Quail Hollow Championship, Round 3
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
THIRD ROUND COMPLETE (7:10 p.m.): We had to wait a little over an hour for the third round to be completed as play was halted with lightning flashing in the skies overhead, but when play resumed, things ended just as they were with Zach Johnson in the lead.
Johnson parred the 18th and as a result will take a two-shot lead over Lucas Glover, Tiger Woods and George McNeill into the final round. He'll do because of his own steady play and because of two late bogeys by Woods for the second straight day.
When Johnson won the 2007 Masters, holding off Woods in the process, he did it the exact same way, by making clutch birdies and pars, while others faltered. The only difference this time around is that he'll have to do it while in the lead going into Sunday. -- Brian Wacker
BACK AT IT (6:59 p.m.): The third round has resumed at Quail Hollow, with the last two groups finishing off their rounds on the 18th. Zach Johnson, currently in the lead by one, didn't seem affected by the delay. He hit his approach onto the green at 18, leaving himself 42 feet for birdie. -- Brian Wacker
DELAY UPDATE III (6:54 p.m.): With more weather expected to roll through Charlotte today, the third round is expected to resume a little earlier than its original re-start time of 7:05 p.m., so the last four players left on the course should be going back out sometime in the next few minutes or so. -- Brian Wacker
DELAY UPDATE II (6:31 p.m.): The third round of the Quail Hollow Championship will resume at 7:05 p.m. ET today. That means the last four players on the course -- Zach Johnson, George McNeill, Bubba Watson and Retief Goosen -- will have endured a delay of 79 minutes before cleaning up their rounds on the difficult 18th hole. -- Brian Wacker
DELAY UPDATE (6:00 p.m.): PGA TOUR rules czar Mark Russell just said that the completion of the third round could be delayed anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes as it's difficult to tell exactly how long it will take for the cells currently in the area to roll through.
When play does resume, leader Zach Johnson will be in the middle of the 18th fairway, holding a one-shot lead. Only four players are left on the course -- including George McNeill, who is the other half of Johnson's twosome -- and with a couple of hours of daylight left, they should be able to finish.
Barring something disastrous, Johnson and McNeill should be in the final pairing tomorrow, with Tiger Woods right in front of them. That will set up an interesting dynamic for sure and, given how hard Quail Hollow is playing, could be similar to the final round of the 2007 Masters, when Johnson closed with a 3-under 69 that included three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the back nine to win. What will happen this time around? -- Brian Wacker
PLAY SUSPENDED (5:45 p.m.): The weather we were waiting for all day has finally arrived with lightning in the area, forcing officials to blow the horn and suspend the third round.
The only players left on the course when the round was halted were leader Zach Johnson, George McNeill, who is alone in second one shot back, overnight leaders Bubba Watson and Retief Goosen. For now, officials will wait until the lightning in the area clears as they try to finish everything today. -- Brian Wacker
TIGER STUMBLES, JOHNSON TAKES ADVANTGE (5:40 p.m.): For a second day in a row Tiger Woods bogeyed two of his final three holes at Quail Hollow. We've heard all week how difficult the Green Mile is and Woods has been exhibit A, three-putting from 61 feet on 17 today and two-putting from 6 feet on 18 after missing the green long on his second shot. As a result, Woods has fallen back into a tie for third with Zach Johnson in the lead two ahead of him and George McNeill one shot ahead at 10 under. -- Brian Wacker
TRIPPED UP AGAIN (5:25 p.m.): The Green Mile has tripped up Tiger Woods for a second day in a row as he just made a bogey on the par-3 17th. Yesterday, it was 16 and 18 that got him with bogeys. Either way, however, Woods will be in a position to capture his second PGA TOUR title of the season going to tomorrow's final round. Right now, Woods is one off the lead of George McNeill, though McNeill still has 17 and 18 to play.
If Woods does end up playing in the final group with McNeill tomorrow, the stat of the day will undoubtedly be Woods: 66 career TOUR wins; McNeill: 1. -- Brian Wacker
FEDEXCUP UPDATE (5:00 p.m.): If Tiger Woods, who is now tied for the lead with George McNeill, does go on to win this week he'll move as high as fourth in the FedExCup standings. As it stands, Woods was 14th coming into the week and would move into the top 10 for the first time this season with a top 10 at Quail Hollow.
