Paul Casey opens big lead with late eagle, but 

ferocious weather looms at Deutsche Bank

By Jim McCabe

GOLFWEEK.COM

Paul Casey closed his round Sunday by dazzling the TPC Boston crowd with a near-albatross. (Associated Press)

NORTON, Massachusetts. — Blistered into a beefy wind from 232 yards, Paul Casey’s 3-iron second shot late Sunday afternoon came to rest less than 3 feet from the flagstick at TPC Boston’s par-5 18th hole.
Brilliant, the eagle. Significant, the cushion. Dynamic, the birdie-eagle-finish to Round 3 of the Deutsche Bank Championship.
“Still digesting my 3-iron on the last (hole),” Casey said, only moments after he had signed for his third consecutive 5-under 66 and a 15-under 198 total that was three clear of Brian Harman (68) and four better than Smylie Kaufman (68), Jimmy Walker (70) and Kevin Chappell (71).
In other words, the 39-year-old Englishman wanted to savour what Sunday had delivered, not speculate on what Monday may bring.
He flashed a smile, but he does know that when Sunday melts into Monday, changes will arrive at TPC Boston. That 232-yard shot at the 18th? Casey might only need an 8-iron come Monday. Or, you might not be able to get it there with a howitzer. The ferocity of Tropical Storm Hermine is pure guesswork, so Casey wasn’t going to give it much thought, at least not in the immediate aftermath of his third straight day of brilliant ball-striking.
He only knows that he trusts his game.
“I’ve been a good wind player, yeah,” said Casey. “No issue with the wind. Again, that goes back to my ball-striking.”
Having built just the second 54-hole lead in his PGA Tour career (the other one, the 2009 Shell Houston Open, resulted in his only PGA Tour win), Casey conceded that he was surprised when he took a peek at the leaderboard at one point late in his round.
“I did think, ‘Wow, there’s a lot more guys up there than I had kind of paid attention to earlier,’ ” he said.
He was right, too, because at 12 under, Casey was in a tug-of-war with Harman and Kaufman for the lead, but not only were Kaufman, Walker and Chappell only a stroke back, but as many as 15 other names were within four of the lead.
And then, there was separation, thanks to Casey.
He hit a 7-iron to 4 feet for birdie at the par-3 16th, then jammed that 3-iron tight at 18. Suddenly, those who thought they were just three or four back were six and seven behind.
That could be huge, given that Mother Nature is expected to bring turbulence in the name of Hermine. Players were told to expect sturdy wind (steady at 20 miles per hour, gusts up to 40) when they arrive at TPC Boston on Monday morning and possibly periods of heavy rain; question is, does that favor the front-runner because it will be tougher to mount a charge, or hurt the leader because scoring chances will not be prevalent?
Casey shrugged. “I don’t know. Depends on how bad it is,” he said. “Maybe it’s a case of just trying to get in at a certain number… maybe it turns into (a) match play situation. You’ve got no idea.”
One challenger suggested that the chasers might have an advantage.

“Tomorrow’s the kind of day where it’ll be tough for the leaders to hang on because in some senses they’re trying to play conservatively, just to maintain their position,” said Justin Rose, who shot 69 and is one of four tied for seventh at 9 under.
“It (might) allow the guys at 8 or 9 under to freewheel a little more.”
Though he was focused on his third-round duties Sunday, Rose conceded that he peeked at the “white dots” that were on the greens, indicating where Round 4 hole locations will be.
“The pins are fairly simple, a lot of middle-of-the-green pins, which tells us they’re expecting really tough weather.”
All the better for those trying to mount a rally?
Or, perfect for those trying to protect a lead?
We’ll see Monday — just fasten your seat belt
+Paul Casey gave up his membership of the Eurpean Tour and thus ruled himself out of Ryder Cup selection.