Zurich Classic, Rd. 4
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| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | ||
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
KELLY GETS IT DONE (6:02 p.m.): What a strange day. Jerry Kelly looked uncomfortable from the start, missing a short birdie putt on the first hole. It was a sign of things to come from the seemingly always nervous Kelly, who has only closed the deal once before in his career while holding the 54-hole lead. Things looked even worse for Kelly when he fell three back midway through his round with a couple of bogeys. That's when things started to turn around, however.
Kelly bounced back with a birdie the very next hole, rolling in a 10-footer on the par-5 11th. Three holes later, he made another birdie, hitting it to 9 feet, 5 inches on the approach. While other players around him faltered, Kelly somehow steadied himself, getting to 14 under and hanging on for the victory, his first in nearly seven years. It also nets him 500 FedExCup points and moves him to 17th in the standings.
When Steve Marino, trailing by one and playing in the final group with Kelly, hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker at No. 18, the victory was all but secured. Eagle was out of the question and so was birdie after he came up short of the green on his third shot from 216 yards out.
For Kelly, it's a huge win, his first since 2002, when he won twice. The most impressive thing about the win for Kelly isn't that he won, however. It's how he won, stopping the slide mid-round with two clutch birdies on the back nine to seal his first victory in 200 events over nearly seven years. Kelly slept well with the lead last night, but being in New Orleans and knowing how much Kelly loves the city, something tells me he won't sleep quite as much tonight. -- Brian Wacker
DOWN TO THE FINAL HOLE (5:45 p.m.): With Steve Marino trailing Jerry Kelly by a stroke coming to the par-5 finishing hole, Marino hit his tee shot one of two places he couldn't -- in the fairway bunker. That took eagle out of the equation for Marino, and possibly birdie. Kelly, meanwhile, hit his drive down the middle of the fairway, setting up what should be a win. You can follow the action shot-by-shot with Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY IN THE LEAD (5:32 p.m.): We're down to the last couple of holes today and Jerry Kelly is back where he started -- in the lead. Kelly has a one-shot lead with two holes to play. Only Charles Howell III and Steve Marino could catch him since they're both on the course and both one back. Rory Sabbatini and Charlie Wi are already in at 13 under so it looks like Kelly will win, or we could be headed to a massive playoff should Kelly drop a stroke. -- Brian Wacker
DOWN THE STRETCH (5:20 p.m.): You have to figure this is a two-man race between Charles Howell III and Jerry Kelly with only a few holes to play and the two tied atop the leaderboard, but after Kelly just fanned his tee shot into the fairway bunker at No. 16, who knows what will happen. Howell, meanwhile, made a huge clutch par save, rolling in a tricky 15-footer to avoid falling one back. With the way the two of them are playing, Rory Sabbatini, already in at 13 under, and Charlie Wi, also at 13 under through 17 holes, aren't out of it just yet. This thing could be headed for a two-man playoff or a four-man playoff very easily. -- Brian Wacker
NEW BALLGAME (5:02 p.m.): What looked like an almost sure win for Charles Howell III, or possibly Rory Sabbatini, has turned into a tie atop the leaderboard between Howell and Jerry Kelly. That's how fast things can change around here. Amazing.
Kelly, who opened the day with a three-shot lead before eventually falling three shots back at one point, has rallied to pull even with Howell atop the leaderboard with a few holes to go. Charlie Wi also remains in contention, just one back at 13 under.
Whatever happens, it should be interesting. There's a difficult par-3 left in the 182-yard 17th as well as the 561-yard, par-5 18th, which is eagle-able and most definitely a birdie hole with 17 birdies on the hole so far today. Stay tuned. -- Brian Wacker
FEDEXCUP UPDATE (4:42 p.m.): Current leader Charles Howell III would move as high as fifth in the FedExCup standings if he can hold his two-shot lead and go on to win today. Currently 11th on the PGA TOUR in scoring average, Howell has finished in the top 25 in four of his 11 starts this season, and is averaging just over 50 FedExCup points per start.
David Toms, who won this tournament in 2001 and is currently tied for fifth three shots back at 12 under, would also move as high as fifth in the FedExCup with a win. If he can finish second -- which certainly seems more realistic right now -- he move into the top 10 and more importantly earn a spot in the field for THE PLAYERS Championship May 4-10. Averaging about 63 FedExCup points per start, Toms has finished in the top 10 three times in 2009. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY NOT OUT OF IT YET (4:28 p.m.): Thanks to a much-needed birdie on the 11th hole, Jerry Kelly has climbed back into the hunt at the Zurich Classic. He's now two back, along with Rory Sabbatini, with a lot of golf still to come on the back nine with the second-easiest and the second-hardest holes on the golf course still to come. -- Brian Wacker
CHARLES IN CHARGE (4:10 p.m.): There is still plenty of golf to be played, but Charles Howell III could be closing in on his first victory since 2007 and just the third of his career. Howell is 6 under through 11 holes today and leads Rory Sabbatini by two strokes.
