The Live Report: Shell Houston Open, Round 3
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
HOOPS ON HIS MIND (6:15 p.m.): NBC's Jimmy Roberts came up with the perfect first question for Joe Ogilvie Saturday. But no one asked it.
"So you went to Duke and you're not in the Masters. Are you more worried about West Virginia or Georgia?""
We'll just let you know that from an earlier conversation we're thinking the answer would have been West Virginia. -- Melanie Hauser
ALL IN THE FAMILY (6 p.m.): Shaun McBride's week started on a low note when his wife Maria Hjorth was one of the three LPGA players disqualified from the LPGA's first major of the year -- the Kraft Nabisco Championship. But it's looking as though it will still be a good pay day for the family.
McBride caddies for co-leader Bryce Molder and, well, a win -- or even a top-10 -- might take a bit of sting out of the week. Emphasis on might.
"The tours are so completely opposite,'' McBride said. "The way Maria and I see it, the punishment (missing a tee time for a pro-am) doesn't fit the crime (disqualification from the event)."
Hjorth flew home to Florida to tend to their 14-month old daughter, Emily. -- Melanie Hauser
MOLDER COMES OUT DRY (5:15 p.m.): Bryce Molder did his best Anthony Kim impression on the 18th, missing badly off the tee -- hitting the water in fact -- yet recovering to make par.
With that, he and Kim remain tied for the lead going to Sunday at 10 under. Vaughn Taylor and Joe Ogilvie are two strokes back.
Molder must have breathed a huge sigh of relief to see his name in the same spot as it was at the end of Friday -- atop the leaderboard. He made four bogeys in his third round. That's three more than he had the first two days combined.
Molder shot a 71, unbecoming of a tournament leader on a Saturday, but his mates in the final group couldn't make a move to pass him. Cameron Percy shot a 74. Alex Prugh shot a 76. They're both likely out of the running, but Molder is very much in it for a chance at his first Masters invite. -- Nick Zaccardi
KIM EYES 54-HOLE LEAD (5 p.m.): Wild-hitting Anthony Kim did more than survive on Saturday while hitting just 3 of 14 fairways; he may just sleep on a lead at the Shell Houston Open.
Co-leader Bryce Molder splashed his tee shot at the par-4 18th, while Kim, the other co-leader, just saved par to wrap up a 69 at 10 under for the tournament. Vaughn Taylor and Joe Ogilvie both bogeyed the final hole to fall to 9 under and 8 under, respectively.
Don't count out Lee Westwood (7 under) just yet. He went out in 41, burdened by a 6-over stretch on four holes while he was playing "dehydrated," but rebounded to shoot 31 on the back side, closing with an 18-foot birdie putt at the tough 18th. -- Nick Zaccardi
FOUR-MAN RACE (4:40 p.m.): The contenders are on the final two holes at Redstone, where the leaders have separated themselves as the third round draws to a close.
Anthony Kim just birdied the 17th, despite yet another off-track tee shot, to match Bryce Molder at the top at 10 under. Kim, who last won in 2008, looks to become the next player after Camilo Villegas, Ernie Els and Jim Furyk to end a PGA TOUR victory drought.
Vaughn Taylor and Joe Ogilvie are right behind at 9 under playing the 18th. They're two shots clear of the 7-under group of Jeff Maggert and Graham DeLaet. Ogilvie, a Duke alum, will likely be glued to a TV beginning at, oh, 8:47 tonight.
Molder, Talyor and Ogilvie need a win this week to get into the Masters. -- Nick Zaccardi
NO. 16 A CRUCIBLE (4:20 p.m.): Joe Ogilvie made a mess around the 16th green and lost his two-shot lead as a result.
Ogilvie found a greenside bunker with his tee shot at the par 3, pitched poorly into the rough and stunningly fell back into the same bunker with his chip. Ogilvie nearly holed his second bunker shot but settled for double bogey to fall from 11 under to 9 under.
Anthony Kim, playing in the same group, barely missed a birdie putt at the same hole that would have given him the lead with a three-shot swing. Instead, he remained at 9 under and elevated into a share of the lead.
