PLAYERS Championship, Round 3
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
THIRD ROUND COMPLETE (7:10 p.m.): Tiger Woods played himself into the final group tomorrow and he didn't ven have to hit a shot. When Woods finished his round earlier today, he was T7. Now he is T2, trailing only Alex Cejka.
Woods -- and five others -- will have a five-shot deficit to make up thanks to a birdie by Cejka on the difficult 18th to get to 11 under. That's the same deficit Woods faced when he won at Bay Hill, where Sean O'Hair shot 73 and Woods shot a 67 that included a birdie in near darkness on the 18th green.
Cejka's third round was incredibly wild and up and down -- he made four bogeys and four birdies -- but when the dust settled he came out the other end.
A five-shot lead will be incredibly difficult to make up tomorrow, especially i the course is as crusty as it was late in the day today, but Woods has done it before. It just might take a career-round for him to do it this time. -- Brian Wacker
HOW QUICKLY THINGS CAN CHANGE (6:20 p.m.): Want further proof that TPC Sawgrass is playing extremely difficult and that things can change incredibly fast around here? In the time it took me to walk from the 18th hole back to the media center, get a water and check email -- literally about 10 minutes -- Alex Cejka had gone from 12 under to 10 under with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 13 and 14.
When Tiger Woods finished his round today, there were several players between him and the lead. Thanks to those bogeys, there are now two and if things stay as they are, Woods will be in the second-to-last group of the day. -- Brian Wacker
CHOPRA ON TIGER (6:00 p.m.): Count Daniel Chopra as one of those impressed with Tiger Woods' left- handed, upside-down whack out of the pine needles at the 11.
"It was great fun to see,'' said Chopra, who was playing with Woods. "It might have been the best shot he hit all day. It was an awesome shot.''
He admitted though, it's a shot everyone practices because, well, you never know. "We goof around in practice," Chopra said. "It's everything, but in reverse.''
As for playing with Tiger? He said you just deal with it. And, no, you don't get nervous.
"You're playing with the best player who ever lived,'' Chopra said. "You can't really go out and impress him." -- Melanie Hauser
| A sip of Maginnes | |
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CEJKA CHARGES BACKS (5:40 p.m.): Just when it looked like Alex Cejka might wilt a little in the late afternoon heat -- or Tiger Woods' shadow -- he made back-to-back birdies to get back to 12 under, extending his lead to four shots over Henrick Stenson.
Meanwhile, other players who were once battling for the lead have fallen back. Ian Poulter is 3 over for the day after making three bogeys in a four-hole stretch between the end of the front nine and beginning of the back. David Toms, once as low as 8 under has since dropped three shots after three bogeys in his first five holes on the back nine. Richard Johnson, Kevin Na and Angel Cabrera are all over par, too. -- Brian Wacker
WOODS WRAPS UP HIS ROUND (5:10 p.m.): Tiger Woods found the trees on the par-5 11th on Saturday and was forced to play a left-handed shot out of them (see video below). He made bogey on the hole, but rallied with two bogeys late, meaning that while he's not out of contention at 6 under as the lead backed up a stroke to 10 under, he's not exactly where he'd like to be either.
"Depends what the leaders do the rest of the day," said Woods, who rallied from five shots back to win at Bay Hill earlier this year. "As of now, I'm in the ballgame."
Accuracy-wise, Woods did exactly the same thing today that he did yesterday, hitting 7 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation, only he was two shots worse with a 71.
"The greens are so baked out out there that it's hard to get the ball close," Woods said. "I hit the ball better today, but it's pretty tricky out there. It dried out and got really crusty. The shots just weren't holding.
"I just tried to plod along ... par, par, par and sprinkle in a birdie here and there." -- Brian Wacker
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TIGER MAKING A MOVE (4:35 p.m.): Tiger Woods just made his fifth birdie of the day and second in a rown, rolling in a 8-footer on the 17th to get to 6 under on the tournament and more importantly one shot closer to the lead, which has remained mostly at 11 under all day. -- Brian Wacker
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LEADERBOARD CHECK (3:55 p.m.): How tough is TPC Sawgrass playing today? Much tougher than it has been and that continues this afternoon. The last group is through its first six holes and of the top 14 names on the leaderboard, no one is more than 1 under at the moment and a couple of players -- Ben Crane and John Mallinger -- are actually over par.