Howell has yet to make a bogey and has taken just 14 putts, which translates to a ridiculously good 1.375 putts per green in regulation.
Jerry Kelly, who began the day with a three-shot lead, simply hasn't played well and you could see a bit of nerves in his game right from the start when he missed a short birdie putt on the first hole. Since then, Kelly, the only player in the top 12 who is over par today, has made two bogeys, is 1 over on the round and now trails by the same margin he once led by. -- Brian Wacker
THRILLING FINISH (3:55 p.m.): Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman have been in the spotlight so often over the years, there's not much they can do to surprise us.
Unless, of course, they are in a playoff on Sunday at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and attempt a celebratory chest bump.
Langer sank a 40-foot putt on the first extra hole against Craig Stadler and Jeff Sluman to make birdie, causing teammate Lehman to run across the green to chest bump his pal Langer -- both changed their minds in mid-air and exchanged an awkward-looking airborne high-five instead.
Still, Lehman had every right to be excited -- at that moment, he was thinking that he'd won in his debut event. After all, Craig Stadler had to sink a nearly identical putt to keep his team in the match. Not so fast. Stadler sank his putt as well, and his partner Jeff Sluman did a Tiger-esque fist pump in celebration.
The second playoff hole ended on a different, more subdued note, as Sluman missed a short par putt and watched Lehman sink a 3-foot par putt to win.
This was nothing new for the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, which practically invented thrilling finishes on the Champions Tour. When the event was just two years old in 1979, Art Wall and Tommy Bolt made five birdies in a playoff against Julius Boros and Roberto DeVicenzo, who matched that by making five birdies of their own. By the sixth extra hole, Boros and DeVicenzo prevailed with another birdie, and the exciting finish got enough people talking that they eventually formed a Champions Tour. -- Lauren Deason
ALONE IN THE LEAD (3:44 p.m.): Jerry's Kelly's grip on the lead has officially slipped away thanks to a bogey on No. 8. After Kelly found the fairway bunker off the tee, he was unable to get on the green in two on the par-4 hole. He pitched up to just inside 11 feet, but the putting stroke that has been so good from that distance for him all week failed, resulting in bogey and giving Charles Howell III a one-shot lead for the moment.
Kelly has now missed two crucial putts -- a short birdie attempt at No. 1 and the par attempt at No. 8 -- and you have to start wondering if that stroke, which has been shaky before, is disappearing from him a bit today. -- Brian Wacker
ALL TIED UP (3:30 p.m.): Jerry Kelly's lead has now vanished thanks to Charles Howell III playing the front nine in 5-under 31, which was highlighted by a 24-foot birdie putt on the 205-yard, par-3 ninth.
Howell was bogey-free on the front, at one point making four birdies in a five-hole stretch. Kelly, meanwhile, has also been able to muster one birdie so far after missing a short birdie attempt on the first hole. -- Brian Wacker
BAYOU BATTLE (3:20 p.m.): Jerry Kelly still has a one-shot lead, but more names keep showing up near the top of the leaderboard. The latest are Rory Sabbatini and Jason Dufner. Sabbatini is 4 under through 10 holes and just two back, while Dufner is 5 under through 13 and three shots back.
As Kelly approaches the turn, he has 11 players within three shots of him -- almost all of which have a legitimate chance at catching him. -- Brian Wacker
IN A PLAYOFF (3:05 p.m.): If you're wondering why the final round of the Zurich Classic isn't on CBS yet it's because the Champions Tour's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf is in a playoff between the teams of Jeff Sluman-Craig Stadler and Bernhard Langer-Tom Lehman.
As for the Zurich Classic, Jerry Kelly is still clinging to his one-shot lead over Charles Howell III through seven holes, while Charlie Wie is two back and Davis Toms among a group three back. -- Brian Wacker
BACK-NINE BIRDIE BARRAGE (2:45 p.m.): Tim Petrovic isn't going to win this week and he may not even remain in the top 10, but he just put on quite a show on the back nine at TPC Louisiana, where he had six birdies over his final nine holes for a back-nine 31.
Petrovic hit 8 of 9 greens in regulation, 6 of 7 fairways and he needed just 12 putts over those last nine holes to close out a round of 67. He's in the clubhouse at 9 under for the week and could have a second straight top 10 after finishing T8 in Hilton Head last week. -- Brian Wacker
HOWELL HEATING UP (2:30 p.m.): Charles Howell III just made his third birdie of the day after hitting it tight on the par-5 fifth hole. That has Howell within one of Jerry Kelly's lead and in position to get his first win since the 2007 Nissan Open, where he defeated Phil Mickelson in a playoff.