Zach Johnson, meanwhile, is a shot behind Woods at the moment and could move into first place in the standings with a victory this week. In 10 starts this season, Johnson is averaging about 93 points per start. -- Brian Wacker
DE JONGE'S JOURNEY (4:38 p.m.): Wonder how a guy from Hahare, Zimbabwe ended up in Blacksburg, Va., playing golf for Virginia Tech?
Well, the Hokies coach recruited Brendon de Jonge after seeing him play junior golf in Miami. De Jonge, who lists his countryman, Nick Price, as his hero, earned second team All-American honors at Virginia Tech and graduated in 2003 with a degree in Consumer Studies.
He and his wife Mary have lived in Charlotte for the last three-and-a-half years. The commute to Blacksburg is an easy one, and his teammate, Johnson Wagner, is here, too.
"It's a great city, great airport to travel in and out of, a lot of Virginia Tech fans here, easy to get back to Blacksburg for football games," de Jonge said. "It's a very friendly city, and it's a nice place to call home.
"I make it back to Blacksburg as much as I can. Obviously during the season it's difficult, but if we do happen to have an off week or if I have a week off, it's definitely a priority to make it back for a football game."
He plays out of the TPC Piper Glen, but de Jonge manages to get in a few rounds at Quail Hollow, too -- particularly as the tournament draws closer. And the difference this week for de Jonge, whose best finish on TOUR is a tie for sixth at the 2007 Reno-Tahoe Open?
"I've definitely made a lot more putts," he said. "More so putts at the right time, sort of keep a round going, get a little bit of momentum. That's been the biggest thing for me." -- Helen Ross
TIGER ON TOP (4:15 p.m.): NBA analyst Kenny "The Jet" Smith just Twittered about the Game 7s in the playoffs are like "being in an alley with your friends and you're about to be attacked." You look at each other and right there you know who to count on. The same could be said for Tiger Woods and the rest of the guys atop the leaderboard at Quail Hollow right now.
Woods just rolled in his fifth birdie of the day and you get the feeling he's about to attack and that George McNeill and Lucas Glover, whil nice players, may wilt in the enormous shadow that is Woods' game.
There's still plenty of golf to be played in today's third round, but if Woods can make another birdie or two before coming to the final three holes, or get through that stretch without any bogeys, the rest of the field could be in trouble. Not only is Woods the best front-runner in the history of golf, he also happens to have the best final-round scoring average on the PGA TOUR this season at 67.67 -- two full strokes lower than his third-round scoring average. -- Brian Wacker
| A sip of Maginnes | |
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THE TRICKY SIXTH (4:05 p.m.): The "Green Mile" -- holes 16 through 18 -- has gotten all the publicity this week for how difficult it has played and rightfully so. Today, however, none of those three holes is playing as the toughest on the course. That distinction, at least right now, belongs to the sixth hole. Playing at 250 yards, it's easy to understand why the par-3 hole has given players headaches. Just three birdies were made there today -- compared to 33 bogeys and just 37 pars -- and onyl 29 percent of the players in the field hit the green in regulation. -- Brian Wacker
A TALE OF TWO ROUNDS (3:55 p.m.): While Tiger Woods is busy challenging for the lead, just one back with a round 2 under going today, his playing partner, Jim Furyk, is struggling, playing his first 10 holes in 2 over to drop back to 5 under for the week. Ditto Retief Goosen, who began the day tied for the lead, but has since fallen back at 2 over on his day as well. -- Brian Wacker
QUAIL HOLLOW PLAYING TOUGH (3:42 p.m): The blustery conditions at Quail Hollow have taken their toll this week. Not only is the wind keeping the greens dry and fast, it's made club selection challenging.
"The wind has made conditions tough all week on every hole, trying to judge where it is," David Toms said. "I hit the fairway on 18, and I'm standing out there 160 yards, and I could have hit three different clubs depending on which way the wind was going to go.
"That's what's making it difficult out there right now to get the ball close to the pin."
