdie where he can. There's not one thing Kelly does great -- even though his putting this week has been exceptional. He just finds a way to get the ball into the hole when he's playing well, which he certainly is now. -- Brian Wacker
PERRY UPDATE (5:15 p.m.): Playing for the first time since a difficult playoff loss at the Masters, Kenny Perry is in at 6 under through 54 holes and six back of the lead at the moment. At one point, however, Perry said he thought about not playing this week.
"But that wouldn't have been right for this tournament," Perry said earlier this week. "I really love coming here. I love the people here, and this is a great run event. And it's very relaxed and very peaceful place.
"They've had a lot of pain and heartache here with Katrina hitting, and I just want to support this event and make it better, and they do a wonderful job."
Is there a classier guy on the PGA TOUR than Perry? -- Brian Wacker
MARINO MAKES A MESS OF 18 (4:58 p.m.): Steve Marino had a nice round of 5 under going today, until he reached the 18th -- one of the easiest holes on the course at TPC Louisiana.
A par-5 that's reachable in two, Marino didn't hesitate in going for it, thinking that even if he missed the green, it would be a fairly easy up-and-down or at worst a par. Unfortunately for Marino, his second shot landed in a greenside bunker, right up against the front lip, leaving him an awkward stance and shot.
Marino then hit his next shot over the green and it ran down the shaved bank and into a collection area. Unable to get up-and-down for par, he made bogey to finish with a 68 for a second straight day.
At one point, Marino looked like he could be headed for a career day with three straight birdies to close out his front nine. But a bogey on No. 10, sandwiched between two more birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 hurt.
Marino's best round of the year came at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he shot a 66 in the final round to nab a back-door T4. His career best, meanwhile, is a 64, which he shot twice, most recently ay last year's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open. -- Brian Wacker
TOUGHER FINISH (4:39 p.m.): Things won't get any easier for players once they get past the 12th hole today with the 490-yard, par-4 15th ranking seventh, the 355-yard, par-4 16th ranking ninth and the 215-yard, par-3 17th ranking second. At least they'll have an easier finishing hole with the 585-yard, par-5 18th ranking 13th and playing under par. -- Brian Wacker
TOUGHEST HOLE (4:25 p.m.): One hole players will be happy with par on today: the par-4 12th, which is currently playing as the toughest hole on the course today and the week. Check out the numbers for it so far today. -- Brian Wacker
| Toughest hole at TPC Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||
|
WIND PICKING UP (4:10 p.m.): The wind has picked up significantly in New Orleans and as a result few players have been able to make up any ground lately on leader Jerry Kelly, though Kelly's not doing anything to pull away. He just missed a short birdie putt from inside 10 feet on No. 10. That's now five straight pars for Kelly after starting his round with two birdies in his first five holes.
Kelly has still be phenomenal with the flat stick this week, however, ranking sixth in putting (not to mention seventh in greens in regulation). -- Brian Wacker
ON A ROLL (3:45 p.m.): Roland Thatcher is trying to make the most of playing on a Major Medical Extension after missing much of last season with a writs injury. Thatcher, who is playing for just the second time this season, has 13 events to earn just over $400,000 to get full status for the rest of the year. Right now, he's in position to possibly surpass that this week. Thatcher is 3 under through 13 holes today and just three back of Jerry Kelly's lead. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY GRINDING AWAY (3:15 p.m.) -- Jerry Kelly has always been a guy who gets a lot of out of his game, and he's refusing to make any mistakes on a big day in New Orleans.
Kelly, who has made only two bogeys this week, birdied two of his first four holes on Saturday even though playing late in the day has been a decided disadvantage thus far at TPC Louisiana. -- Ryan Smithson
MARINO MAKING A MOVE (2:55 p.m.): Steve Marino has the game -- and the confidence -- to win multiple titles on the PGA TOUR, but first he has to get No. 1 out of the way. With the way he's playing right now, that could happen this week. Marino has moved up the leaderboard and to within two of the lead thanks to a five-birdie effort on the front nine.
Marino, who has taken just 11 putts through his first nine holes, recovered nicely after a double bogey on No. 3, making three straight birdies to close out the front side. If he can keep that going, or at least avoid bogeys, on the back that should leave Marino in good shape. Right now, the back is playing a half-stroke over par, while the front is playing slightly under par. -- Brian Wacker
'BORING' POULTER (2:40 p.m.): Ian Poulter hasn't made up any ground on the lead, playing his first six holes today in even par after a 66 yesterday, but it has nothing to do with enjoying the spoils of playing in New Orleans this week, one of the great nightspots anywhere in the world.
"I am boring right now," Poulter said last night. "I've got a six-week old. And to be honest, I had 11 hours sleep the first day I got here. I was in bed by 8 o'clock last night. I'm not having no fun downtown.
