AT&T National: Third-round notebook

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Jul. 5, 2008
By Joel Schuchmann, PGA TOUR Staff

BETHESDA, Md. -- Due to a threatening late-afternoon forecast on Sunday, final-round tee times will run from approximately 8-10 a.m. ET in threesomes off Nos. 1 and 10, with a 3 p.m. finish scheduled. The CBS telecast of the final round will be tape delayed and will still run from 3-6 p.m.

Local favorite Fred Funk is the oldest player to win on the PGA TOUR in recent years. (Shamus/Getty Images)

Oldest winners on

PGA TOUR (2003-2008)

Event	Player	Age Won
2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic	Fred Funk	50y, 8m, 12d
2003 B.C. Open	Craig Stadler	50y, 1m, 18d
2003 Greater Hartford Open	Peter Jacobsen	49y, 4m, 23d
2005 PLAYERS Championship	Fred Funk	48y, 9m, 14d
2008 Buick Open	Kenny Perry	47y, 10m, 19d
2008 Memorial Tournament	Kenny Perry	47y, 9m, 22d
2008 AT&T Pebble Beach National	Steve Lowery	47y, 3m, 29d
2003 Ford Championship	Scott Hoch	47y, 3m, 16d

• The 54-hole cut came at 3-over-par 213, with 71 players making the cut from the 83-player field that played the third round.

• The 54-hole leader, Tom Pernice, Jr., who will be 48 years, 10 months and one day old on Sunday, looks to become the oldest winner on TOUR since Fred Funk (50 years, 8 months, 12 days) at the 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic. Last week, Kenny Perry won the Buick Open at the age of 47 years, 10 months and 19 days.

• The youngest player among the top-5 heading into Sunday's final round is Nick O'Hern (36). The others include Tom Pernice, Jr. (48), Steve Stricker (41), Tommy Armour III (48) and Cliff Kresge (39).

• Steve Stricker leads the tournament field in par-3 scoring average at 2.58. He has birdied No. 10 all three rounds.

• The top two from the "British Open money list" are exempt for British Open after the completion of the AT&T National. This "British Open money list" includes PLAYERS Championship earnings plus winnings at the Stanford St. Jude Championship, U.S. Open, Travelers Championship, Buick Open and AT&T National. If a player does not use the exemption, the exemption is NOT passed on to the next player. From the 54-hole standings from the AT&T National, Tommy Armour III (tied for third) is in the best position to overtake No. 2 Rocco Mediate.

• The top-6 "British Open money list" as of right now: Kenny Perry at $1,284,945 (not in the AT&T National field), Rocco Mediate at $866,030, Bubba Watson at $634,250 (not in the AT&T National field), Briny Baird at $619,250 (not in the AT&T National field), Tommy Armour III at $589,780 and Heath Slocum at $522,259 (not in the AT&T National field).

• In addition, the top player (at each event) at AT&T National and John Deere Classic not already eligible for the British Open who finishes among the top-5 and ties is eligible. The exemptions are NOT passed on to the next player if a player does not use the exemption.

• 48-year-old Tommy Armour III (tied for third) has posted four top-10s in his last nine starts, including a tie for second at the Travelers Championship his last time out. The four top-10s are one shy of his career best of five (1999) and his earnings ($1,128,026) are a career high. He currently stands 49th in the FedExCup standings.

• Through three rounds, Tommy Armour III leads the field with 17 birdies.

• Vaughn Taylor (tied for 21st) and Hunter Mahan (tied for 11th) set the pace early Saturday with rounds of 6-under 64. Mahan rebounded from scores of 6-5 in the first two rounds on No. 11 with a birdie on Saturday. Taylor jumped from a tie for 70th to a tie for 20th while Mahan moved from a tie for 48th to a tie for 11th. Mahan is fresh off a tie for second in defense of his Travelers Championship title two weeks ago, when he posted four rounds in the 60s, including a second-round 63.

• Statistically, Robert Allenby (tied for 11th) played nearly a flawless third round, hitting 13 of 14 fairways (92.86 percent) and 17 of 18 greens (94.44 percent) en route to a 3-under-par 67.

• Jim Furyk hit 17 of 18 greens (94.44 percent) on Saturday and has climbed to a tie for 11th through three rounds. Others hitting 17 of 18 greens in the third round include Robert Allenby and J.J. Henry. On the week, John Merrick leads the field in GIR (44 of 54) at 81.48 percent.

• Jeff Overton (tie for third) is set to play in his first career major championship at the British Open in two weeks. He earned his trip to Scotland at the International Qualifier at TPC Michigan last Monday with rounds of 63-67?130, capturing medalist honors by six strokes over John Rollins. Playing in that same qualifier, this week's 54-hole leader Tom Pernice, Jr. lost in a five-way playoff.