In addition to Ogilvie and Kim, Vaughn Taylor and Bryce Molder are at 9 under. Of the group, it's Kim and Taylor who have the most momentum right now and look like strong favorites heading into Sunday. -- Nick Zaccardi
MICKELSON SHOOTS 70 (4 p.m.): Phil Mickelson may not yet be at the top of his game, but he bounced back in the third round.
Mickelson, whose second-round 76 was marred by a triple bogey, birdied four of his last 12 holes on Saturday at Redstone. He shot a 70 and moved 20 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 38th at 1 under. Here's his scorecard:
For as tough as Mickelson has been on himself, his results have been more than respectable thus far. He hasn't missed a cut this year and has four top-25s in six starts. Of course, his best finish has only been eighth when many hoped he would take control with Tiger Woods out of action.
Mickelson is in better shape than Ernie Els (3 over), Fred Couples (6 over) and Angel Cabrera (6 over) in Humble. -- Nick Zaccardi
KIM REJOINS PACK (3:40 p.m.): It's been a roller-coaster Saturday at Redstone. We've seen Justin Leonard hole out for eagle twice, pre-event favorites Ernie Els and Fred Couples post their highest rounds on TOUR this year and q-school grads fight their way to the top of the leaderboard.
Anthony Kim might be writing the next plot twist. Kim began the day wild off the tee and made bogey on two of his first three holes. He's still hitting less than one-third of the fairways, but Kim has managed three birdies since that poor opening stretch.
He's now tied for third at 8 under, two shots behind leaders Joe Ogilvie and Bryce Molder. He's also the only player in the top 10 already qualified for the Masters, so he's not playing with that added pressure. -- Nick Zaccardi
WESTWOOD PLUNGES (3:20 p.m.): Lee Westwood has played pretty solid golf around the world since convincingly winning last year's Race to Dubai finale on the European Tour.
He finally hit a snag Saturday at Redstone, going double bogey-par-bogey-triple bogey to finish his front nine. Westwood, ranked fourth in the world, entered the day in fourth place. He's now in 20th, and that's after make-up birdies at Nos. 10 and 12.
If you're liking Westwood as a sneaky fantasy pick at the Masters next week, keep in mind he has one top-25 at Augusta National in his last seven starts. -- Nick Zaccardi
LEONARD IN WITH 67 (3 p.m.): Oh, what could have been for Justin Leonard. Take a look at the scorecard below, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Leonard had serious eyes on Adam Scott's course record of 63 through eight holes and, despite a bogey at the tricky ninth, bounced back with birdies at 10 and 11. He began the day at 1 under, eight shots behind 36-hole leader Bryce Molder. Leonard moved all the way into a tie for the lead as the last groups got going.
He came apart on the par-3 14th, where he had trouble getting out of a greenside bunker, running it past the green. A smiling Leonard refused to watch a replay while being interviewed by NBC after his round.
"Five minutes removed, I'm still simmering a little bit from the way I finished," Leonard told NBC. "Happy about the day, a little disappointed about the last few holes. There's a lot of good stuff going on."
Leonard finished at 6 under and should be at least a few shots off the lead going to Sunday, but he was the talk of the tournament Saturday morning. -- Nick Zaccardi
HOMETOWN HOPE (2:45 p.m.): Jeff Maggert's in his 22nd Houston Open, still trying to win his home event for the first time. He's in pretty good shape on the back nine Saturday.
He's working on a bogey-free round through 12 holes with three birdies. With Cameron Percy, Alex Prugh and Bryce Molder all having up-and-down days, Maggert has moved into a six-way tie for the lead at 8 under.
Maggert lives nearby at The Woodlands, which hosted this event from 1975-2002 and where he finished runner-up three times (1994, 96, 98), shooting his highest round of the week on Sunday to fall out of favor each time.
Maggert, who turned 46 in February, has enjoyed a resurgence of late. He tied for 12th in Puerto Rico and tied for 16th at the Transitions Championship, where he got into the field on Thursday morning when Vijay Singh withdrew.