As for Tiger Woods, he's struggling, too. He's through 14 holes and only 1 under on the day with three birdies and two bogeys. -- Brian Wacker
KLAUK CLIMBS BACK UP (3:35 p.m.): That 40 Jeff Klauk shot on the back nine Friday didn't sit well -- particularly after he had shot a sizzling 4 under on the front. So it was important to rebound on Saturday and that's exactly what Klauk did.
The Floridian, whose father Fred retired as the course superintendent at TPC Sawgrass last year, birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to polish off a 71 that left him 2 under for the tournament.
"After yesterday's back nine I wanted to finish strong today," Klauk said. "You know, it's moving day, and I just want to play well at my home course, too. I know this thing almost too well. I'm having a blast out there."
Klauk admitted that he probably would have taken 2 under through 54 holes in his PLAYERS debut if someone had offered before he teed off. Sunday's challenge is simple.
"I figured if somebody said you could get 10-under before the week started I would have said you'd have had to play perfect," Klauk said. "I still feel like I've got a round in the 60s in me out here tomorrow. You know, it's going to be challenging.
"They're not going to put any water on anything, so it'll be fun." -- Helen Ross
TIGER AND OTHER NUGGETS (3:25 p.m.): In 63 career stroke-play wins, Tiger Woods has come from behind after 54 holes to win 19 times. Earlier this season, Woods was five strokes behind Sean O'Hair entering the final round before winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.
Woods entered today's round in a tie for 22nd, representing the 63rd time in his career he entered the weekend ranked outside of the top 20. In those events, he went on to win only twice -- he was T36 after two rounds at the 1999 Buick Invitational before making a weekend charge to win and was T22 at the 2006 Buick Invitational before eventually winning. (Note: The 2006 Northern Trust Open represents one of the 63 tournaments, but Woods withdrew prior to the start of the third round). ...
The third-round leader/co-leader has won 14 of 18 events on the PGA TOUR this season. Last year, the third-round leader/co-leader only won 22 of 46 events. ...
Since THE PLAYERS moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982, the third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 11 of 27 times. Since 2000, the list includes Hal Sutton (2000), Adam Scott (2004) and Stephen Ames (2006). -- John Bush
LEFT-HANDED TIGER (3:15 p.m.): After an errant tee shot on the par-5 11th left his ball next to a tree in the native area left of the fairway, Tiger Woods played the only shot he had -- flipping over an iron and hitting left-handed.
And it wasn't a bad shot. He flew the large bunker in front of the water guarding the hole, landing 112 yards in the first cut on the right side of the fairway.
Unfortunately, once he reached his second shot, he had no chance to reach the green, with a large tree blocking his way. He had to hit around the tree, landing to the right of the green.
Tiger eventually bogeyed the hole, his first bogey at one of the four par-5s this week. Up until that point, Tiger had been 8 under on the par-5 holes. -- Mike McAllister
TOUGH TRACK (2:58 p.m.): With all players now having teed off in the third round, the Stadium Course is definitely playing tougher than in the first two days.
Currently, the field stroke average for the third round is 73.356 -- that's nearly a stroke higher than the second-round average of 72.379. The first round played to a stroke average of 72.084.
Of the 40 players who have already finished their rounds, just 12 came in under par, with the lowest being the 4-under 68s shot by Woody Austin and Kenny Perry. -- Mike McAllister
GETTING THEIR PHIL (2:45 p.m.): There was a wild pool party last night, complete with kids running around, fun hats and a Spiderman ice cream cake. The honoree? Phil Mickelson's caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay, who turned 44.
Mickelson, Mackay and their male friends had their annual celebration last week with a nice dinner and wine. But Friday night was for the families and the cake. It was chosen by 5-year-old Oliver Mackay. "Anything he picks,'' dad said, "is fine with me.''
