U.S. Senior Open: Third-round notebook
By Phil Stambaugh, PGA TOUR Staff
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Third-round leader Eduardo Romero has held a lead heading into the final round just two other times on the Champions Tour. Earlier this year at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, Romero took a one-stroke lead into the final round over Fulton Allem and Joey Sindelar and went on to win by one. At the 2007 Senior PGA Championship. Romero held a two-stroke advantage over Nick Price and Denis Watson at Kiawah Island, S.C., before finishing two strokes behind Watson for the title.
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• Eduardo Romero will play in the final grouping for the third time in 2008 and seventh time overall in his Champions Tour career. Earlier this year, Romero was in the last group on Sunday at the Cap Cana Championship (tied for ninth) and the Dick's Sporting Goods Open (won). He was in the last grouping on Sunday twice in 2007 -- Senior PGA Championship (second), Boeing Championship at Sandestin (second). In 2006, he was also in the final grouping twice -- Senior British Open (second), Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach (fifth).
• Eduardo Romero's 54-hole total of 9-under-par 201 equals the third-lowest score in U.S. Senior Open history numerically, matching Jim Albus' 12-under 201 score in 1994 at Pinehurst No. 2. Simon Hobday holds the three-round record of 14-under 199 at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1994 and Bruce Fleisher has the second-lowest score at 13-under 200 over three rounds at Saucon Valley (Old) in 2000.
• Since 1990, player(s) leading or co-leading the U.S. Senior Open after the third round have gone on to win the championship eight times. The last time a third-round leader went on to win was in 2003 at Inverness Club, where Bruce Lietzke was four strokes in front of both Vicente Fernandez and Tom Watson and eventually won by two strokes over Watson. Thus far in 2008, eight of 19 events have been won by leaders on Saturday night, including three of the last four Champions Tour events.
• In the first 19 official events on the Champions Tour this year, nine second-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to victory, including the last four winners on the Champions Tour --. Bruce Vaughan (Senior British Open), R.W. Eaks (3M Championship), Eduardo Romero (Dick's Sporting Goods Open) and Loren Roberts (Commerce Bank Championship).
• In the first round, there were 14 sub-par scores and only five sub-par rounds were recorded in Friday's second round. On Saturday, there were 13 sub-par rounds among the 62 players who made the 36-hole cut.
• Both Fred Funk and Eduardo Romero played in The International at Castle Pines, Colorado on the PGA TOUR seven times. Romero finished tied for second in the event in 1990 while Funk's best effort in the tournament was 25th in 1992.
• Eduardo Romero of Argentina is the first international player to lead the U.S. Senior Open after 54 holes since Isao Aoki of Japan held a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the 2001 Senior Open at Salem CC near Boston. Four foreign-born players have won this championship five times including Roberto De Vicenzo of Argentina in 1980, the first year it was played. Others include Gary Player/ South Africa (1987, 1988), Simon Hobday/South Africa (1994) and Graham Marsh/Australia (1997).
• Eduardo Romero and Fred Funk have both posted three consecutive rounds in the 60s on the East Course at The Broadmoor Golf Club. The last time a player won the U.S. Senior Open with four rounds in the 60s was Allen Doyle in 2006 at Prairie Dunes.
• Both Scott Simpson, the 1987 U.S. Open champion, and Jeff Klein of Scottsbluff, Neb., shot 6-under 64s, the best rounds of the day. Klein and John Cook tied the U.S. Senior Open record for lowest nine-hole score (30), making six birdies and no bogeys on the opening nine. Klein was the 15th player to shoot 30 for nine holes and Cook was the 16th player to post a 30, doing so on the second nine. D.A. Weibring (first nine, fourth round), Loren Roberts (first nine, third round) and Andy Bean (first nine, third round) were the last players to shoot 30 in 2006 at Prairie Dunes. Simpson's round moved him from a tie for 42nd into a tie for ninth. Klein's round moved him from a tie for 34th into a tie for fifth.
• R.W. Eaks and Mike Reid have the best 54-hole totals among the four players with Colorado ties who made the cut. Eaks, a native of Colorado Springs, posted a 69 Saturday and is tied for 18th through three rounds along with Mike Reid, who went to Cherry Creek High School in Denver.
• Through three rounds, the par-4, 501-yard, 10th hole has played the hardest (4.562), yielding just 14 birdies. The 240-yard, par-3 12th hole is ranked as the second-most difficult (3.546), giving up just six birdies. The par-5, 601-yard third hole has played as the easiest hole (4.768), yielding 14 eagles and 122 birdies.
• Amazingly, five players have not had a three-putt green through three rounds of the championship: John Cook, David Edwards, Keith Fergus, Fred Funk and Mark McNulty.
• Sunday's U.S. Senior Open champion will earn a check for $470,000 from the $2.6 million purse and will also earn a whopping 940 Charles Schwab Cup points. Eduardo Romero is currently in 11th place in the season-long race with 619 points, 1124 points back of current Schwab Cup leader Bernhard Langer. Fred Funk is in 20th position with 435 points. Points are awarded throughout the year based on top-10 finishes and dollar amounts won in events on a per-thousand basis ($100,000 equals 100 Charles Schwab Cup points). In addition to double points in all five major championships this year, the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship offers double points to those players who register a top-10 finish at Sonoma Golf Club. Last year's Schwab Cup champion, Loren Roberts, is currently fourth in the standings with 1,049 points.
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