Frys.com Open, Round 4

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Troy Matteson faded down the stretch, but prevailed in a three-man playoff on Sunday at Grayhawk.

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Frys.com Open

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PLAYOFF PLAY-BY-PLAY (7:51 p.m.) -- Jamie Lovemark still has the honors, and he hit driver down the fairway on the 464-yard 17th. Troy Matteson hit a 3-wood to the right fairway. Rickie Fowler hit a driver way down the center of the fairway. Matteson hit first and nailed a 6-iron to two feet. Lovemark hit next and pushed an iron onto the green, 32 feet fro the pin. Fowler hit a 7-iron well right of the green. Fowler chipped to two feet. Lovemark's putt was well right of the hole, giving Matteson a putt at the win. Fowler tapped in for his par. Matteson stepped up and ran his birdie putt into the hole, giving him the win and a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR. He also earns a spot into winners-only SBS Championship next January at Kapalua.

(7:20 p.m.) -- Jamie Lovemark hit first on the 18th hole and drove it down the hill into the fairway. Troy Matteson hit second and pulled his tee shot into the left bunker. Rickie Fowler hit a high fade onto the right side of the fairway. Matteson hit a 6-iron from the bunker onto the green, 43 feet from the pin. Fowler lofted his approach shot left of the pin, right beside Matteson's ball. Lovemark took a 9-iron and flared it way right of the pin into the water beside the green, but the ball popped out into the thick grass surrounding the green. Lovemark chipped to four feet. Matteson, putting from 43 feet, lagged to tap-in range. Fowler's birdie putt for the win, also measuring 43 feet, stopped three inches from the hole. Lovemark rammed his par putt into the hole, so all three head to the 17th tee. -- Ryan Smithson

THREE-WAY PLAYOFF (7:11 p.m.) -- Troy Matteson bunkered his approach on the 72nd hole and failed to get up and down, so he finishes at 18 under with Jamie Lovemark and Rickie Fowler. Matteson bogeyed his final two holes in regulation.

This marks the third playoff in three Fall Series events in 2009. -- Ryan Smithson

Here is a look at Matteson's card:

LOVEMARK BIRDIES FINAL HOLE, FINISHES 18 UNDER (6:55 p.m.) -- Jamie Lovemark rolled in a 13-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to tie Fowler. Matteson must par the final hole to avoid a three-man playoff.

If Lovemark and Fowler tie for second, Fowler will still earn enough money to give him a spot in the finals of q-school. Lovemark is also slated for q-school but will probably not earn enough to earn a spot straight into the finals. He would, however, earn a spot in the Viking Classic, so Lovemark will have to make a decision as to where he will play next week. -- Ryan Smithson

Here is a look at Lovemark's card:

MATTESON GIVES A SHOT BACK (6:51 p.m.) -- Troy Matteson will need to par the 72nd hole for the outright win after his bogey on the 71st hole knocked him back to 19 under. Jamie Lovemark has a putt on the 72nd hole to get to 18 under, so if Matteson bogeys the final hole, we could have a three-man playoff. -- Ryan Smithson

FOWLER IN THE CLUBHOUSE AT 18 UNDER (6:42 p.m.) -- Rickie Fowler bogeyed the final hole after sending his drive way right, but Fowler has a good shot at finishing solo second, which would give him $540,000 and over $650,000 in non-member earnings for the year. The current holder of the 125th spot, Chris Stroud, stands at $600,019, so Fowler would likely be in for 2010 if he ends up solo second.

If Fowler finishes solo second, the amount of money he has won at the very least would put him straight into the finals of q-school. Fowler was planning on playing the first stage this week in Texas, but his finish this week automatically gives him a spot in the Viking Classic, where Fowler would have a chance to solidify his spot in the top 125 in earnings and earn an outright PGA TOUR card. -- Ryan Smithson

Here is a look at Fowler's card:

MATTESON MISSES SHORT BIRDIE PUTT ON NO. 15 (6:21 p.m.) -- Troy Matteson still has a one-shot lead after missing an 8-foot birdie putt on the 332-yard par-4 15th.

Matteson elected not to try to drive the green. He left his drive 80 yards from the pin and pitched it to eight feet, but he failed to birdie the hole for the first time all week.