Mickelson, who made the cut on the number Friday night with a birdie at the ninth -- his final hole, shot 71 to head to the clubhouse at 1-under 215 and wait to see if he'll play the final round. The field will be cut to the low 70 today, meaning 14 players won't play Sunday.
So how did the course play?
"I think it was pretty tough,'' Mickelson said. "I think the course was not easy. You can make some birdies out there, but if you miss the fairway it's tough to make par.''
And his game? "Not many birdies or bogeys,'' he said. "Just around par.''
For the record, he shot 1-over on the front with a bogey at the second, then had two bogeys, an eagle at 11 and a birdie at 17 -- he hit it to 10 feet and made the putt -- for his 1 under.
Mickelson also talked a bit about his love affair with New York. He's a fan favorite up there and the feeling is mutual with NYC.
"I've always enjoyed going,'' he said. "Amy and I always take the kids at least once a year and go to shows. It's not even golf related.
"I love all that's going on there. It's a very sports-minded town, but it's very cultural too. There's a lot of energy going on there.''
On another note, Mickelson did join Liberty National Golf Club, site of this year's The Barclays, which was designed by Tom Kite and Bob Cupp. He said he does a number of corporate events there. -- Melanie Hauser
FAN FAVORITE (2:35 p.m.): Crowds began gathering around the 18th tee box like the world's No. 1 golfer was on his way. When the fans caught sight of the player they were waiting for, cheers broke out -- except they were for local Jeff Klauk.
Klauk, who grew up in Ponte Vedra and whos father Fred was the superintendent here for 23 years, was 1 under coming to the 18th and hit driver safely off the tee before eventually making par to finish with a 71. -- Ceri Mobley
CAN'T PLAY LIKE A PRO? DRESS LIKE ONE (2:30 p.m.): Spoiler alert -- we have pictures of the exact shirts that Tiger Woods and Camilo Villegas will be wearing tomorrow.
The merchandise tent at THE PLAYERS Championship is selling the four shirts that Woods has worn or will wear this week, including his Sunday red mock shirt.
His Thursday shirt sold out completely and the tent estimates that his Sunday one will likely sell out before the end of Saturday.
Woods lets a group from Nike, known as "Team Tiger" because they work exclusively on Woods' apparel, know at least nine months in advance so they can prepare the products for sale. His design team usually takes tables full of products to Woods' house, where he then makes selections based on his own sense of style. The initiative to sell the same apparel Woods is going to wear on a specific day started over a decade ago, but has recently expanded from the four major championships to several key PGA TOUR events, including THE PLAYERS.
If you'd rather dress like the fashion-forward Villegas, the merchandise tent is also selling -- for the first time ever -- the Colombian's four J. Lindeberg shirts from the week. Known as "art polos" for their unique designs, the shirts were inspired by artist Christopher Wool and include his CVS Caremark and Café Colombia logos. Villegas, one of the TOUR's most fashion-conscious players, will have his own line of golf apparel debut at the U.S. Open.
The Woods shirts will set you back $82-90, while Villegas' shirts cost anywhere from $79-$125. Both players want to keep cool in the Florida heat, so most of the shirts wick away sweat.
The kumquat-colored shirt that Sergio Garcia wore based on votes from the "Dress Sergio" campaign on Friday are also available in the tent, but do not have the logos from Garcia's personal attire. -- Lauren Deason
KIM STICKING AROUND (2:15 p.m.): TPC Sawgrass isn't exactly the place to be working on your swing, but that's what Anthony Kim was and still is doing this week. Kim, who missed the cut for a second time in three trips here with rounds of 73-82 this week, is sticking around for the weekend to practice.
The decision comes on the heels of Kim hiring Darby Rich to be his trainer to get his body and his swing back into the type of shape it was in college. Rich is the former strength and conditioning coach at Oklahoma and worked individually with Kim while he was in college.
