Crowne Plaza Invitational, Round 3

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Charley Hoffman took advantage of an early tee time and good conditions to improve his position on moving day.

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Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report is on the scene at Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, and we'll be providing updates all day long for each round, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.)

May. 30, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

CLARK IN COMMAND (5:40 p.m.): Thanks to a third-round 66 Tim Clark will now take a two-stroke lead to the final round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational as he tries yet again to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR.

This is Clark's 184th career start on TOUR and he's certainly had more than once chance to win among those. He was in contention at the Masters earlier this year and at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. And it was here just last year when Clark recorded the sixth runner-up finish of his career, shooting a final-round 66 to tie for the lead before Phil Mickelson birdied the 72nd hole to win. If Clark shoots another Sunday 66, there's a good chance he'll hoist the trophy this time. -- Brian Wacker

THIRD ROUND WINDING DOWN (5:10 p.m.): The third round is nearing its conclusion and about the only thing that we're certain of is that we're not certain who is going to win this tournament. At one point, Steve Stricker and Tim Clark had separated themselves from the field. But the field caught up to them and there are eight players within five shots of Clark's lead.

One of those players is Stricker, who is just 1 under on his round a day after shooting his second straight 63. Ditto Vijay Singh, who, after back-to-back 64s, is just 1 under as well. Others who played their way into contention include Steve Marino, who has the tournament's low round with a 62, and Dallas native Justin Leonard, who has a chance to win for the first time here after a 64 today. -- Brian Wacker

MARINO MAKES A MAJOR STATEMENT (4:50 p.m.): Tim Clark isn't the only one high on the leaderboard trying to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR. Steve Marino has also yet to win, but he put himself in good position today with the lowest round of the tournament so far, an 8-under 62.

Marino, who finished in a tie for fifth earlier this season in New Orleans and was a runner-up at last year's Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, was sensational on the back nine here at Colonial, coming home in 30 with five birdies, including three in a row at one point.

On the day, Marino missed just two greens in regulation en route to the lowest round of his young career, surpassing the 64 he shot twice last year.

That has Marino in a tie for second at the moment as the third round winds down at Colonial. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Marino's scorecard from today:

GOING LOW AT COLONIAL (4:30 p.m.): It seems ludicrous to say that being bogey-free and 1 under through 11 holes is backing up, but that is exactly what is happening with Steve Stricker. In his defense, almost any score that he shot today would be a reversal from the back to back 63s that he shot to open the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

The chase pack, and in particular Tim Clark, have hit the ground running and overtaken Stricker on a hot Saturday afternoon. Others have come from well back to put themselves into position. Justin Leonard and Steve Marino are both 6 under on their rounds deep in the back nine.

Obviously, Stricker has plenty of holes left to put a few birdies together and regain the lead. One thing seems patently obvious: No matter who wins the golf tournament they are more than likely going to have to eclipse the tournament record of 19 under to stave off a birdie happy field. -- John Maginnes

CLARK IN THE LEAD (4:20 p.m.): Tim Clark has missed just two fairways and two greens in regulation through his first 11 holes today. That helped lead to four birdies and just one bogey for Clark, who is now has a one-shot lead over Steve Stricker as the two play the 12th hole. That's a pretty interesting pairing, by the way. You have a guy in Clark who is trying to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR, while Stricker is trying to avoid squandering another 36-hole lead, something he's done eight times. -- Brian Wacker

ZACH IN WITH A 64 (4 p.m.): Zach Johnson is in with the lowest round of the day so far with a 6-under 64 that's moved him into the periphery of contention -- though with the way scoring is, you wonder if those above him on the leaderboard will go low, too.

Johnson took the most putts he has all week with 30, but when you hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation you can do that and still shoot a good number. For Johnson, it's also his second straight third round that he's gone low after a 10-under 60 two weeks ago on Saturday at the Valero Texas Open, which he won in a playoff.