LOVEMARK MOVES INTO SOLO THIRD (6:10 p.m.) -- Rickie Fowler and Jamie Lovemark, two of the most celebrated amateurs this decade, are each on the verge of their best PGA TOUR finishes.

Lovemark drove the green on the par-4 15th and two-putted for birdie, putting him at 16 under.

PRETTY MUCH A TWO-MAN RACE (5:48 p.m.) -- Rickie Fowler (19 under) and Troy Matteson (20 under) are well clear of their next challengers. Mike Weir (15 under) is in the clubhouse, and Tim Clark (15 under) and Jamie Lovemark (15 under) are done with the par-5 12th hole, so don't expect a dramatic rally. -- Ryan Smithson

Simpson

SIMPSON TUMBLES DOWN THE LEADERBOARD (5:40 p.m.) -- Rookie Webb Simpson was only three shots out of the lead after 54 holes, but the rookie has had a tough day today at Grayhawk.

Simpson has been drowning in a sea of bogeys -- he's made four of them through 12 holes. The main culprit has been putting. Simpson is one of the better young putters on the PGA TOUR, but he's already used 25 putts through 12 holes. -- Ryan Smithson

FOWLER BOGEYS, LOSES LEAD (5:30 p.m.) -- Rickie Fowler has lost the lead for the second time today. He bogeyed the par-3 13th after bunkering his tee shot. At the same time, Troy Matteson birdied the par-5 11th to get back to 19 under. -- Ryan Smithson

WEIR FINISHES WITH 61, TIES COURSE RECORD (5:20 p.m.) -- Mike Weir parred his final three holes to become the third person to shoot 61 on Grayhawk's Raptor Course. Weir is currently tied for fourth, but look him for to move down a couple of spots as plenty of players are still on the course.

This is the second time Weir has shot 61 on the PGA TOUR. He fired a 61 in the first round of the 2008 Deutche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

Ironically, Weir is set for his worst (a very relative term) finish in three starts at Grayhawk despite finishing at 15 under. He went 14 under in 2007 and won, and he shot 14 under in 2008 when he tied for fourth. -- Ryan Smithson

Here is a look at Weir's scorecard:

FOWLER TAKES THE LEAD AT 19 UNDER (5:06 p.m.) -- Rickie Fowler has just retaken the lead at Grayhawk with a birdie on the par-4 12th hole. Fowler bombed a 330-yard drive down the fairway, pitched to eight feet and made the putt. --Ryan Smithson

WEIR'S RUN AT 59 ENDS (5:04 p.m.) -- Mike Weir is still 9 under with one hole to go, so unless he holes his approach on the long par-4 ninth, his run at 59 is history.

Weir had a 21-footer for birdie on the par-3 eighth but he ran it two feet by the hole. --Ryan Smithson

Matteson

FOWLER, MATTESON TIED AT 18 UNDER (4:55 p.m.) -- Rickie Fowler has birdied two holes in a row to get back to 18 under, tying him with Troy Matteson, who is playing two holes behind him.

Fowler has played his final par-5 of the week. For the tournament, he played them in 7 under. Strangely, he had four eagles, but only one of them came on a par-5. --Ryan Smithson

ROMERO MOVES INTO THE TOP 10 (4:50 p.m.) -- Andres Romero is 8 under with three holes to play, moving him into a tie for 10th. Romero is gunning for his second top-10 in a row -- he tied for seventh last week in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Wild driving derailed Romero's season -- he ranks near the bottom on TOUR in driving accuracy -- but he's missed only two fairways today and just one green. --Ryan Smithson

FOWLER, MATTESON BOTH BOGEY (4:32 p.m.) -- Troy Matteson Rickie Fowler bogeyed the seventh and ninth holes, respectively. Fowler is now 1 over since the hole-in-one that briefly gave him the lead just over an hour ago. --Ryan Smithson

WEIR GETS TO 9 UNDER; COURSE RECORD IN JEOPARDY (4:27 p.m.) -- Mike Weir just birdied the par-4 sixth hole after pitching to 11 feet and making the putt.