That's quite a turnaround for a guy who had to return to q-school last fall after a disappointing past couple seasons. -- Nick Zaccardi
THE OTHER CANADIANS (2:25 p.m.): Mike Weir has long been the face of Canadian golf. While his that title is nowhere near in question, he may be starting to get some company on the PGA TOUR.
Of course, there's four-time PGA TOUR winner Stephen Ames, Canadian by way of Trinidad and Tobago, but as far as born Canadians, two of them made the cut this week. And that's without Weir in the field.
Saskatchewan's Graham DeLaet is tied for fifth at 7 under, two shots back of leader Joe Ogilvie. His best PGA TOUR finish is a tie for 18th at this year's Bob Hope, but he missed five straight cuts after that. DeLaet made it through q-school last fall to earn his PGA TOUR card for the first time.
Calgary's Chris Baryla, who took eight at last year's RBC Canadian Open, made his second cut in seven starts this season but has fallen from the top 50 into a tie for 66th at Redstone. Baryla is a 2009 Nationwide Tour grad. -- Nick Zaccardi
OGILVIE JOINS THE PARTY (1:55 p.m.): It's looking more and more like this week's winner is going to punch his ticket to the Masters.
Today's final group included three pros facing a win-and-you're-in: Bryce Molder, Cameron Percy and Alex Prugh. Add Joe Ogilvie to the mix. He posted back-to-back birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to tie Percy for the lead at 9 under.
Ogilvie, whose lone TOUR win came at the 2007 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, needed to go to q-school to keep his card after last season. It's only the second time in his last five starts in Houston that Ogilvie has made it to the weekend. He also hasn't played at Augusta since missing the cut in 2006.
For the current list of Masters invitees, click here.
Of the top eight players on the leaderboard, only Justin Leonard is already qualified for the Masters, but the wheels came off for Leonard at the 14th. He double bogeyed the hole to fall to 7 under. -- Nick Zaccardi
WHEN LEONARD GETS HOT ... (1:35 p.m.): If you remember, Justin Leonard's hottest career round came at Colonial in 2003, when he came to the 18th in the final round needing a birdie for a 59.
Leonard ended up making bogey and taking solo second, six shots behind Kenny Perry. Currently in Houston, he's 8 under on his round through 12 holes. If he pars out, Leonard will shoot a 64, which would make for his best PGA TOUR round since a 63 at the Byron Nelson last year. Here's a look at Leonard's best rounds in more than 400 events. -- Nick Zaccardi
| Justin Leonard's best rounds on TOUR | ||||||||||||||||
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LEONARD TIES FOR LEAD (1:10 p.m.): Justin Leonard obviously wasn't fazed by his bogey at No. 9. He birdied Nos. 10 and 11 after going out in 30 and is now tied for the lead with Cameron Percy.
Overnight leader Bryce Molder bogeyed No. 3 to fall to 8 under, one shot back of Leonard and Percy. Padraig Harrington has fallen back as well with a bogey-double bogey slip at the fourth and fifth. Leonard, who hasn't missed a green yet, is the only major champion in the top 20. -- Nick Zaccardi
CHECKING IN WITH PHIL, FREDDIE (1 p.m.): Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples have not been able to get back on track following a tough Friday.
Mickelson, who shot a 76 in round 2, is even through eight holes with a pair of bogeys. Couples is 3 over on his day through 11 holes, falling into a tie for 73rd.
Meanwhile, the 2009 Masters champ, Angel Cabrera, is also having a tough go at it Saturday. He's got a double bogey early in his round and is tied for 77th. -- Nick Zaccardi
KIM STUMBLES (12:45 p.m.): Anthony Kim is moving in round 3, but it's in the wrong direction. Kim, who began the day tied for fourth, was been wayward left off the tee on his first three holes, finding two bunkers and a water hazard.
With that, he's bogeyed two already after making just three bogeys in the first two days combined. He's finding fewer than half the fairways this week, a stat that's been a problem spot for him in the past. Kim ranked 175th on TOUR in driving accuracy last year. -- Nick Zaccardi
LEONARD OUT IN 30 (12:30 p.m.): Justin Leonard followed up that 162-yard hole out at the sixth with a 51-yard eagle at the par-5 eighth. He then made his first bogey at the ninth to go out in 30.
