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ROUND 4 (3:04) Playoff? Steve Stricker couldn't salvage a poor drive on the 18th hole, and he made bogey to drop back to 14-under par and in a tie with Phil Mickelson. Lefty just boomed his drive down the 17th fairway, and anything worse than a birdie would be a disappointment. (2:55) Southland savior. No matter who wins today, the Northern Trust Open has clearly been the most exciting tournament on the PGA Tour schedule so far this year. The FBR Open went into a playoff, the Buick Invitational came down to the 72nd hole, but with all respect to the players involved in each of those affairs, they can't compare to the star power involved on the leaderboard at Riviera. Phil Mickelson is still the most charismatic golfer sans Tiger, Steve Stricker is a proven winner, Rory Sabbatini always raises eyebrows because of his testy attitude and prodigious drives, K.J. Choi is the top Asian in the world, and, last but not least, there's Fred Couples, who has proven he can still challenge for a PGA Tour title at the age of 49. The best part about this exciting finish is that it should provide an awesome segue to next week, when some dude named Woods returns to action. It would have been nice to see Tiger in Southern California for the West Coast Swing, but the announcement of his return has drastically rejuvenated interest in professional golf. Hopefully the Northern Trust Open is merely a prelude of what's to come. (2:45) Steady Stricker. The pair of big numbers that prevented Stricker from winning the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in the desert earlier this year haven’t popped up thus far during his final round at Riviera Country Club. Stricker, who lost his final-round lead at the Hope with a triple-bogey and quadruple-bogey, has been nearly flawless down the stretch at the Northern Trust, making only one bogey against six birdies. He just parred the 17th hole and heads to the 18th with a two-shot lead on Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson, who is five-over after making eagle on the first hole. (12:50) Keep an eye on Rich Beem. The 2002 PGA Championship winner is four-under through 12 holes today and 11-under for the tournament, four shots behind leader Phil Mickelson. Beem started the day tied for 16th and is playing loose. If he can make a couple more birdies and post a number early, it's going to put some pressure on the guys on the course. (12:35) Contenders bunching up. Phil Mickelson threw away another stroke with a messy bogey on the par-4 seventh, and now his lead over Couples and Romero is only two. A strong collection of contenders is lurking, including Steve Stricker and Mark Calcavecchia. (12:00) Welcome to the Wild West. Overnight leader Phil Mickelson put into overdrive at the start of his final round, making his third straight eagle on the par-5 first hole to get to 18-under par and increase his lead to five over playing partners Andres Romero and Fred Couples (who also eagled the first). But Lefty has regressed since then, bogeying two of his next three holes to fall back to 16-under. He currently holds a three-shot edge on Romero, Couples and Steve Stricker, who has a solid front nine going (three birdies, no bogeys). Buckle up, this could be an exciting final day. Not a bad way to conclude the PGA Tour’s stint through Southern California. ROUND 3 (3:20) 62! Phil Mickelson scorched Riviera with a 62 in the third round to hold the lead at 16-under. He is four shots clear of Argentinian Andres Romero, who is in second place at 12-under after a 65. Mickelson is unpredictable, so a four-shot lead at Riviera in the final round is anything but safe. (2:00) Movin’ on up. Besides part-time La Quinta resident Fred Couples, here are some other Southland players who have positioned themselves to have a nice Sunday finish: Hunter Mahan: The Orange native opened steadily with a pair of 69s and carded a 68 in the third round to move inside the top 20. He hasn’t challenged for a Tour title since last year’s Travelers Championship, but he finished tied for 11th at this year’s Buick Invitational and could post another solid paycheck if he breaks 70 again tomorrow. Bill Lunde: The San Diegan was two-under par in his third round when he arrived on the 14th tee, then proceeded to bogey 14 and 15 to fall back to six-under par. He won’t win, but he’s earning some cash and could be a factor in the Rookie of the Year race. Lunde is coming off a carer-best tie for sixth at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Rocco Mediate: Not many people would have expected the Brentwood resident to contend for the Northern Trust title after coming off arthroscopic keen surgery, and quite frankly, he hasn’t. What Mediate has done is post three rounds below par and again endear himself to the galleries. (1:55) Running away? Phil Mickelson is making it look awfully easy on the back nine. He just birdied the par-3 16th – his fifth