None of that should come as a surprise, though -- Johnson leads the PGA TOUR in third-round scoring average. In addition to his 64 this week, and the 60 two weeks ago, he shot 64 in the third round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, 66 at the Sony Open in Hawaii and three more 68s. -- Brian Wacker

Below is a look at Johnson's scorecard from today:

MARINO MAKING A MOVE (3:45 p.m.): Not surprisingly, there's plenty of movement on the leaderboard today at Colonial. The biggest of those moves, at least right now, belongs to Steve Marino, who is 6 under through his first 13 holes and now within just two shots of Steve Stricker's lead.

Marino, who began the day in a tie for eighth after opening with rounds of 66-67, has six birdies, including five over his last six holes. He's also barely missed a shot all day with 8 of 10 fairways hit and 12 of 13 greens in regulation. Follow Marino's round live with Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- Brian Wacker

BABY STEPS FOR SCOTT (3:30 p.m.): Adam Scott had a solid round going earlier today with five birdies through his first 12 holes before crashing back down to earth with three bogeys over his last six holes. Still, just the fact that Scott is playing this weekend is an improvement after the Aussie missed the cut in each of his last six events.

Scott

"Maybe that one round that will turn it around, a good, solid round where I play some solid golf, because that's what I haven't been doing," Scott said last week. "I can play good for nine holes or 14 holes, but then I'll hit a couple wild shots and get myself in a bit of trouble."

That's exactly what happened today. Scott played well for 12 holes, then got wild off the tee at the par-3 13th, where he missed the green long and wasn't able to get up-and-down for par. Ditto the par-3 16th and on the par-4 17th Scott pulled his tee shot into the rough left before making his final bogey of the day.

That's been the story of Scott's season and it's as much about some swing changes he's trying to make as it is about needing to get more tournament rounds under his belt while going through those changes. When you're missing the cut, though, it's hard to rack up the rounds. Just ask Tiger Woods about trying to iron out his game in the handful of tournaments he's played this season and that's a guy who is No. 1 in the world and finishing in the top 10 every time he tees it up.

Scott is getting there, though. He put in two days of practice with Butch Harmon after missing the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship and recognizes what he needs to fix. Now it's just a matter of fixing it.

"I don't know which one came first, the [lack of] confidence or the bad ball-striking. It hasn't been as good or as consistent as it was," Scott said. "I think it's just one round away from being back on track again. I think the confidence will come with just that one round."

That round at least has a chance to be this weekend. -- Brian Wacker

TODAY'S PINK OUT (3:15 p.m.): There's been a tremendous turnout of players and fans dressed in pink today in support of Amy Mickelson's battle with breast cancer. CBS' David Feherty even went so far to die part of his goatee pink. Ian Poulter, meanwhile, is wearing pinks pants and a pink shirt.

Below is an image of two tournament volunteers in pink shirts with 'We Love Amy' buttons. For a complete photo gallery, click here. -- Brian Wacker

A sip of Maginnes

LUMPY LURKING (3:05 p.m.): Tim Herron hasn't played his best golf this year. The four-time winner has missed four of his last five cuts and doesn't have a top-10 finish this year. But Lumpy, who won this tournament in 2006, is quietly putting together a solid Saturday on these hallowed grounds. Herron is is 4 under deep into the back nine and has gotten it to 8 under for the tournament.

Considering that he is still seven shots back, it doesn't look like Lumpy is going to challenge the top of this leaderboard, but you never know when a player is going to turn his year around. Coming back to a place where you have played well can spark a memory or a swing thought that gives your game renewed vigor. If Lumpy can keep up the solid play here through Sunday, this could be the point in the year when everything turns in his favor. -- John Maginnes

SINGH OFF TO A SLOW START (2:55 p.m.): A day after shooting a second straight 64, Vijay Singh is off to a little bit of a slow start with bogeys on each of his last two holes. That brings him to 1 over on his round after a birdie at the par-5 first.

Singh has five consecutive rounds in the 60s, dating back to the second round of last week's HP Byron Nelson Championship, but has struggled off the tee today with just 1 of 4 fairways hit. He's also hit just 2 of 5 greens in regulation so far and already taken eight putts.