Weir is now 9 under with three holes to go. Two birdies and a par would be the magical 59. If Weir makes a birdie and two pars, he will shoot 60, breaking the course record of 61 held by Troy Matteson (twice) and Kevin Stadler. -- Ryan Smithson

Mediate

ROCCO PLAYING FOR HIS CARD (4:09 p.m.) -- Rocco Mediate has only missed three cuts in 21 starts this year, but the 2008 U.S. Open runner-up has just one top-10 (T9, Legends Reno-Tahoe Open). At 151st on the money list, Mediate is a little under $200,000 out of the 125th spot on the money list.

Mediate is 6 under today to move into a tie for seventh, and if he can hold his position, he should earn around $150,000, which will move him closer to his goal with two tournaments remaining.

Mediate has already said he will play in the Viking Classic next week. --Ryan Smithson

MIKE WEIR UPDATE (4 p.m.) -- Mike Weir is now 8 under with five holes to go after he got up and down to birdie the par-5 fourth hole. He needs to make three more birdies to shoot 59, but two of the holes left are par-3s.

Molder

BIG WEEK FOR GEORGIA TECH (3:50 p.m.) -- Georgia Tech's football team beat Virginia on Saturday to improve to 7-1, and a trio of the school's alumni are tearing it up this week at Grayhawk. It's already been a big Fall Series for former Yellow Jackets -- Matt Kuchar (2000, Management) won at Turning Stone earlier this month.

Troy Matteson, Nicholas Thompson and Bryce Molder are all battling near the top of the leaderboard, and Molder has made the biggest Sunday charge, birdieing five of his first 10 holes today to move within five shots of the lead.

Molder is gunning for his first top 10 since his solo fourth in July at the AT&T National. -- Ryan Smithson

MATTESON EAGLES THE FOURTH HOLE TO RETAKE THE LEAD (3:21 p.m.) -- Rickie Fowler's lead lasted all of five minutes. Troy Matteson hit the fourth green in two and nailed his 20-footer for eagle, getting him to 18 under, one ahead of Fowler. Fowler is solidly in second, two shots ahead of Jamie Lovemark and Tim Clark. -- Ryan Smithson

FOWLER MAKES A HOLE-IN-ONE TO TAKE THE LEAD (3:17 p.m.) -- In a week where anything has been possible, Rickie Fowler just grabbed the lead when he aced the 203-yard par-3 fifth with a 6-iron. The pin is set on the back of the green today, making Fowler's shot 211 yards. The ace is the fourth consecutive day Fowler has scored an eagle. In the past two weeks alone, he already has six eagles.

That marks the fourth ace in the last two rounds at Grayhawk, and Fowler is now 5 under for the day after only five holes. -- Ryan Smithson

MIKE WEIR MAKES ANOTHER BIRDIE (3:13 p.m.) -- Mike Weir is still a long way from 59, but he birdied the short par-4 second hole to get to 7 under. He's got seven holes to go, and if he can rack up four more birdies, he will become the first player to break 60 since David Duval did it at the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. -- Ryan Smithson

WEIR GOES OUT IN 29 (2:50 p.m.) -- Mike Weir birdied the long 18th at Grayhawk for his sixth birdie of the day, giving him an outside shot at shooting 59. The front side also plays to a par of 35, but there are not a lot of birdie holes on the front. -- Ryan Smithson

Weir's best shot for birdies will be the medium par-5 fourth hole and the short par-4 sixth hole, but he also faces three par-4s measuring over 460 yards. -- Ryan Smithson

BIRDIE-BIRDIE START FOR FOWLER (2:25 p.m) -- Rickie Fowler has kicked off his final round by holing birdie putts of 20 feet and nine feet to get to 14 under, two shots behind Troy Matteson, who began his final round with a par. -- Ryan Smithson

• To track Fowler with Shot Tracker, click here.

WEIR GOING LOW EARLY (2 p.m.) -- Mike Weir has a victory and a tie for fourth in two tries at Grayhawk's Ratpor Course, but his bid to win this year was derailed by his 71 in the third round.

Weir

Teeing off on the back nine, Weir has kicked off his final round with four birdies in his first six holes. Weir has only made one bogey on Grayhawk's back nine all week, but the front side has hurt him: He's only 1 under on the front side this week, with three bogeys and a double bogey.

Weir opened the season with two top-five finishes in his first three starts, but his best finish since then is a solo 10th in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. -- Ryan Smithson

• To track Weir with Shot Tracker, click here.