Just like that, Leonard has gone from 1 under to start the day to 7 under, two shots back of leader Bryce Molder, who parred the first two holes. He's on his way to beating his career-best round at Redstone, a 67.
The course record at Redstone is held by Adam Scott, who fired a 63 in the first round in 2008. -- Nick Zaccardi
TEXAS-SIZED EAGLE (12 p.m.): Former Texas Longhorn Justin Leonard is off to a great start in Round 3, 5 under on his day through six holes. He's already moved 22 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie for ninth.
The highlight of his early play came at the par-4 sixth, where Leonard holed out from 162 yards. Leonard has won the Texas Open three times, but no Longhorn has lifted the trophy in Houston since Phil Blackmar in 1997.
Click here to follow Leonard with Shot Tracker. -- Nick Zaccardi
RYDER CUP STANDINGS (11:43 a.m.): While waiting for the leaders to get going, check out the very early Ryder Cup standings. Keep in mind that qualifying doesn't end until Aug. 15, but note the one big name not among the current top eight automatic qualifiers for the U.S. team.
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The top eight plus four picks from Captain Corey Pavin get to play at Celtic Manor in Wales beginning Oct. 1. Interestingly, David Duval is in contention at No. 14, buoyed by that runner-up finish at the 2009 U.S. Open. -- Nick Zaccardi
EARLY MOVEMENT (11:30 a.m.): Make room for another Englishman near the top of the leaderboard. Justin Rose birdied Nos. 1, 2 and 3 to start his third round, moving to 5 under and into a tie for 13th.
Rose, who like leader Bryce Molder was once a potential-packed phenom but has yet to win on TOUR, rolled birdie putts of 4, 4 and 7 feet on the first three par-4s. If he or Lee Westwood (7 under, T4) can break through this week, it'll mark the first stroke-play win by an Englishman on TOUR since Paul Casey at Redstone a year ago.
Click here to follow Rose's round with Shot Tracker. -- Nick Zaccardi
SURVIVING THE CUT (11:15 a.m.): It's been noted this week that the last player to win the event preceding the Masters and then go on to win at Augusta was Phil Mickelson in 2006.
In fact, Mickelson was also the last Masters champ to even make the cut the week before. Angel Cabrera and Trevor Immelman didn't make the weekend at the Shell Houston Open the last two years, and Zach Johnson took the week off in 2006.
Notables who missed the cut or withdrew at Redstone this year: Rory McIlroy, Vijay Singh, Geoff Ogilvy and Hunter Mahan.
Cabrera made the cut on the number, while Immelman isn't playing this week. -- Nick Zaccardi
EARLY TWEETS, EARLY TEE TIMES (10:55 a.m.): "GO TIME!! got a couple longhorns today" -- @RickieFowlerPGA
"I am getting ready to chase alittle white golf ball around for 18 holes! Hope y'all have a great day!!" -- @bubbawatson
Fowler, a former Oklahoma State Cowboy, is playing with Texans Justin Leonard and Bob Estes on Saturday. They teed off 45 minutes ago. Perhaps Leonard and Estes will remind Fowler that the Texas football team hasn't lost to Oklahoma State since Fowler was 8 years old.
Watson, who has been oh-so-close to his first win on multiple occasions this season, gets going at 11:15 a.m. ET as everybody will be on course by noon with threesomes going off split tees. -- Nick Zaccardi
A NEW BRYCE (10:40 a.m.): Your 36-hole leader, Bryce Molder, looks to be finally realizing that potential he brought to the PGA TOUR from a decorated collegiate career at Georgia Tech.
Molder, 31, already has three top-10s on the young season. If stats are any indication, he's primed for his best finish thus far at Redstone. Take a look at some key stats from this week compared to his numbers from his first eight starts of 2010.
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Molder's only bogey this week came at No. 1 on Thursday, and he's 29 for 29 when putting inside 7 feet. If he keeps that up, he'll join another ACC alum, Wake Forest's Bill Haas, in getting that long-awaited first PGA TOUR victory. -- Nick Zaccardi
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