Third-round notebook: Viking Classic

text size

The Viking Classic has been the site of six players earning their first PGA TOUR titles. Through 54 holes, five players still looking for their first win sit inside the top 10: Marc Turnesa, Bill Haas, Casey Wittenberg, Bo Van Pelt and Brad Elder.

Will MacKenzie recorded his first bogey of the tournament on the par-4, fourth. He managed to go 39 holes without posting a bogey. Later in the round, he recorded a quadruple-bogey 8 at the par-5 18th. He made a bogey and was then penalized two strokes for moving a loose impediment inside the hazard when his ball was in the hazard. He ended the day with a 5-under 67 and sits only two stokes back of leader Marc Turnesa.

Rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2008, Marc Turnesa posted a 6-under 66 on Saturday to maintain the lead for the third consecutive day at the Viking Classic. At 17-under 199, he holds a two-stroke advantage over Will MacKenzie and Brian Gay. K.J. Choi (Sony Open in Hawaii) and Camilo Villegas (BMW Championship) are the only other players to go wire-to-wire during the 2008 season.

This represents the first time Marc Turnesa has held the 54-hole lead in a PGA TOUR event. Earlier this season, he was in second through 54 holes at the 2008 Stanford St. Jude Championship, where he eventually finished T37.

Brian Gay is looking for his second TOUR title of his career and his second of the 2008 season. He earned his first career TOUR victory in his 293rd start on the TOUR at the Mayakoba Golf Classic back in February.

Dicky Pride recorded a 4-under 68 to move to fourth place heading into the final round at the Viking Classic. He is looking for his first top 10 since he finished fourth at the 2007 Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro. Pride's only TOUR title came in his rookie year when he won the 1994 Fed Ex St. Jude Classic over 14 years ago.

If Pride wins on Sunday, it would be the fourth-longest time-span between victories in PGA TOUR history at 14 years, 1 month and 21 days (July 31, 1994-Sept. 21, 2008).

Nationwide Tour member Casey Wittenberg, who is playing this week on a sponsor's exemption, posted a 4-under 68 on Saturday to move to fifth through 54 holes. Wittenberg is making his 25th career start on the TOUR since the 2002 season. His best effort on TOUR is a tie for 13th at the 2004 Masters Tournament when he was playing as an amateur.

Should Wittenberg win this week, he would become the first player to receive a sponsor's exemption and go on to win since Jason Gore did so at the 2005 84 LUMBER Classic.

While Jay Haas never played in the Viking Classic, Bill Haas' uncle, Jerry Haas, played in the event five times and recorded three top-25 finishes, including a tie for fifth in 1991. Haas has posted three rounds in the 60s, including a 6-under 66 on Saturday and is tied for sixth, five stokes back of leader Marc Turnesa. Last year, Haas was two strokes back of the lead through 54 holes but fired an even-par 72 to tie for third, a career-best finish in three seasons on the TOUR.

John Daly recorded a 2-under 70 for a 9-under 207 total to move to a tie for 19th on the leaderboard heading into the final round. The last time John Daly finished in the top 10 was when he lost in a playoff to Tiger Woods on the second extra hole at the 2005 World Golf Championship-American Express Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco. In his last start on TOUR, Daly finished tied for 50th at the FedExCup Regular-Season-ending Wyndham Championship.

David Duval recorded a bogey-free 4-under 68 on Saturday, his third consecutive round in the 60s this week at Annandale Golf Club. The last time Duval finished in the top-10 at a TOUR event was when he tied for sixth at the 2002 Invensys Classic at Las Vegas (90-hole event).

David Duval has strung together three consecutive rounds in the 60s (69-69-68) for just the third time since the beginning of the 2003 season. The others came at the 2004 Michelin Championship at Las Vegas (Rds. 1-3) and the 2006 Bank of America Colonial (Rds. 2-4).

Bogey-free rounds on Saturday: Brian Gay, Dicky Pride, Bill Haas, Greg Kraft, Scott Sterling, David Duval, Dustin Johnson, Joe Ogilvie, Bob Tway and John Riegger.