WOODLAND, VEGAS SHARE BOB HOPE CLASSIC ROUND 3 LEAD
FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
LA QUINTA, California. (AP) — Gary Woodland played basketball for a season at Division II Washburn University, and the 6-foot guard still describes a 30-point loss to his beloved Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse as the biggest thrill of his life.
If he keeps hitting his shots at the Bob Hope Classic this weekend, Woodland might have an even bigger achievement in his back-up athletic career.
Woodland shot an 8-under 64 on Friday to join Jhonattan Vegas in the lead after three rounds in the 90-hole tournament on four Palm Springs-area courses.
Woodland made five straight birdies on the front nine at the Nicklaus Private course, with only a missed 10-foot putt keeping him from stringing together seven in a row. He added three birdies on the back nine to claim his first lead after any round in 28 US PGA Tour events while putting up the best 54-hole score of his career.
Not bad for a guy who didn't get serious about golf until putting his hoop dreams to rest.
"I learned how to play the game over the last year and a half," Woodland said. "I've got great people around me, great people mentoring me, and I'm starting to get there. I'm not anywhere close to where I want to be, but I'm on that road right now."
After a year at Washburn, the Kansas native transferred to KU in 2003 to get serious about golf. But as a multi-sport athlete growing up, he embraced the grip-it-and-rip-it school of golf until learning how to harness his athleticism on tour.
"There's a lot of guys out here that know how to play this game," Woodland said. "I could probably beat them on the basketball court, but out here, for a year and a half, I was getting my butt kicked. ... There's so much up-and-down in other sports. You're never going to win all the time, so I learned how to play through adversity."
Woodland still hasn't fully recovered from surgery during his rookie season in August 2009 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, a product of cumulative wear dating to his basketball days. He used cortisone to keep playing through the pain until his doctors "told me I couldn't have it any more."
He still doesn't have the strength he remembers, but he's no longer playing in pain - and he has more than enough oomph to overpower the shorter courses at the Hope Classic.
Vegas also maintained his steady play in his fifth US Tour event with a 67 - the first bogey-free round of his career - on the Silver Rock course, keeping a share of the lead for the second straight day.
Woodland and Vegas are the same age (26) with the same Nationwide Tour background, and they have similarly ferocious power off the tee. They're among the longest hitters in the Hope field, yet Woodland barely touched his driver on the friendly Nicklaus course while carding the best round of his career in relation to par.
Australia's Greg Chalmers (65) was a stroke back at 17-under 199, while Scotland's Martin Laird was 16 under after a bogey-free 64. Sixteen players were within five shots of the lead, including Matt Kuchar (13 under after a 67) and second-round co-leader Boo Weekley, also 13 under after a 72 at Silver Rock.
Although Vegas is still 36 holes away from ultimate success in this endurance-testing tournament, the rookie's strong start is attracting attention back home in Venezuela, where golf gets little attention and President Hugo Chavez decries the sport as a pastime of the rich.
"Everybody has been waiting for this for a long time," said Vegas, the first Venezuelan to earn a US PGA Tour card. "Even the media, they're really interested in showing the results. I've got a lot of friends there that love golf and that support me, and I've heard a lot from them."
With only a missed 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole separating him from sole possession of the lead, Vegas clearly isn't feeling the pressure of leading a US Tour event. He hit 14 of 14 fairways on Friday while wearing all-white Nike duds.
Although his putting still isn't stellar, he isn't losing sleep over it.
"If there's something that I do well, it's sleep," the 26-year-old Vegas said. "Leading a golf tournament is not going to cut into my sleep, but it's always fun."
Woodland, Vegas and Chalmers all are hoping for their first US Tour victory on these generous courses that just keep on giving to the largely star-free field.
Justin Leonard, the 2005 Hope champion, made six straight birdies while shooting a 64 on the Nicklaus Private course to get back in contention at 12 under. Jesper Parnevik made five consecutive birdies on the Palmer course, matching the best streak of his lengthy career. He was 8 under after a 65.
David Duval was six shots back in a pack at 12 under after shooting a 69 with playing partners Julius Erving and George Gervin. On Saturday, Duval will play the Palmer course, where he famously punctuated his 59 in 1999 with an eagle on the final hole to win the Hope by one stroke.
Two players, Scott Verplank and Ricky Barnes, withdrew during the third round. Verplank said he had an injured left wrist. Barnes's reason to return to the clubhouse was a recurring back injury. His agent, Dennis Blake, described the injury as a fatigued lower-back, the result of an increased off-season regiment. Barnes is coming off a career year, during which he finished 43rd on the US PGA Tour money list.
“He practised really hard in the offseason, and we all know he likes to work out. He did a lot of both in the off-season,” Blake said. “When it came time to tee it up at the beginning of this year, his lower back was just tired and fatigued.
“He’s had it checked out, and all the doctors have said it’s just one of those things that’s going to need some rest. It’s nothing major, just strained from overuse. They explained it as when your back gets over-tired, it can flare up. You just have to let the inflammation settle down.”
Barnes will skip next week’s Farmers Insurance Open, and hopes to return for the Waste Management Phoenix Open (February 3 to 6).
Blake said this is the first time Barnes, the 2002 US Amateur champion and 2009 US Open runner-up, has suffered from this injury. Barnes skipped the Sony Open because of the injury. He was in 13th place after shooting 65-70 in the Hope’s first two rounds. He withdrew after completing eight holes of the third round in two over par.
THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
198 Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) 64 67 67, Gary Woodland (US) 65 69 69.
199 Greg Chalmers (Australia) 67 67 65.
200 Martin Laird (Scotland) 68 68 64.
Selected score:
204 Brian Davis (England) 67 66 71 (jt 17th)
TO READ ALL THE SCORES ON THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
CLICK HERE
LA QUINTA, California. (AP) — Gary Woodland played basketball for a season at Division II Washburn University, and the 6-foot guard still describes a 30-point loss to his beloved Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse as the biggest thrill of his life.