Though Kim says his body feels good and all the nagging injuries are behind him, he admitted that he needs to get back to practicing more and eating better and that he needs to regain his confidence, something that's been a major problem this year. -- Brian Wacker
PERRY TAKES ADVANTAGE BEFORE COURSE GETS CRUSTY (2 p.m.): The way Kenny Perry saw it, he didn't have anything to lose.
He had made the cut on the number after rounds of 73 and 71, so he was playing in relative anonimity in the ninth group off the tee on Saturday. Perry made the most of the situation, too, firing a 68 that moved him up the leaderboard and into a tie at 4 under.
"It was just free for all, just go for it," Perry said. "It didn't really matter and it played nicely. I didn't really have a lot of worries out there and I hit it nice."
Baked in the relentless sun, though, the greens are getting extremely firm and fast.
"I hit the prettiest iron shot I hit all day at 18 and it landed 8 feet from the hole and it went over the green -- on the right side, right in front of the hole," Perry said. "It almost hit the stick and then it went over there long and I made bogey.
"It's a tough way to get a bogey after hitting a great shot."
The 48-year-old Perry, who is playing in his 21st PLAYERS, made six birdies -- including three straight starting at No. 15 -- and two bogeys on Saturday. He birdied three of the par 5s, sinking putts of 7 and 4 feet and chipping to 14 inches on the other.
Perry only expects the Stadium Course to get more difficult on this steamy Saturday.
"The boys this afternoon are going to have some fun," he said. "They'd better hit it in the fairway and they'd better be able to put some spin on the ball or they're not going to have any fun at all." -- Helen Ross
RECORD DAY? (1:50 p.m.): Unless Alex Cejka ties the course record today, he won't set a new tournament record for the lowest 54-hole total in PLAYERS history. Greg Norman currently holds that mark at 19 under; Cejka will start his third round this afternoon at 11 under.
But if Cejka can follow his first two rounds of 66-67 with a similar round, he could take over second place in the record books. Here are the lowest 54-hole totals in PLAYERS history. -- Mike McAllister
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| A sip of Maginnes | |
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CABRERA CRAZINESS (1:30 p.m.): Angel Cabrera doesn't exactly have what you'd call a stellar track record here at TPC Sawgrass, where he has missed the cut the last four years and has a career-best finish of T26. But not many expected El Pato to win the Masters, either.
How the Argentine's life has changed -- or hasn't changed -- since winning his first Green Jacket is an interesting story (click here to read more), but if there's one thing that's remained the same it's how he has managed his way around the golf course.
Cabrera has played his last 31 holes here in 9 under, yet his 14 pars through two rounds is the fewest of any player to make the cut this week. Those normally aren't the kind of numbers to inspire confidence, but he's also made 14 birdies, which is already as many as he made his last two trips here and is more than anyone else in the field. He also leads the field in bounce back.
That's pretty much the same way Cabrera won the Masters. Stay tuned for Round 3. He'll tee off in a little under an hour from now. -- Brian Wacker
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RANGE OBSERVATIONS (1:10 p.m.): Alex Cejka and Ian Poulter, set to tee off in the day's final pairing about an hour from now, are both warming up -- literally and, well, literally.
Poulter, who has his wife and kids up from their home in nearby Orlando, along with his grandparents from England, spent the morning playing with his little girls and his son, was on the practice green and sporting a white shirt with light blue and orangle plaid pants. With temperatures expected to hover around 90 (or above) the rest of the weekend, Poulter plans to keep the attire light.
Cejka, meanwhile, was sweating it out at the far end of the driving range, where he had an umbrella laying on the ground as he worked on his swing path with a mid-iron. With clear blue skies and no rain in the forecast, that's about all an umbrella is good for today, except for maybe shading yourself from the sun. -- Brian Wacker
TIGER OFF (12:45 p.m.): Tiger Woods isn't entirely out of the tournament, but he has plenty of ground to make up being seven shots back. He just teed of a few minutes ago and made par on the opening hole.
