Capelle On Golf

PGA Championship Coverage

In golf’s uniquely strange way, the competitors who play the worst over the first 36 holes (among those who make the cut) get the best tee times on Saturday. While this is usually a slight advantage for early starters who can regain their A game, at this year’s PGA it looks like it will be a bonanza for a fivesome of foreign stars.

Andres Romero from Argentina showed that he can light up a leaderboard when he bagged 10 birdies in the final round of last year’s British Open. On Saturday he was at it again, scoring seven birdies on his way to a tournament low of 65. He’s now at + 2, three back of J.B. Holmes. Should Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand par the 18th hole, he’ll card a 67 in the third round to close at +3. The red hot Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland need two pars to finish with a 67 of his own and a +3 total.

Camilo Villegas of Columbia shot the tournament low of 65 at the British Open, and can match that total if he plays the last four holes of his third round in one under. Four pars and he’s at +2. Finally, Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson will card a 67 if he can finish the last six holes in level par. That would put him at +3 with a round to go.

The leaderboard indicates that the following players are in the lead, but all of them except Flesch (who is five holes into his round) are scheduled for 36 holes on a soggy monster that will make Sunday seem like a forced march through a rainforest. As a result, the much more rested early starters from Saturday who are also riding a wave of momentum could be the players to watch.

J.B. Holmes (-1), Ben Curtis (E), Justin Rose (E), Charlie Wi (E), Henrik Stenson (+1), David Toms (+1).

And as for Phil Mickelson, the pretourney favorite, he had just struck a mighty blow onto the shortened par 4 318 yard sixth hole when the horn sounded. Should he knock home his 10 foot eagle putt when play resumes, he would drop to +1 and right in the thick of it. Or as Jim Nantz said, “Phil Mickelson with that shot announced his return to the tournament.”

With stories galore and 18 to 36 holes awaiting the field, this Tiger-less Sunday at a major should still be a day to remember.