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Thursday, November 26
Verplank still leads ... barely
Associated Press
HOUSTON -- The Tour Championship resembles an All-Star game,
bringing together the top 30 players from the PGA Tour.
Saturday was like a Home Run Derby.
|  | | David Duval sits one shot back of leader Scott Verplank after three rounds of the Tour Championship. |
On another calm, defenseless day at Champions Golf Club, Scott
Verplank had a 3-under 68 that was only par for the course in the
third round and barely enabled him to keep his one-stroke lead.
"I didn't feel like I was hitting on all cylinders," Verplank
said, a strange assessment from a guy who shot 68 while playing in
the final group.
Jim Furyk set a tournament record by making birdie on half of
his holes for a 9-under 62, making him one of nine players within
three shots of the lead.
David Duval chipped in from 70 feet for birdie, knocked in a
60-foot putt for eagle and made birdie on the same hole where he
took triple-bogey in the second round. It added up to a 63, which
left him only one stroke behind.
David Toms had a 64, which barely caught anyone's attention.
"You've got to shoot better than 68 or you go backward," Ernie
Els said after his 65.
The low scores should not have been all that surprising. There
was barely a trace of wind on a warm, sunny day. Dry conditions
have not caught up with heavy rains of a few weeks ago, keeping the
greens relative soft.
And hey, these guys are good.
Tiger Woods was about the only star missing from the top dozen
on the leaderboard. He took another bogey on the 18th hole and left
without speaking to reporters. It was unclear if the source of his
aggravation was his 69, his sore back, or getting put on the clock
while playing with Bob Estes.
Still, he was only six strokes out of the lead and very much in
the game.
When the third round came to an end, the stage was set for a
grand finale to the PGA Tour season. Barring some nasty weather,
Sunday should be a shootout at Champions.
"I think it's great to see the 29 guys who have played the best
this year, seeing them shoot good scores and play well," Duval
said.
Verplank was at 200, and will be paired Sunday with Duval, who
won at Champions in 1997.
Els kept his hopes alive for his first victory of the year with
a 6-under 65, holing a 45-foot par putt on the 17th hole to finish
at 202. He was joined by Estes, Bernhard Langer, Mike Weir, Sergio
Garcia and Kenny Perry.
Furyk's 62 put him at 203, along with PGA champion Toms.
Verplank was poised to seize control of the tournament when he
holed a 20-foot eagle putt from the fringe on No. 9, giving him a
32 on the front and a three-stroke lead. He played the back nine in
1 over, which brought everyone back into the hunt.
"I don't think I can go out and par every hole and win," he
said.
That won't be the case with so many players so close behind,
starting with Duval.
The British Open champion has been playing better with each
round, although he was hampered Friday by hitting into the hazard
twice on one hole and taking triple bogey on the par-5 13th.
Asked the difference in his 63, Duval replied, "Making birdie
where I made triple bogey, and two other bogeys."
Some players get on a roll and start protecting a good round --
he gets more aggressive, a trait he picked up as a kid while
watching his father, a club professional, post low scores at their
course in Jacksonville, Fla.
"It's something you learn, and not everybody has," Duval said.
There was no other choice Saturday.
Furyk certainly didn't back off, with six of his birdies inside
10 feet.
"Someone was going to shoot a low number, and I'm glad it was
me," Furyk said. "I'm happier about getting back in the picture,
in the thick of things."
The six-pack of players just two strokes out of the lead
includes a couple of two-time winners this year (Estes and Garcia),
and three players trying to win for the first time this year to get
to the winners-only Mercedes Championship.
No one wants to get there as badly as Els, who owns the longest
active streak on the PGA Tour with at least one victory each of the
last seven seasons.
"There's a lot of guys out there who have won twice, and I
haven't won once," Els said. "This year hasn't been easy."
Frustrated with his putting, Els finally came through with one
birdie putt of 35 feet, two of them in the 15-foot range and the
biggest one of all -- the 45-footer -- that saved par.
This is his best chance to win since August, and the
opportunities have been rare for the Big Easy since the beginning
of the year. But even two strokes out, Els faces a tough task.
Sure, the field is small, but it also has the best players in
golf.
He ticked off the names in front of him and around him,
especially Verplank, who won the Canadian Open two months ago.
"He's going to be tough to catch," Els said. "But I'll have a
chance."
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