Toms hit a great approach at No. 18 to 12 feet but he three-putted and finished with a 67 for a three-day total of 7 under. That bogey notwithstanding, the 2003 champ has handled the difficult "Green Mile" well -- playing the final three holes in 1 under this week. -- Helen Ross
O'HAIR INTO THE MIX (3:30 p.m.): Another player who is teeing it up for the first time since the Masters is Sean O'Hair. He was lurking well back when the day began at 3 under, but has since climbed into a contention thanks to birdies on his last three holes.
O'Hair has seven birdies on the day, but a few of them were erased with three bogeys. Where he finishes, however, will come down to how plays the "Green Mile." If the first two rounds are any indication, O'Hair should be just fine. He's played 16, 17 and 18 in a combined 1 under with one birdie and five pars. -- Brian Wacker
MCNEILL MAKES A MOVE (3:10 p.m.): We've got yet another lead change here at the Quail Hollow Championship with George McNeill moving to the front after making his third straight birdie to get to 10 under for the week.
McNeill has yet to miss a green in regulation today (he ranks eighth in the field in that stat ) and he's taken 13 putts through seven holes (on the week he's T7 in putting). -- Brian Wacker
ANOTHER LEAD CHANGE (2:52 p.m.): This round is starting to look a little like the Bulls-Celtics playoff series with the lead changing hands so many times -- Brendon de Jonge just moved into a share of the lead with Lucas Glover at 9 under.
And like the Bulls-Celtics series, we could be headed for some extra time, too. According to the weather forecast, a thunderstorm cell is supposed to roll through the area at about 4 p.m. ET, which is right around the time the leaders should be making their way through the first hole or two of the ball. Right now, though, the skies are blue ... with a few clouds gathering. -- Brian Wacker
MORE ON YANG (2:35 p.m.): Y.E. Yang, who won The Honda Classic earlier this year, fired a sizzling 66 on Saturday to move into contention at 7 under.
Ironically, though, the 37-year-old from Seoul, South Korea, credits his hot round to a three-putt bogey on the first hole.
"After that first bogey, I said to myself, you know what, I'm at level par; I can only improve from this point onward," Yang said. "I just comforted myself. I think that's what got it going."
Yang went on to make five birdies and an eagle after that opening bogey. He says the conditions are only going to get tougher as the afternoon progresses.
"Especially the greens are going to get faster," Yang said. "If the wind does pick up a little bit, the greens are going to dry up. ... I think probably the leader right now is at 9-under, but probably won't go more than 11- or 12-under." -- Helen Ross
| A sip of Maginnes | |
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A.K. NOT O.K. (2:20 p.m.): Defending champion Anthony Kim was in pretty good position heading into the weekend here at 5 under and in a tie for 11th. Was because he's tumbling toward what might end up being his worst-ever round at Quail Hollow after making three bogeys and a double bogey in his first five holes. That drops Kim into a tie for 52nd at the moment and well off the pace at even par for the tournament.
Kim has hit just 3 of 7 greens in regulation so far and 2 of 5 fairways and clearly is having issues off the tee and with his approach shots. He missed the green off the tee on the par-3 second hole and wasn't able to get up-and-down, then slashed it around the rough on No. 3 before finally making double bogey. On his next two holes, Kim found the bunker twice -- first off the tee at No. 4, then on his approach on No. 5 -- and again wasn't able to save par.
As for that worst round at Quail Hollow, Kim has never shot over par here with his highest number posted a 72 in the opening round of the 2007 tournament when he finished T5. -- Brian Wacker
MOVING DAY (2:07 p.m.): Saturday is typically known as moving day on the PGA TOUR, but the Quail Hollow Championship might give new meaning to that term today. Already, we've had a few different leaders.
Bubba Watson and Retief Goosen began the day tied atop the leaderboard before Brendon de Jonge moved into the top spot with a birdie binge. After a bogey by de Jonge, however, Lucas Glover has sprinted to the front after two birdies and an eagle over his last four holes.
Meanwhile, three players, including teenager Danny Lee, are just one shot back. David Toms and Tiger Woods are in a group of five players just two off the lead, and most of that group just teed off a little while ago.
Just how crazy are things in North Carolina right now? Consider that Phil Mickelson, who teed off in the fourth-to-last group of the day just two back, has plummeted to T21 after playing his first four holes in 1 over. -- Brian Wacker
WILD, WILD WEEK (1:58 p.m.): This week has been a whirlwind for Danny Lee. The 18-year-old made his first cut in his second start as a pro on Friday -- and through eight holes Saturday he suddenly finds himself one shot off the lead.