The way he's playing today, Singh is looking a lot more like the player he was the last two months rather than the last two weeks when he tied for 16th in Dallas last and tied for ninth at THE PLAYERS Championship. -- Brian Wacker

GOING LOW AGAIN (2:45 p.m.): The scoring average at Colonial has been under par all week and even though it's the weekend, don't expect that to change today. Of the players in the top 24 on the leaderboard (and there are a lot more than 24), there are only two of them -- Sean O'Hair and James Driscoll -- currently over par on their round. With that in mind, the biggest question on moving day is who, if anyone, will move past Steve Stricker. -- Brian Wacker

STRICKER STRIKES BACK (2:25 p.m.): It didn't take long for someone to catch Steve Stricker and it didn't take long for Stricker to respond, either. Stricker birdied the par-4 second hole, rolling in a 13-footer to regain the lead. Don't be surprised to see players trade the lead most of the day, however. This should be one of the bigger moving days of the season with conditions ideal for scoring and a lot of players in contention. -- Brian Wacker

CLARK CATCHES LEADER (2:15 p.m.): It didn't take long for someone to catch overnight leader Steve Stricker and that someone was Tim Clark, who birdied the par-5 first hole by rolling in a 2 and-a-half-footer for birdie.

Colonial Country Club has one of the most unique starts you'll see of any course on the PGA TOUR this year. The first two holes are playing as the two easiest on the course this week, while Nos. 4 and and 5 are playing as the two toughest. In between them is the first hole of the horrible horseshoe, the 483-yard, par-4 third, which is currently playing as the eighth-most difficult on the course.

In other words: You better make a birdie, or better, or multiple birdies on the first couple of holes because things get tough awfully quick. -- Brian Wacker

FREDRIK ON FIRE (1:55 p.m.): Fredrik Jacobson is putting on a pretty good display right now here at Colonial. The Swede has birdied 7 of his last eight holes and is 6 under on the day. That brings him to 8 under for the tournament and while he might not come close to catching the leaders with only a few holes left in his round, the way he's playing could be an indication of things to come.

All week, Colonial has been yielding birdies in bunches and this afternoon shouldn't be any different -- at least if you go by Jacbson or some other players who are already in with low rounds. When Steve Stricker tees off in a few minutes from now in the day's final pairing, he'll have a dozen players within six shots of his lead and with all low numbers out there you can't eliminate anyone from that group. -- Brian Wacker

GOING LOW (1:40 p.m.): Colonial Country Club isn't the only course giving up low scores this weekend. The Nationwide Tour is in Raleigh, N.C., for The Rex Hospital Open at TPC Wakefield Plantation, and players are tearing up that track, too.

So far, the third round has seen a bogey-free, 7-under 64 from Chad Collins and a 63 from Canada's Chris Baryla to take the lead. Barlya, who began the day in a tie for 58th, recorded six consecutive birdies at one point before finishing just one stroke shy of the course record.

Two-time '09 winner Michael Sim of Australia is in the field this week trying to earn a battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR by winning three times on the Nationwide Tour. He started Round 3 just two shots off the lead, but with the low scores some players are posting, Sim will need to do better than the 66-69 start he got off to in his first 36 holes.

For more on The Rex Hospital Open and the Nationwide Tour, click here. -- Ceri Mobley

STRICKER'S SUCCESS (1:25 p.m.): The biggest reason Steve Stricker is having so much succes this week is because his putting has been fantastic. Always one of the game's best with the flat stick, he leads the field with putts made from over 10 feet, converting 12 of them. If heeps that pace up, he'll be near impossible to catch. See the chart below for more. -- Brian Wacker

Steve Stricker from over 10 feet this week

Distance	Made	Attempts	Rank
10 to 15 feet	7	9	8th
15 to 20 feet	2	6	T18
20 to 25 feet	1	2	T4
Outside 25 feet	2	7	6th
Total	12	24	50%

CAMPBELL UPDATE (1:05 p.m.): Things are not as bad as originally thought for Chad Campbell, who was forced to withdraw with a calf injury during yesterday's round. It turns out the Campbell only strained his left calf muscle and did not tear it.