While Howell won from in front in L.A., his 2002 victory at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill was the come-from-behind variety, rallying from two shots back on the final day with a 67 to defeat Brandt Jobe by two strokes.
David Toms has also crept into the picture at 2 under through his first eight holes. He'll certainly be the crowd favorite and now just three back should have the gallery pretty fired up. -- Brian Wacker
WILL HISTORY HAPPEN? (2:10 p.m.): Jerry Kelly's lead is down to just two after Charlie Wi birdied his first two holes to get to 11 under on the week, but no matter what happens we're almost certain to see some sort of significant victory today.
Kelly hasn't won in nearly seven years on the PGA TOUR, while Wi hasn't ever won on TOUR. Charles Howell III, seeking just his third win in what can only be termed a somewhat underachieving career so far, is also at 11 under after birdieing two of his first three holes.
Like Kelly, Bob Estes hasn't won since 2002, but he's in the mix, too, playing his first eight holes in 4 under to get to 10 under on the week. The last of that group three shots back is Steve Marino, who is also seeking win No. 1 on the TOUR. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY'S COMFORT LEVEL (1:55 p.m.): Jerry Kelly talked a lot yesterday about how comfortable he felt on the golf course. Already, you have to wonder if that comfort level has gone down a bit today. Kelly just missed a birdie putt from 6 feet on the first hole and had to settle for par.
Keep an eye on that putting stroke -- and his other swings -- today. He's a guy who hides nothing and wears his emotions on his sleeve. You'll know how he's feeling right away and judging by that jabby putt on No. 1, he looks at least slightly uncomfortable. The key will be how well he manages that, especially given how well he's putted this week. -- Brian Wacker
| Jerry Kelly -- Key stats through Round 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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THE CHASE GROWS (1:45 p.m.): The final group of Jerry Kelly and Steve Marino just teed off at TPC Louisiana with Kelly still holding a three-shot lead, but the pack of pursuers has grown with five players, including Marino, within three.
The hottest player among that group right now is Brian Davis, a journeyman from England who is 4 under through his first eight holes. Davis has never won on the PGA TOUR, finishing second twice, but he does have two international victories with wins at the 2000 Peugeot Open de Espana and the 2004 ANZ Championship. -- Brian Wacker
KELLY ON TARGET (1:20 p.m.): Jerry Kelly's putting has been better than usual this week, but don't overlook his iron play. Yesterday, for example, Kelly closed out his round by hitting 12 straight greens in regulation. When you're doing that and putting well, that usually equals a pretty good spot on the leaderboard.
And while Kelly hasn't hit it tight a lot this week, he's led the field in putts made outside of 10 feet, including 5 of 6 from 15 to 20 feet. -- Brian Wacker
| Jerry Kelly: Inside the numbers | ||||||||||||||||
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EARLY MOVERS (1:00 p.m.): Jerry Kelly still has his three-shot lead, but there are a couple of players trying to put some early pressure on him.
Brian Davis and Bob Estes are both at 3 under today and 9 under for the week with two-thirds of their rounds left to play, while Kelly's fellow cheesehead, Steve Stricker, has climbed into the top 10 with two birdies in his first four holes.
All those guys are at least four strokes back right now, but it will be interesting to see what happens if they move to within a stroke or two of Kelly -- or tie him -- before he even tees off. -- Brian Wacker
CAN KELLY GET IT DONE? (12:45 p.m.): Jerry Kelly won't tee off for another hour, but with a three-stroke lead over Steve Marino he was obviously in good position when he went to sleep last night. You can bet that Kelly slept well, but there's no question he'll have some nerves out there today.
When Kelly tees it up this afternoon, he'll be trying to win for the first time since 2002, which was a career year for him. He won twice that year, at the Sony Open in Hawaii and at the Advil Western Open, and finished a career-best sixth on the money list.
In Hawaii that year, Kelly held the lead after the third round before shooting a 70 on Sunday to hang on by one. At the Western Open, he did it in come-from-behind fashion with a 65 in the final round.
Which Kelly will show up today? You never know with Kelly and he never knows himself. Kelly's as regular-guy as they come on the PGA TOUR and though he's got a little bit of a bulldog mentality that stems from his hockey-playing days as a youth and as the "muscle" on the University of Hartford golf team, he gets as nervous as anybody.
"[My swing] hasn't really been tested as much as I'd like to have it tested," Kelly said last night. "It's got to show up in terms before you can really trust it and let it go."
Letting it go is something Kelly's been able to do quite well this week so far and he's aware of that.
"I'm just trying to be comfortable with what I've got," Kelly added. "If I do that on the mental side, then I know the birdies will come, and I'll be on the correct side of the on hole and things like that.
"It's just a matter of me and my comfort level. All the cliches are there because they're true. I'm going to try to have fun and see what happens. That's the key to my success is when I come to a place like this. That's huge for me." -- Brian Wacker
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