birdie in his last seven holes – and suddenly has a three-shot lead over Rory Sabbatini. As was the case last year, this is looking like Lefty’s tournament to win. (1:50) In reverse. On moving day, former UCLA standout Scott McCarron is going backward. The overnight leader, who played often at Riviera as a Bruin, entered the weekend looking for his first win since the 2001 BellSouth Classic. He hasn't generated any momentum today and stands four shots behind leader Phil Mickelson. (1:45) Apologies for the delay yesterday and today... Anyway, the third round of the Northern Trust Open has been one of the most intriguing days on the PGA Tour thus far in 2009. San Diegan Phil Mickelson has regained the solid form he displayed in Thursday's opening round and surged back to the top of the leaderboard, while 49-year-old Fred Couples also has climbed into contention. And even Rory Sabbatini, who is curiously sponsored by Nerf (yes, the foam ball recreation company), has moved into position for Sunday's final round. Check back for more thoughts on the contenders and Southern California competitors. ROUND 1 (1:45) Thoughts from Phil Mickelson. Here are some quotes from the San Diegan after he grabbed the lead with an eight-under 63: General thoughts on the round: “It was obviously a good round, but I didn't feel that I played immaculate. I still feel as though it's coming. The reason why the score was so low is I ended up making some putts, I holed a chip and got up-and-down on every green that I missed, which is very helpful. But I at least feel like I'm on the right track.” On tinkering with his equipment: “I was trying a little bit different shafts with some of my irons and wasn't quite matching up the way I would like, so I just went back to my set from last year and tried to eliminate any variables. I don't think it was the shaft, though, given my swing. I was hitting my old clubs poorly, too. I just had to eliminate some variables because I wasn't playing the way I wanted to.” On struggles heading into Riviera: “It's early in the year. It's still the middle of the February. It's going to be a long year and the majors have not even started yet. My feeling is I want to be on the right track heading into Augusta. I want to have some good tournaments heading into Augusta and I want to have some momentum.” It was nice to see Mickelson reaffirm the idea that if he puts himself in enough solid scoring positions and makes some putts, he can still be one of the best players in any field. But the tournament is very early, and I doubt scores will be as low in the next 54 holes as they have been today. Then again, based on how much rain the course has absorbed in the last few weeks, perhaps players will be able to access pins no matter how difficult they become. UCLA alum Scott McCarron is one shot back of Mickelson after posting a seven-under 64. (11:30) Phil Mickelson is officially on fire. Whatever was troubling Lefty early this season has seemed to disappear when he teed off on the 10th hole this morning. Mickelson, whose best finish this season was a tie for 42nd at the Buick Invitational, has made seven birdies and no bogeys through 14 holes. One of his birdies came on the par-3 fourth, on which he stuck his tee shot to about a foot. (10:00) Leaderboard bunching up. Looks like Lefty is finally getting it right. Phil Mickelson has begun his title defense at the Northern Trust Open in fine form, making four birdies on the back nine (he teed off on No. 10) to climb within a shot of Dean Wilson. Poway’s Charley Hoffman has also reached four-under par — did you know Hoffman has four top-20 finishes in four starts this year and is first on the PGA Tour in all-around ranking? It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see the blond bomber in contention on Sunday. (9:15) It’s a beautiful day for golf, so settle in at your cubicles or wherever you may be and get ready for some live blogging from the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. Dean Wilson has made four birdies in his first seven holes and holds the early lead over a large grouping of players at two-under — a cluster that includes San Diegans Phil Mickelson (the defending champion) and Charley Hoffman. Check back all day for more from Riviera. More on the Northern Trust: PROFILING THE FIELD HOW TO GET TICKETS, AND MORE INFORMATION BRAIN TRUST: AMY ALCOTT'S THOUGHTS ON RIVIERA |
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It's a long way until Sunday night. The left handed one will certainly devise a way to be left behind by Sunday night.
| Comment at 2/19/2009 |
Hoping Jim Gormley, PGA head pro from PVCC and the Southern California PGA, has a great tournament! Go Jim!
Joe Grohman PGA
Navy Golf Course
Head Pro
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Stay infromative, San Diego, yeah boy!
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| Comment at 1/7/2012 |
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