THE PLAYERS: Round 3 Notebook

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Weather: Partly cloudy, with temperatures in the low 90s. Winds blowing out of the west at 10-15 mph, with gusts to 20 mph. High today was 92 degrees, marking the highest temperature for a tournament round in PLAYERS history (previous high was 89 degrees for the second round of the 1991 PLAYERS Championship on March 29, 1991).

Wind activity in Round 3:
5 p.m.: 90F Winds: W 12-18 gusting to 24 mph
4 p.m.: 91F Winds: W 12-18 gusting to 26 mph
3 p.m. 92F Winds: WSW 12-18 gusting 23 mph
2 p.m. 90F Winds: WSW 10-15 gusting to 25 mph
1 p.m.: 87F Winds: W 10-15 gusting to 22 mph
12 p.m.: 85F Winds: W 10-15 gusting to 24 mph
11 p.m. 83F Winds: W 10-15 gusting to 23 mph
10 a.m. 80F Winds: W 10-15 gusting to 22 mph
9 a.m. 77F Winds: W 10-15 mph

PAUL GOYDOS

Playing in his 10th PLAYERS Championship, 43-year-old Paul Goydos fired a 70 today to take the 54-hole lead for the first time in his career. Goydos' best finish at the PLAYERS Championship to date is a T38 in 1999. Previously, his best position heading into the final round at THE PLAYERS was 40th (also in 1999).

His two career wins both came when he was two shots off the lead and he was not in the final pairing either time.

KENNY PERRY

Perry is competing in his 20th PLAYERS. His best finish here was a tie for third in 2004. That was also the last year in which Perry headed into the final round in the top five -- he was fourth after three rounds. The only other time he's been in the top five after three rounds was in 1996, when he was fifth (and finished T4).

Perry had his first three-putt in 90 holes played at TPC Sawgrass today on No. 10.

SERGIO GARCIA

In 2006, Garcia began the 2006 PLAYERS Championship in second place and one off the lead after 54 holes, ultimately to finish T14. Last year, he was 13th and six off the lead after 54 holes, ultimately to finish second (final round 66).

Not only is Garcia looking for his first win of the 2008 season, but also his first top 10 (this is his ninth start). His only other longest top-10 drought to start a season came in 2003 when he recorded his first (and only) top 10 of the year in his 12th start.

A win tomorrow would make Garcia only the second European player in PLAYERS history to claim the title (Sandy Lyle, 1987).

BERNHARD LANGER

Playing in his 23rd PLAYERS Championship, 50-year-old Bernhard Langer carded a 75 today and is T4 heading into the final round. Langer has played in nine events on the Champions Tour in 2008, having won the Ginn Championship Hammock Beach Resort in March. His only other start on the PGA TOUR came with a missed cut at the Masters. Langer and Davis Love III are second to only Fred Couples in number of PLAYERS Championship starts. Couples is competing this week in his 25th, while Langer and Love III are competing in their 23rd.

Langer will be 50 years, 8 months, and 14 days old this Sunday. Should he win, he would be the fifth-oldest winner in PGA TOUR history, trailing only Sam Snead (1965 Greensboro Open - 52 years/10 months/8 days), Art Wall (1975 Greater Milwaukee Open - 51/7/10), Jim Barnes (1937 Long Island Open - 51/3/7), and John Barnum (51/1/5). He would be the oldest winner of THE PLAYERS, topping the mark set by Fred Funk in 2005 at 48/9/14).

Langer has played No. 2 at four-under-par this week -- two birdies and an eagle during round 2.

A win tomorrow would make Langer only the second European player in PLAYERS history to claim the title (Sandy Lyle, 1987).

PHIL MICKELSON

Mickelson's 71 in round three put him in position to contend for his second consecutive PLAYERS title. No player has managed to successfully defend here -- the best finish for a defending champion is a tie for fifth by Jack Nicklaus in 1977, Tom Kite in 1990 and Hal Sutton in 2001.

Historically, Mickelson is in the fourth-best position of any defending champion heading into the final round. The best position a defending champion has been in heading into Sunday -- third by two players. Mark McCumber (1988 champion) was third after 54 holes in 1989 and shot a 74 in the final round to finish T6. Craig Perks (2002 champion) was also third after 54 holes in 2003 and shot a 76 to finish T17. Tom Kite (1989 champion) was fourth after 54 holes in 1990 and shot a 73 to finish T5.

JEFF QUINNEY

Jeff Quinney, 29, played well at last year's PLAYERS too. He was in third place, two shots off the lead, heading into the final round and finished with a 73 to post a T6 finish.

Quinney finished second earlier this year at the Northern Trust Open, his lone top-10 so far this season and the best finish of his career.

ANTHONY KIM

Anthony Kim, the winner of the Wachovia Championship, is looking to become the fourth player to follow a victory with a win at THE PLAYERS the very next week. Tiger Woods last accomplished the feat in 2001 (Bay Invitational); Tom Kite in 1989 (Nestle Invitational); Raymond Floyd in 1981 (Doral).

A win tomorrow for Kim (22 years, 10 months, 22 days -- tomorrow) would make him the youngest champion in THE PLAYERS history, a record currently held by Adam Scott who won in 2004 at the age of 23 years, 8 months, 12 days.

MISC

After 54 holes, a total of 48 balls have been hit into the water on the 17th hole (10 today).

Today's 54-hole total of 209 (-7) to lead THE PLAYERS is the highest since 1999 when David Duval led at 212 (-4). Other high totals:

216 (E) in 1977 -- Mike McCullough and Tom Watson
214 (-2) in 1978 -- Jack Nicklaus
211 (-5) in 1979 -- Lanny Wadkins
211 (-5) in 1981 -- Barry Jaeckel
211 (-5) in 1995 -- Bernhard Langer
210 (-6) in 1983 -- John Cook
210 (-6) in 1982 -- Brad Bryant and Bruce Lietzke
209 (-7) in 1990 -- Jodie Mudd

• The biggest come-from-behind win in PLAYERS history was six shots by Raymond Floyd in 1981 (he was T12).

• Paired together, Jesper Parnevik and Frederik Jacobson both birdied No. 17 today. They also played together on Thursday and Friday. The pairing of Jeff Quinney and J.B. Holmes also birdied No. 17.

• In the last 34 PLAYERS Championships, the 54-hole leader has gone on to victory 13 times: Jack Nicklaus (1976, tied for lead); Jack Nicklaus (1978, led by 1); Lee Trevino (1980, led by 1); Fred Couples (1984, led by 2); Mark McCumber (1988, led by 2); Jodie Mudd (1990, led by 1); Nick Price (1993, led by 1); Greg Norman (1994, led by 4); Steve Elkington (1997, led by 2); David Duval (1999, led by 1); Hal Sutton (2000, led by 1); Adam Scott (2004, led by 2); Stephen Ames (2006, led by 1).

• After 54 holes, Paul Goydos (1) Kenny Perry (2) and represent 40-somethings. Two of the past three PLAYERS champions have been in their 40s. In 2005, Fred Funk won at the age of 48. The following year, Stephen Ames won at the age of 41.

• In Round 3, the par-4 14th hole played as the toughest, surrendering only ONE birdie -- to Kenny Perry, who made a 9'10" putt. The 14th hole claimed 43 bogeys or worse and played at +.635.

• The easiest ranked hole in Round 3 was again the 523-yard, par-5 16th, which gave up one eagle (Davis Love III) and 32 birdies, and took only six bogeys and a double, playing at -.351.