That's good news for Campbell, who it was thought could be out somewhere between 3 weeks and 3 months, according to some early reports. According to today's Dallas Morning News, however, Campbell will not miss significant time and will be re-examined on Monday. If that's the case, Campbell should be good to go for the U.S. Open in a few weeks. -- Brian Wacker

QUESTION OF THE DAY (12:48 p.m.): The biggest question facing Steve Stricker as he gets set to tee off in a little more than an hour from now is whether or not his one-shot lead will stand up. Actually, it'll be a bigger question if he's in this position tomorrow, but let's deal with today first.

Stricker

This is the ninth time in Stricker's career that he has led or shared the lead after 36 holes. Only once has he gone on to win and that came more than a decade ago in 1996 at a tournament -- the Motorola western Open -- that doesn't even exist anymore.

"I'm disappointed I haven't won one or two of them along the way," Stricker said yesterday. "But I'm happy with the form that I've been doing. We have a long ways to go and I just try to keep putting myself in these positions."

Not to mention he keeps picking himself up and dusting himself off. Give Stricker a lot of credit for not going sideways after some of the heartbreaks he's had.

Sometimes it's been his own fault -- a final-round 77 in Palm Springs earlier this year -- and sometimes it hasn't -- a final-round 67 wasn't good enough to beat Phil Mickelson at the Northern Trust Open. Sometimes, he's been done-in by a poor third round, like he was at the Transitions Championship, where he shared the 36-hole lead only to shoot 73 on Saturday before finishing in a tie for fourth.

Which Steve Stricker will show up today? The one who set some tournament records with back-to-back 63s to start? Or the one who's shot some weekend 70-somethings? We'll see soon. -- Brian Wacker

ZACH READY TO ATTACK? (12:25 p.m.): How long will it be before Zach Johnson starts getting mentioned in the same breath as a player the caliber of a Phil Mickelson? Well, if he keeps playing like he is today and goes on to win at Colonial, it won't be long.

Johnson

Johnson eagled the par-5 first hole today, hitting his approach shot from 227 yards to inside 2 feet, then added a birdie at No. 2, where he hit it to inside 6 feet.

Though Johnson's fairways and greens game fits perfectly with Colonial, his best finish here is a tie for 14th. Right now, he's tied for eighth and charging hard at 3 under through his first three holes.

Seven shots is a lot to make up, but with the way Johnson has played this year, it's certainly not out of the question. Johnson won the Valero Texas Open in a playoff two weeks ago, tied for 11th at Quail Hollow with only a final-round 76 having held him back and finished third at Bay Hill with three of four rounds in the 60s. He also won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, shooting a pair of 65s in the process.

This has already been Johnson's best year with multiple wins in the same season for the first time in his career and a victory at a venerable track such as Colonial would only add to a legacy that seems to be growing exponentially. The best way to sum up that legacy: maximum results out of maximum effort. Johnson may get more out of his game than anyone else on the PGA TOUR. -- Brian Wacker

MAKING THE MOST OF THE MORNING (12 p.m.): It was no surprise to see that Charley Hoffman was the early bird who took advantage of morning conditions to get to work on Moving Day. Hoffman has been playing some of his best golf this season, losing in a playoff earlier this year and recording a top-25 and top-10 in his last two starts.

Had it not been for Hoffman's first-round 73, he'd be in a much better position right now after shooting a 3-under 67 on Friday. Through 13 holes, Hoffman is 5 under and has a few more opportunities to get in line for the low round of the day. He started Saturday tied for 65th and should end it in a much better position for Sunday. -- Ceri Mobley

Below is a look at Hoffman's scorecard:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
2 p.m. ET No. 1		Tim Clark, Steve Stricker It should be fun watching these two middleweights slug it out in the final group after their birdie-filled performances the first two days.
1:50 p.m. ET No. 1		Sean O'Hair, Vijay Singh Singh badly wants to add a Colonial win to his long resumé, while O'Hair merely wants to putt better after taking 62 putts in the first two days.
11:58 a.m. ET No. 1		Stephen Ames, Zach Johnson We keep waiting on Johnson -- who's shot 60 twice -- to light it up at Colonial, which could yield a 59 if someone gets hot enough.