Woods has typically played his best golf here in the third round, but even so he's only broken 70 four times in 11 previous third rounds here with his best score being a 66 -- in 2000 and in 2001. Given how many people are ahead of him on the leaderboard and how favorable scoring conditions have been, he's going to need to shoot at least that, if not lower, to have a chance going into Sunday. -- Brian Wacker
To follow Tiger's round live with Shot Tracker, click here.
NA BATTLING, TOO (12:30 p.m.): Alex Cejka isn't the only one playing through pain here this week. Kevin Na, who is tied for third at 7 under entering today's round, withdrew from last week's Quail Hollow Championship with a shoulder injury.
"I've been practicing a lot and I did take the week of New Orleans off and I practiced a lot in Florida and I think I over practiced a little bit," Na said. "Even right now, my right quad is really stiff and I've been massaging it myself, putting some freeze cream on it, and the back is a little stiff.
"I'm 25 years old and my body is falling apart."
Not quite, or at least his game isn't falling part. Na has four top 10s this season and a T11 and already appears headed for his best ever finish in THE PLAYERS Championship, where he finished T54 last year and missed the cut in two previous starts.
"I did play poorly the last two tournaments, but I think it was more because I was probably trying too hard than anything else," Na said. -- Brian Wacker
EARLY MOVERS (12:05 p.m.): Zach Johnson missed the cut here last year, but thanks to a birdie barrage this morning he's making a run up the leaderboard.
Johnson just made the turn on the front nine in 31 with five birdies, including three in a row to close out the front (follow live on Shot Tracker). That's just one shot shy of the front-nine record at TPC Sawgrass.
He's still well back of the lead at 6 under at this point, but this could be a sign of things to come today. Ian Poulter, who is currently in second, said yesterday he thinks the winning number here will be something around 16 or 17 under. If Johnson's round is any indication, Poulter could be right. -- Brian Wacker
A PEEK INSIDE THE NUMBERS (11:40 a.m.): Want to know the biggest reason Alex Cejka and Ian Poulter are 1-2 on the leaderboard entering today's round? It's pretty simple: Both tied for the fewest bogeys this week.
Each player has only two bogeys so far -- compared to the field average of 3.11 bogeys per round.
Poulter, who had laser eye surgery earlier this year and in the offseason reexamined just how aggressive, or in this case non-aggressive he should be, has played nine of his last 10 rounds on TOUR under par and has finished in the top 20 his last three events.
Entering this week, Poulter has also salvaged par or better on 86 of 122 greens missed in regulation, good for second on TOUR and especially important around here, where there are a lot of tricky lies around the greens. He's continued that trend here, making par or better 9 of 11 times when missing the green in regulation. -- Brian Wacker
| Inside the numbers: Ian Poulter - This Week vs. The Field vs. 2009 Season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KEEPING THINGS IN CEJKA (11:25 a.m.): Alex Cejka is still looking for his first career PGA TOUR win and while some might be surprised to see his name atop the leaderboard here in the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship, or might think it won't be there long, it's not as if he doesn't bring experience of being in this position.
Cejka has played over 10,000 holes in his career on TOUR and has 11 international victories on his resume. He's also twice been a runner-up on TOUR, at the 2004 INTERNATIONAL presented by Qwest and the 2003 B.C. Open.
He's also a terrific ballstriker who has always been a grinder. Case in point on the latter: After having neck surgery last year, Cejka was told by his doctors to take 6-8 months off. He took four weeks off before hitting balls again. Since then, he's had a slew of related injuries that required him to get a cortisone shot a couple of weeks ago. He's pain-free now, but says there's still numbness in the arm. Never once did he think about taking time off, however.
"I didn't want to take the medical exemption," Cejka said. "I'm not one of these guys who does that. I want to be out here playing. I'm not a guy who likes to sit at home." (For more on Cejka's story, click here.)
As for his ballstriking, his play has been brilliant this week. Cejka ranks inside the top 10 in the field for driving accuracy, greens in regulation and scrambling. He also leads everyone in putting average. Add all that up and it's no wonder he's in the lead and has the look of someone who's not going anywhere anytime soon. -- Brian Wacker
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