Michael Sim still in there with a winning chanceFROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITESAN DIEGO -- Ryuji Imada, a runner-up at Torrey Pines two years ago, has a much better opportunity this time. He won't be starting the final round 12 shots behind, or trying to catch up to Tiger Woods.
Imada avoided the trouble that caught up with so many other contenders in Saturday's third round, making only one bogey and escaping with several key pars for a two-under 70 that gave him a two-shot lead at 13-under-par 203 over Aberdeen-born Australian Michael Sim,
pictured above, and American Ben Crane in the Farmers Insurance Open.
Imada essentially won the B-Flight two years ago when he closed with a 67 to finish eight shots behind Woods. No matter the score or who's in the field, he obviously has figured out something about the tough South Course at Torrey Pines.
He was at 13-under 203 and will be in the final group with Crane, who had a 69, and 25-year-old Sim, playing Torrey Pines for the first time since he was a teenager at the Junior World Championship in 2002.
"The score looks pretty solid, but it was a struggle out there," Imada said.
He made a nifty up-and-down from short of the 15th green for one par, saved another par from left of the 16th green, and finished the day with a 35-foot birdie putt that gave him a slightly bigger cushion than he expected.
For so many others, birdies were offset by adventures.
Phil Mickelson lost a ball in a eucalyptus tree and took double bogey, then rallied for a 70 and was four shots behind. U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover made double bogey on one of the easiest par 4s, then followed with four birdies for a 68, leaving him three shots behind going into Sunday.
D.A. Points, who shared the lead with Imada after two rounds, kept pace until he chipped over the 14th green and into the hazard, scrambling for a double bogey. He had a 74, although he was still in the mix.
Ten players were separated by four shots going into the final round, which isn't much on a course that hosted the U.S. Open in 2008."You cannot predict what's going to happen in this game, especially on this course," Crane said.
Mickelson would not have predicted seeing a ball get stuck in a tree -- two days in a row. On Friday, it happened in his group to Ryan Palmer. This time, it was Lefty who stared up into the eucalyptus tree, even sending a young fan up the tree to help.
"My short game kept me in it," Mickelson said. "I didn't hit the ball the way I've been hitting it coming in. I don't feel like it's far off. But at least I'm in a position now where a good round tomorrow can get it done."
Mickelson and so many others were in range.
Brandt Snedeker, who played in the final group at Torrey Pines in 2007, birdied the last hole for a 68 and was in the group at 207 along with Mickelson, K.J. Choi (69), highly regarded rookie Rickie Fowler (70), Matt Every (72) and Points.
Ernie Els had a 69 to lead the group at 8-under 208 that also featured Robert Allenby, who has two victories and a runner-up finish in his last three tournaments.
"You can't really fake it around here," Els said.
That much was clear on a sun-filled day along the Pacific bluffs. Points was one shot out of the lead and in front of the 14th green trying it pitch to a back pin. It came out a little strong, tumbled down the hill and into a hazard.
Even more adventurous was Mickelson.
He drove left over the cliff on the fourth hole and down the hill in the plants, just above Black's Beach. Mickelson found his ball, managed to get it back onto the golf course and then thrilled his large crowd with a par.He wasn't as fortunate with his next mistake.
Mickelson hit another tee shot to the left on the par-4 seventh, and the fans could hear it clatter into a eucalyptus tree. They just couldn't hear it land. By the time Mickelson arrived at the base of a tree, rules official Steve Rintoul already had his binoculars out. He had spotted one ball lodged in the branches, but couldn't identify it as a Callaway with Mickelson's markings.
One man offered to climb into the tree. Mickelson, not as spry at age 39, gave his full blessing. The man climbed 10 feet into the tree and shook with all his might as the crowd cheered him on. The ball never came down, but it moved enough for Mickelson to realize it wasn't his. He headed back to the tee and hit another drive behind the trees, and did well to escape with double bogey.
By the end of the day, he still had a chance.
THIRD-ROUND LEADING TOTALS Par 216 (3x72)
203 Ryuji Imada (Jap) 65 68 70.
205 Michael Sim (Sco) 73 62 70, Ben Crane (US) 65 71 69.
206 Lucas Glover (US) 71 67 68.
207 Brandt Snedeker (US) 71 68 68 68, K J Choi (SKor) 72 66 69, Phil Mickelson (US) 70 67 70, Rickie Fowler (US) 67 70 70, D A Points (US) 68 65 74, Matt Every (US) 65 70 72.
208 Robert Allenby (Aus) 67 69 72, Marc Leishman (Aus) 68 69 71, Ernie Els (Rsa) 70 69 69, Troy Merritt 69 72 67
209 Spencer Levin 69 70 70, Vance Veazey 67 71 71
210 Nick Watney 71 70 69, Brendon De Jonge 70 70 70, Michael Putnam 71 68 71, Charles Howell III 71 69 70, Charlie Wi (Kor) 71 66 73, John Rollins 70 66 74, J.B. Holmes 72 69 69, Tom Gillis 67 71 72
211 Michael Bradley 71 69 71, Kevin Sutherland 74 67 70, Michael Connell 69 71 71, Tom Pernice junior 66 71 74, Chez Reavie 72 70 69, Alex Prugh 67 71 73, Hunter Mahan 72 67 72, Steve Marino 72 70 69, Chris Tidland 65 71 75, Shane Bertsch 69 72 70, Stephen Ames (Can) 74 68 69
212 George McNeill 69 67 76, Michael Allen 72 66 74, Justin Rose (Eng) 71 69 72, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 71 69 72, Scott Piercy 64 75 73
213 David Lutterus (Rsa) 69 70 74, Chad Collins 72 70 71, Boo Weekley 67 73 73, Rich Barcelo 72 69 72
214 Tim Herron 71 70 73, Steve Lowery 67 75 72, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 71 70 73, Matthew Jones (Aus) 70 71 73, Derek Lamely 70 69 75, Ricky Barnes 67 75 72, Mathew Goggin (Aus) 72 70 72, Brett Quigley 73 68 73, Bill Haas 70 71 73, Luke Donald (Eng) 70 72 72, Rocco Mediate 69 71 74, Josh Teater 67 74 73
215 Bill Lunde 72 68 75, Ted Purdy 69 71 75, Ben Curtis 73 69 73, Harrison Frazar 70 72 73, Chris Couch 68 73 74, James Driscoll 71 71 73, Martin Laird (Sco) 71 70 74, Johnson Wagner 72 69 74, Jonathan Byrd 73 69 73
216 Richard S Johnson (Swe) 71 70 75, Martin Flores 74 68 74, Jason Dufner 69 71 76, Andres Romero (Arg) 69 71 76, Tommy Armour III 74 68 74
218 Jeff Klauk 70 70 78, Nicholas Thompson 68 73 77, Blake Adams 69 72 77
219 Michael Letzig 71 71 77, Rich Beem 68 74 77, Lee Janzen 74 67 78
221 Craig Bowden 72 70 79
222 Blake Trimble 68 74 80
Additional third-round information
Michael Sim, playing the Torrey Pines South course, birdied the 10th, short 11th, short 16th and 17th. He bogeyed the 12nd and 14th in halves of 36 and 34.
Martin Laird birdied the third, sixth and 13th on the Torrey Pines South course. He bogeyed the fifth, 10th, 12th, 17th and 18th in halves of 35 and 39.
Labels: US PGA TOUR, US PRO TOUR
