BY THE LEFT ... BUBBA WATSON LEADS
BY TWO SHOTS IN PHOENIX OPEN
American left-hander Bubba Watson will carry a two-shot lead into Sunday's final round of this weekend's US PGA Tour event, the Phoenix Open at Scottsdale, Arizona.
Watson, pictured, has shot 64, 66 and 68 for a 15-under-par tally of 198 over the par-71 lay-out.
He has shaken off second-round co-leader Aussie Matt Jones who had a third-round 72 for 202 and is now down in joint sixth place, four shots off the pace.
Watson's nearest threat is Craig Stadler's son Kevin who has shot 65, 68 and 67 for 200.
Sharing third place on 201 at Americans Ryan Moore (66-71-64) and Harris English (65-67-69) and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (66-67-68).
Scotland's Martin Laird dropped back to joint 19th place with scores of 67, 68 and 71 for seven-under-par 206.
You have to shoot in the 60s at this level or you go backwards on the leaderboard.
But give Laird his due for a gutsy performance.
He had a dreadful start ... double bogey 6 at the second and bogeys at the third and and fourth to be four-over-par for the day standing on the fifth tee.
But the Glasgow exile steadied the ship with five straight pars to turn in 39.
Then the fireworks started. He came romping hom in four-under-par 32 with birdies at the 10th, short 12th, long 13th and long 15th.
Laird had a better third-round score than Phil Mickelson, sore back and all. The left-hander shot a 72 after rounds of 71 and 67 to be T40 on 210.
Notable European names to failed to beat the halfway cut included Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.
RECORD CROWDS AS WATSON ON
VERGE OF LEADING WIRE-TO-WIRE
GOLF CHANNEL REPORT
By WILL GRAY
Scores were again low Saturday amid record crowds at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, though the leaderboard received a bit of a reshuffle by day's end. Here's how things look after three rounds at TPC Scottsdale, where Bubba Watson is on the verge of going wire-to-wire:
Leaderboard:
Bubba Watson (-15), Kevin Stadler (-13), Ryan Moore (-12), Harris English (-12), Hideki Matsuyama (-12), Hunter Mahan (-11)
What it means: Watson saw his lead grow to four shots at one point during the round but forfeited nearly all of it before cementing his spot atop the standings with a remarkable birdie on the 17th hole. The southpaw was erratic off the tee, including hitting a shot under a bush at the 13th (where he received a free drop), but escaped from most of his miscues unscathed, and now stands just 18 holes away from his first US PGA Tour title since putting on the green jacket at Augusta National in 2012.
Round of the day: After a Friday 74, Brendan Steele was closer to the cut line than the leaderboard in Phoenix, but that changed quickly, thanks to a 9-under 62 for the third round. Steele notched nine birdies without dropping a shot, firing the lowest round so far this week and in the process reached 11 under, putting himself in good shape to record a third straight top-10 finish at this event.
Best of the rest: Like Steele, Moore made it around TPC Scottsdale without a bogey during the third round, holing seven birdies in total for a 64. A winner earlier this season in Malaysia, Moore closed in style with six birdies on the back nine, and as a result will begin the final round just three shots off the pace as he looks for his second win in his last five starts.
Biggest disappointment: Australian Matt Jones entered with a share of the 36-hole lead but was unable to get anything going Saturday, settling for a 1-over 72 that sent his name down the leaderboard. Jones made four bogeys across a five-hole stretch from Nos. 11-15 and, despite closing his round with back-to-back birdies, now finds himself four shots off the pace as he looks to win for the first time on the US PGA Tour.
Main storyline heading into Sunday: The big story remains Watson, who has had at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds. Closing the deal Sunday won't be easy, though, as the chasing pack includes two players with wins already under their belt this season: Moore, a seasoned veteran, and English, arguably one of the game's brightest rising stars.
Stadler will also be a name to watch as he looks to win for the first time and join his father Craig in the field at The Masters this spring
THIRD-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 213 (3x71) Players from USA unless stated
198 Bubba Watson 64 66 68
200 Kevin Stadler 65 68 67
201 Ryan Moore 66 71 64, Harris English 65 67 69, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 66 67 68
202 Brendan Steele 66 74 62, Hunter Mahan 66 71 65, Matt Jones (Australia) 65 65 72
SELECTED SCORES
206 Martin Laird (Scotland) 67 68 71 (T19)
208 David Lynn (England) 72 66 70 (T29)
210 Phil Mickelson 71 67 72 9T40)
211 Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) 69 68 74, Brian Davis (England) 72 69 70, Martin Kaymer (Germany) 69 71 71 (T54).
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Published by scottishgolfview.com