Lee is tied with Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson and Retief Goosen, all of whom just teed off, and one behind Brendan de Jonge, who is 6 under through 11 holes. The work he did with Dave Stockton Sr. Monday through Wednesday appears to have paid off.
"I was taking it really serious about professional golf and I think I overreacted and I was taking it too seriously," Lee said. "I was trying to make the perfect swing. I met Mr. Dave (Stockton) and he gave me some good tips and that really relaxed my mind.
"Now I am just having fun out here."
Lee, who has dual citizenship in Korea and New Zealand, has made four birdies in his first eight holes to move to 8 under for the tournament. After shooting a second-round 69, Lee revealed his strategy.
"I don't really think about what place I am in so all I am going to do is try to make five birdies out there," Lee said. "That is my goal this week, actually for me and David's goal. So I am just going to do that."
So far, so good. -- Helen Ross
YANG GOES LOW (1:44 p.m.): Y.E. Yang just capped off the second-lowest round of his season and the lowest round of the day so far with a 6-under 66 at the Quail Hollow Championship, where he's just two off new leader for the moment Brendon de Jonge.
The lowest round of Yang's season to date? A second-round 65 at The Honda Classic, where he went on to win his first career PGA TOUR title in this, just his third season on TOUR.
After a bogey on his opening hole, Yang got things rolling with a birdie at No. 5 and an eagle on the par-5 seventh, where he hit his second shot to inside 8 feet to set up an easy putt. Yang added another birdie one hole later before closing out his round with a matching 33 on the back side at Quail Hollow.
Greens in regulation are key around Quail Hollow at that was the case for Yang again on Saturday, where he hit 15 of 18. For the week, he's hit 40 of 54 and ranks eighth in the field. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Yang's scorecard from today:
THE LEAD PACK GROWS (1:15 p.m.): With the leaders set to tee off shortly, they'll have some company atop the leaderboard after Brendon de Jonge just poured in his sixth birdie of the day, dropping a 15-footer on No. 9. Only a lone bogey on No. 3 kept the de Jonge from matching the front-nine record of 30 -- that's already been tied twice this week.
In case you were wondering, de Jonge's best finish on the the PGA TOUR is a T6 at the 2007 Reno-Tahoe Open. His career-low round is a 63, shot in the first round of the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. -- Brian Wacker
DE JONGE CATCHING FIRE (12:55 p.m.): Another player making an early move today is Brendon de Jonge, who has birdied five of his first seven holes with one bogey sandwiched in there.
De Jonge, who was last year's Nationwide Tour Player of the Year, is in position for his best finish of the year if he can keep it up. Earlier this year, the 28-year-old Charlotte resident who plays out of nearby Piper Glen had a couple of strong performances in L.A. and Mexico, finishing T10 and T15, respectively, but he hasn't sniffed the top 40 since. Prior to this week, he broke 70 just once in his last 13 rounds.
Much like Jerry Kelly in New Orleans last week, de Jonge is simply finding a way to get the ball in the hole even though none of his statistics really jump out at you. de Jonge does rank ninth in putts this week, but isn't in the top 50 in the field in fairways, greens or driving distance. -- Brian Wacker
EARLY MOVERS (12:42 p.m.): Among those getting a jump on the leaders today are David Toms and Y.E. Yang, both of whom are 4 under on their rounds. They still have some ground to make up -- Toms is two back, Yang three back, at the moment -- but don't be surprised to see a guy like Toms stick around the rest of the weekend. Quail Hollow is a long course, but because Toms is one of the shorter hitters on the PGA TOUR, he'll be less likely to go for greens in two and rely on a wedge game that won him a major championship. Another positive for Toms today: 13 putts through 10 holes today. -- Brian Wacker
WHY WATSON SHARES THE LEAD (12:30 p.m.): Want to know why Bubba Watson is in the lead, aside from the front-nine 30 he shot on Friday? Well, his first and second rounds were drastically different, not just on the scorecard, but statistically as well. See the chart below for a closer look. -- Brian Wacker
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