Third-round notebook: Bridgestone Invitational

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AKRON, Ohio -- With rounds of 64-69-67--200 (10 under), Padraig Harrington currently holds a three-stroke lead over Tiger Woods after the third round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Harrington recorded his lowest three-round total in a PGA TOUR- or European Tour-sanctioned event since the 2007 TOUR Championship when he was at 10-under 200 after 54 holes; he eventually finished T11 after a final-round 3-over 73.

This is actually tied for the third-lowest 54-hole total for Harrington in a TOUR-sanctioned event.

• Between the TOUR and the European Tour, Harrington is 8-for-20 when leading after three rounds. The last 54-hole lead Harrington held was at the Irish Open on the European Tour in May 2007. He shot 71 on Sunday and won after a playoff with Bradley Dredge. He has been the 54-hole leader on the European Tour a total of 18 times, winning seven of those. On the TOUR, Harrington has held only two 54-hole leads -- at the 2003 PLAYERS Championship (T1 with Jay Haas; shot 72 on Sunday and finished T2 behind Davis Love III) and the 2005 Barclays Classic (T1 with Jim Furyk; shot 70 on Sunday and won). He has never gone wire-to-wire to win a TOUR-sanctioned event.

• The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 19 of 32 stroke-play events on TOUR this season. The third-round/co-leader has gone on to win the Bridgestone Invitational seven out of 10 times.

• Harrington is making his 11thstart at the Bridgestone Invitational, with three top-20 finishes. His best result came in his first start in 1999, finishing T12. Harrington, a three-time major championship winner, has just three top-25 finishes on TOUR in 2009, with a season-best T11 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. He is currently No. 142 on the FedExCup points list. A win tomorrow -- worth 550 points -- would give him 830 points and move him into the mid-30s in the rankings (Angel Cabrera is currently No. 32 with 834 points).

• Tiger Woods shot a third-round-low (tied with J.B. Holmes) 65 today to move to second through 54 holes at the Bridgestone Invitational, three strokes off the lead at 203.

• Woods continues his streak of being within the top 5 after 54 holes here at the Bridgestone Invitational (see chart below). When you combine the CA Championship and Bridgestone Invitational -- the two stroke-play World Golf Championships Woods has participated in over the past 11 years -- he has been out of the top 10 after 54 holes only once, at the 2009 CA Championship when he was T19 after three rounds and eventually finished T9.

• The three come-from-behind wins at the Bridgestone Invitational have all been authored by Woods. He was two strokes down to Jim Furyk in 2001 (shot 69 on Sunday and won in a playoff); one stroke down to Stewart Cink in 2006 (shot 68 on Sunday and won in a playoff); and one stroke down to Rory Sabbatini in 2007 (shot 65 on Sunday and won by eight).

• He has come from behind three times at the Buick Invitational also (2005, 2006, 2007). A come-from-behind win tomorrow would make this Woods' fourth at the Bridgestone Invitational -- and most in his career at the same event.

• Woods has come-from-behind 19 times (of 66 stroke-play wins) in his career. Five of those 19 wins have been by three shots or more (his deficit heading into Sunday's round), including two this season.

• Woods is attempting to win the Bridgestone Invitational for a seventh time (1999-2001, 2005-07). Only Sam Snead has more victories in a single tournament, with eight wins in Greensboro, N.C. Woods has never finished lower than fourth at the Bridgestone Invitational (4-2002, T4-2003).

• The only player to win on TOUR the week before the Bridgestone Invitational and then go on to capture the event was Woods, doing so in 2000 and 2006. Both seasons he followed up his victory at the PGA Championship with a win at Firestone Country Club. Woods is hoping to perform the feat again this year, one week after his win at the Buick Open.

• Woods won the Memorial for the fourth time in his career earlier this year. The 69-time TOUR winner followed each of his previous three victories at the Memorial Tournament (1999, 2000 and 2001) with victories at the Bridgestone Invitational the same year.

• Jerry Kelly posted another solid round on Saturday to stay within the top five heading into the final round: 71-65-69=205 (-5).

• Kelly has competed in the Bridgestone Invitational four times previously, with his best finish a T19 in 2004, which is the only time he's finished under par for the event (1-under 279).

• Kelly continues his late season charge to make the United States Presidents Cup team. He has consecutive top-10 finishes leading into this week and has five top-10 finishes in 2009, including a victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Kelly entered the Bridgestone Invitational ranked No. 15 in the U.S. standings. He needs to crack the top 10 by August 16 to assure himself a spot on U.S. Captain Fred Couples' squad.

• With rounds of 66-68-73--207 (3 under), Tim Clark is T14. When the third round was complete, Clark was T3 with Jerry Kelly, but was then accessed a two-stroke penalty for violation of Rule 20-7. On the 16th hole, he failed to replace his ball in the original position after moving it for Harrington's putt.

• Clark has amassed 35 top-10s in 187 career starts on TOUR (including seven second-place finishes) and is currently the highest-ranked player on the career money list without a victory (62nd/$13,346,166).

• Clark is enjoying a solid campaign on TOUR, with 13 made cuts in 15 previous starts and eight top-25 finishes. One of those finishes was a T9 at the Accenture Match Play Championship, set up by a 4-and-2 victory in the second round over Tiger Woods. He sits No. 27 on the FedExCup points list. A win would move him to No. 11.

• Lucas Glover, Angel Cabrera and Stewart Cink came into this week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational having won the first three majors of the year. All three players find themselves in the top five through the first three rounds. The last time a tournament after the Open Championship saw the three previous major champions that year all finish a round in the top five was in the second round of the 1994 NEC World Series of Golf when Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal and Nick Price all finished in the top five. Olazabal went on to win.

• Oliver Wilson shot his third consecutive under-par round on Saturday and is at 4-under for the tournament. Wilson is one of five players who have finished in the top 10 in the previous two World Golf Championships this season and is in the best position heading into the final round.

• Oliver Wilson has eight career runner-up finishes on the European Tour, including four in 2008. Teamed with Henrik Stenson on the European squad at last year's Ryder Cup, Wilson holed the winning putt on the 18th hole to beat Phil Mickleson and Anthony Kim, 2-and-1.

Three international players have earned victories at the Bridgestone Invitational: Craig Parry, Australia (2002); Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland (2003); Vijay Singh, Fiji (2008).

• The field includes 11 past champions of World Golf Championships events, including four past champions of the Bridgestone Invitational: Stewart Cink (2004), Darren Clarke (2003), Vijay Singh (2008) and Tiger Woods (1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007).

• Of the 80 players in the field, Padraig Harrington (1), Lee Westwood (T27), Phil Mickelson (T53), Darren Clarke (T34) and Stuart Appleby (T34) are the players who are competing for the 11th time at the Bridgestone Invitational. This group has combined for one victory (Darren Clarke, 2003), three second-place finishes, one third and 13 top 10s.

• There are 18 players playing in the Bridgestone Invitational for the first time. Only two (Pat Perez and Alvaro Quiros) are under par.

• The par-70 Firestone Country Club played to an average of 70.418 during the third round, with the par-4 fourth hole playing the toughest for the third consecutive day at 4.342. The par-5 second hole was the easiest for the third straight day at 4.506.