"I wish I was, because it's Jazz Fest right now, and I could hear some noise out there last night. It would have been nice to go out there and have a couple of drinks. Maybe Sunday night." -- Brian Wacker
GLOVER, CHALMERS IN WITH LOW ROUNDS (2:20 p.m.): One day after making four bogeys, Lucas Glover had just one bogey to go with seven birdies in today's third-round 66. Greg Chalmers had a similar round, except he didn't make any bogeys on his way to a 67. As a result, both players moved into the top 10 and within striking distance of the lead.
Glover is looking for his first win since the 2005 FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World Resort. Twice this year, he's finished in the top 11 with a season-best T3 at the Buick Invitational.
Chalmers, on the other hand, has never won on the TOUR. His best finish was a T 2 at the 2000 Kemper Insurance Open with a T4 in Puerto Rico his best finish of this season. -- Brian Wacker
Here is a look at Glover's scorecard from today:
LEADER ON THE COURSE (2:00 p.m.): Leader Jerry Kelly just teed off in the final group a few minutes ago and while he still has a one-shot lead, he has plenty of company. Nine players are within two shots of Kelly at the moment, including John Rollins, who is 1 under through two holes after a birdie on the par-5 second.
Two things to keep an eye on with Kelly: His nerves while holding the lead and his putting stroke. Kelly's been known to get a little nervous at times in these spots, but he's also been around long enough that he should be able to handle the situation well. -- Brian Wacker
Follow Kelly's round live, along with other players, with Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Brian Wacker
BUSY DAY IN NOLA (1:37 p.m.): The third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans is in full swing, but the city's attention will certainly be divided this afternoon with the New Orleans Hornets hosting a matinee playoff game against the Denver Nuggets in nearby downtown. After the first quarter, the Nuggets lead the Hornets, 26-21.
Earlier in the week, Hornets point guard Chris Paul was out at the Zurich Classic hanging out with fellow Wake Forest alum Webb Simpson. For more from Paul, check out this interview 
. -- Brian Wacker
STRICKER READY TO STRIKE? (1:24 p.m.): Steve Stricker apparently didn't let yesterday's 73 unnerve him. Just like he did at the Masters, Stricker is sneaking up on the top 10 right now at 3 under through his first 11 holes. That has him at 6 under for the tournament and in pretty good position. As mentioned in our Expert Picks, Stricker has played extremely well all year and has a good track record here with five top 20s since 1999, including a T4 in 2000.
Jeff Overton is having a similar day -- actually a better one -- at 4 under through his first nine holes to move him within two of the lead. Overton, who as you may recall had an emergency appendectomy late last season before returning to finish in the top 125 to lock up his TOUR card, has two top 10s this season, but is coming off a WD at the Shell Houston Open the week before the Masters. Overton withdrew from that event because of illness. -- Brian Wacker
EARLY MOVES (1:10 p.m.): The wind is expected to blow this afternoon in New Orleans, so that gave some players with morning tee times an opportunity to make a move and a few have obliged. Lucas Glover is 6 under through 14 holes in his round today and currently three back.
George McNeill also made quite a move today -- until the last few holes. McNeill shot up the leaderboard and into contention with seven birdies -- including four in a row at one point -- through his first 13 holes this morning. That moved him from T55 at the start of the day to within just two of the lead. That would be as close as he would get, however.
The native Floridian and 2007 Frys.com Open champion bogeyed the par-4 16th -- something he was fortunate to do after finding water off the tee -- and two holes later made a momentum-killing triple-bogey 8. McNeill blasted his tee shot way right on 18, forcing him to take a drop. His fourth shot went right again, this time missing the green. By the time he found the putting surface, he was lying 6. Two putts from inside 10 feet and McNeill had his snowman.
As a result of all that, McNeill ended the round at just 3 under through 54 holes and well back of the lead in a tie for 44th place. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY IN CONTROL (1:00 p.m.): Jerry Kelly will tee off in about an hour from now and in position for his first win in nearly 7 years. Since that last win, at the since defunct Advil Western Open, Kelly has played 199 events, 665 rounds, 11,970 holes and taken 47,087 swings. But a big reason why all those numbers could be erased tomorrow is the way Kelly is putting.
Always a weak spot in Kelly's game, his putting has been nothing short of tremendous this week. He's 24-for-24 when putting from inside 8 feet and he's made a field-best nine putts from outside of 10 feet through the first 36 holes.
If Kelly keeps that up, it'll be hard to overtake him. -- Brian Wacker
| Groups We're Watching | ||||||
|
| Live Essentials | ||||
|
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
FAN ZONE
PGATOUR.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network