If he keeps hitting his shots at the Bob Hope Classic this weekend, Woodland might have an even bigger achievement in his back-up athletic career.
Woodland shot an 8-under 64 on Friday to join Jhonattan Vegas in the lead after three rounds in the 90-hole tournament on four Palm Springs-area courses.
Woodland made five straight birdies on the front nine at the Nicklaus Private course, with only a missed 10-foot putt keeping him from stringing together seven in a row. He added three birdies on the back nine to claim his first lead after any round in 28 US PGA Tour events while putting up the best 54-hole score of his career.
Not bad for a guy who didn't get serious about golf until putting his hoop dreams to rest.
"I learned how to play the game over the last year and a half," Woodland said. "I've got great people around me, great people mentoring me, and I'm starting to get there. I'm not anywhere close to where I want to be, but I'm on that road right now."
After a year at Washburn, the Kansas native transferred to KU in 2003 to get serious about golf. But as a multi-sport athlete growing up, he embraced the grip-it-and-rip-it school of golf until learning how to harness his athleticism on tour.
"There's a lot of guys out here that know how to play this game," Woodland said. "I could probably beat them on the basketball court, but out here, for a year and a half, I was getting my butt kicked. ... There's so much up-and-down in other sports. You're never going to win all the time, so I learned how to play through adversity."
Woodland still hasn't fully recovered from surgery during his rookie season in August 2009 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, a product of cumulative wear dating to his basketball days. He used cortisone to keep playing through the pain until his doctors "told me I couldn't have it any more."
He still doesn't have the strength he remembers, but he's no longer playing in pain - and he has more than enough oomph to overpower the shorter courses at the Hope Classic.
Vegas also maintained his steady play in his fifth US Tour event with a 67 - the first bogey-free round of his career - on the Silver Rock course, keeping a share of the lead for the second straight day.
Woodland and Vegas are the same age (26) with the same Nationwide Tour background, and they have similarly ferocious power off the tee. They're among the longest hitters in the Hope field, yet Woodland barely touched his driver on the friendly Nicklaus course while carding the best round of his career in relation to par.
Australia's Greg Chalmers (65) was a stroke back at 17-under 199, while Scotland's Martin Laird was 16 under after a bogey-free 64. Sixteen players were within five shots of the lead, including Matt Kuchar (13 under after a 67) and second-round co-leader Boo Weekley, also 13 under after a 72 at Silver Rock.
Although Vegas is still 36 holes away from ultimate success in this endurance-testing tournament, the rookie's strong start is attracting attention back home in Venezuela, where golf gets little attention and President Hugo Chavez decries the sport as a pastime of the rich.
"Everybody has been waiting for this for a long time," said Vegas, the first Venezuelan to earn a US PGA Tour card. "Even the media, they're really interested in showing the results. I've got a lot of friends there that love golf and that support me, and I've heard a lot from them."
With only a missed 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole separating him from sole possession of the lead, Vegas clearly isn't feeling the pressure of leading a US Tour event. He hit 14 of 14 fairways on Friday while wearing all-white Nike duds.
Although his putting still isn't stellar, he isn't losing sleep over it.
"If there's something that I do well, it's sleep," the 26-year-old Vegas said. "Leading a golf tournament is not going to cut into my sleep, but it's always fun."
Woodland, Vegas and Chalmers all are hoping for their first US Tour victory on these generous courses that just keep on giving to the largely star-free field.
Justin Leonard, the 2005 Hope champion, made six straight birdies while shooting a 64 on the Nicklaus Private course to get back in contention at 12 under. Jesper Parnevik made five consecutive birdies on the Palmer course, matching the best streak of his lengthy career. He was 8 under after a 65.
David Duval was six shots back in a pack at 12 under after shooting a 69 with playing partners Julius Erving and George Gervin. On Saturday, Duval will play the Palmer course, where he famously punctuated his 59 in 1999 with an eagle on the final hole to win the Hope by one stroke.
Two players, Scott Verplank and Ricky Barnes, withdrew during the third round. Verplank said he had an injured left wrist. Barnes's reason to return to the clubhouse was a recurring back injury. His agent, Dennis Blake, described the injury as a fatigued lower-back, the result of an increased off-season regiment. Barnes is coming off a career year, during which he finished 43rd on the US PGA Tour money list.
“He practised really hard in the offseason, and we all know he likes to work out. He did a lot of both in the off-season,” Blake said. “When it came time to tee it up at the beginning of this year, his lower back was just tired and fatigued.
“He’s had it checked out, and all the doctors have said it’s just one of those things that’s going to need some rest. It’s nothing major, just strained from overuse. They explained it as when your back gets over-tired, it can flare up. You just have to let the inflammation settle down.”
Barnes will skip next week’s Farmers Insurance Open, and hopes to return for the Waste Management Phoenix Open (February 3 to 6).
Blake said this is the first time Barnes, the 2002 US Amateur champion and 2009 US Open runner-up, has suffered from this injury. Barnes skipped the Sony Open because of the injury. He was in 13th place after shooting 65-70 in the Hope’s first two rounds. He withdrew after completing eight holes of the third round in two over par.
THIRD ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 216 (3x72)
198 Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) 64 67 67, Gary Woodland (US) 65 69 69.
199 Greg Chalmers (Australia) 67 67 65.
200 Martin Laird (Scotland) 68 68 64.
Selected score:
204 Brian Davis (England) 67 66 71 (jt 17th)
TO READ ALL THE SCORES ON THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
CLICK HERE
Labels: US PGA TOUR, US PRO TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Friday, January 21, 2011
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