BATTLE FOR CARDS ON THE NATIONWIDE TOUR (1:45 p.m.) -- The final round of the $1 million Nationwide Tour Championship is under way from Daniel Island, S.C. The top 25 players on the money list get PGA TOUR cards for 2010.

Matt Every, 49th on the money list, can secure a card with a victory. Click here to follow the action. -- Ryan Smithson

WE LOST PAYNE STEWART 10 YEARS AGO TODAY (1:20 p.m.) -- It was Oct. 25, 1999 when Payne Stewart lost his life along with five others when the private plane carrying them depressurized and crashed in South Dakota.

Prior to this year's THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, PGATOUR.COM presented a video feature of Chelsea Stewart , Payne's daughter, who has settled into a role working for the PGA TOUR in the TICKETS Fore CHARITY program. -- Ryan Smithson

IF MATTESON FAILS, WE'LL LIKELY SEE A FIRST-TIME WINNER (1 p.m.) -- Troy Matteson enters the final round with a three-shot lead, and most of his competition has never won on the PGA TOUR. Webb Simpson, Tim Clark and Chris Stroud all sit three back.

Fowler

Simpson is a rookie (rookies are winless in 2009), Stroud has never finished in the top three in a TOUR event, and Clark's winless streak dates back 194 starts, including his heartbreaking loss earlier this year at the Colonial.

Ryan Moore, who won this summer at the Wyndham Championship, is four shots back, as is rookie Bill Lunde and 2008 U.S. Amateur champion Rickie Fowler, who held a share of the 36-hole lead.

Fowler's goal is simple: Win today and avoid showing up for the first stage of q-school next week in Lantana, Texas. Because Fowler is entered in the first stage of q-school, he is unable to play next week at the Viking Classic. -- Ryan Smithson

THOMPSON TALKS ABOUT HIS UNIQUE ALBATROSS-ACE (12:40 p.m.) -- Most players live their entire lives without a double eagle, even in this day and age of 540-yard par-5s coupled with 320-yard drives. We were amazed on Saturday by Nicholas Thompson's double eagle on No. 11, followed by his ace on No. 13 -- but the Georgia Tech alum says it wasn't even his first double eagle.

Thompson

Must be nice!

"That was my second double eagle and my eighth hole in one," said Thompson, who holed a 261-yard 3-wood for his double eagle and a 7-iron for his ace. "I hadn't had either of them in competition as a professional. So it was pretty cool experience. And to have them within three holes, pretty unbelievable."

Unfortunately, Thompson never saw the shot go in.

"[I] was sitting down in a valley on a downslope," Thompson said. "I hit the shot, and it went up. I heard some claps and I'm like, 'Nice, it's on the green.' And I see a guy throw his arms up in the air and I'm like, 'Yes, tap-in eagle.' Then I hear them roar and I'm like, 'Wait a minute. That's a double eagle.'"

The crazy three-hole stretch sheds some light on a disappointing year for Thompson, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play this year after banking nearly $1.9 million via six top-10s in 2008. -- Ryan Smithson

MATTESON HAS SOME RECORDS IN SIGHT (12:30 p.m.) -- If Troy Matteson could go back and shave a few strokes off that first-round 72 he shot, he would have a good chance at establishing several all-time PGA TOUR scoring records today at Grayhawk.

The 72-hole scoring record is 254, shot by Tommy Armour III in the 2003 Valero Texas Open. Matteson would need to shoot 60 today to match that.

Matteson does have a shot at becoming the first person to shoot 188 over three consecutive rounds. The current record of 189 (63-63-63), set by Chandler Harper at the 1954 Texas Open, is one of the PGA TOUR's oldest records. Harper's 189 was matched three times, most recently by Armour at the 2003 Valero Texas Open.

After back-to-back 61s, Matteson would only need a 66 today to set a new mark. -- Ryan Smithson

Groups We're Watching

Tee time Players   2:10 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Troy Matteson, Webb Simpson, Tim Clark Matteson has been perfect the last two rounds, but he will have to go again on Sunday to win. 1:50 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Nick O'Hern, Ryan Moore, Rickie Fowler All three are four strokes back, and with the way scores have dropped this week, a comeback is possible. 1:40 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1 Nicholas Thompson, Justin Leonard, Robert Garrigus Garrigus has played as cleanly as anyone this week, making just one bogey in his last 36 holes.

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