Rookie Prugh leads Bob Hope Classic
FROM THE CBS.SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
Alex Prugh, a 25-year-old US PGA Tour rookie, shot a seven-under-par 65 over the testing La Quinta course to take a one-stroke lead from the big-hitting Bubba Watson and another Tour rookiie, Martin Flores in the Bob Hope Classic in California.
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Leaderboard
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Prugh, a former University of Washington golf team leading light, leads the five-round, four-course tournament with a 54-hole tally of 21-under-par 195. He has not had a bogey over his last 36 holes.
Prugh thinks the pro-am format keeps him away from any mental dangers that might otherwise arise from leading a PGA Tour tournament after three rounds. Perhaps helping amateurs with their game prevents him from overthinking his own.
Whatever the magic formula, Prugh is the first rookie to lead a round at the event since John Senden took the second-round lead in the 2002 tournament eventually won by Phil Mickelson.
"I'm just trying to entertain my amateur partners as well as I can, and hopefully they get their money's worth when they're out here," Prugh said.
Flores was every bit as impressive as Prugh, shooting the second straight 65 of his bogey-free tournament to pull into a tie with second-round leader Watson (68), who rallied after a slow start on the Arnold Palmer Private course.
Joe Ogilvie (68) was four strokes back at 17 under. Chad Collins (69), Tim Clark (67) and Bill Haas (66) were 16 under, and Mike Weir (67) was 15 under.
After rain washed out play Thursday and threatened Friday, the players finally revelled in perfect Palm Springs scoring weather. Amateurs, celebrities and pros alike were thrilled to see fewer fairway marshes and more sturdy greens, but two unheralded rookies made the biggest splashes by crowding around Watson, who's also seeking his first US PGA Tour victory.
The long-hitting Watson was in prime position to pull away a bit after doing well on the two tougher courses during the rainy first two days, but he was 1 over after eight holes on the Palmer course Saturday before stringing together four birdies on the back nine. Although he's touting a new mental attitude this season, Watson couldn't help jabbing himself after wasting a chance.
"I just played bad," said Watson, the tour's second-longest driver last year. "The 68 was getting a lot out of my round today, so I'm not mad at a 68. It's just [that] I wanted to play better. My caddie kept yelling at me, trying to get me to pay attention and stay focused. I just hung in there."
After finishing 72nd last week at the Sony Open, Prugh played as well as a Pacific Northwest native might be expected to do on the Hope Classic's two rainy days. He shot an opening-round 64 on the easier Nicklaus Private course at PGA West, followed by a steady 66 on Friday at the Palmer course.
Prugh has played 41 straight holes without a bogey, while the 27-year-old Flores has yet to make a bogey in the tournament. The Texas native seemed a bit more excited than Prugh about the auspicious debuts of two Nationwide Tour regulars last year.
"There's a first for everything, and I just seemed to be very comfortable in this situation for some reason," said Flores, whose last bogey was on the 17th hole of his final round at the Sony Open last week. "I don't know why that is. I never want to come off as arrogant, but ... I'm just confident in my game, and I like that right now."
Prugh and Flores both played on the Nationwide Tour last year. Prugh won the New Zealand Open and earned his PGA Tour card by finishing 16th on the money list, while Flores didn't do particularly well in his nine starts, but earned his card by finishing fourth at the national qualifying tournament.
After two weeks, Prugh hasn't found the US PGA Tour competition to be a whole lot stiffer than on the Nationwide Tour. With none of the tour's top 35 players in the Hope Classic field, he might have a point.
"The competition level is very similar," Prugh said. "I think you're very well prepared after coming out of there
THIRD-ROUND LEADERS (five-round tournament)
Par 216 (3x72). First prize $918,000.
Players from US unless stated
PGA West (Palmer Course)
196 Martin Flores 66 65 65
199 Joe Ogilvie 65 66 68
200 Chad Collins 67 64 69
201 Mike Weir (Can) 67 67 67
202 Kevin Na 69 66 67, J.P. Hayes 65 67 70, D.J. Trahan 69 68 65, Steve Elkington (Aus) 69 65 68
203 Derek Lamely 68 69 66
204 Brandt Snedeker 70 69 65
205 Jeff Overton 68 68 69, Paul Goydos 69 69 67, Webb Simpson 67 72 66
206 Brian Gay 71 65 70, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 67 71 68, Tom Gillis 68 66 72, Heath Slocum 66 72 68
207 Greg Chalmers (Aus) 70 69 68
208 Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 68 70 70, Justin Bolli 70 71 67
209 Greg Owen (Eng) 74 65 70
210 Briny Baird 68 67 75
211 Billy Mayfair 71 71 69, Blake Adams 74 68 69
212 Boo Weekley 71 74 67, David Duval 74 65 73
213 Jeff Maggert 76 67 70
214 Marc Turnesa 69 70 75, Alex Cejka (Ger) 70 74 70
215 Mathew Goggin (Aus) 76 71 68, Jeff Gove 72 69 74
220 Steve Flesch 71 78 71
PGA West (Nicklaus Course)
195 Alex Prugh 64 66 65
200 Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 63 67
203 Richard S Johnson (Swe) 69 69 65, Charles Howell III 68 69 66
204 Garrett Willis 65 69 70
205 Scott McCarron 67 71 67, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 70 67 68, Chris DiMarco 72 67 66, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 73 66 66, Matthew Jones (Aus) 69 67 69
206 Vaughn Taylor 66 67 73, Matt Bettencourt 71 66 69
207 Brendon De Jonge 73 67 67, Chris Wilson 69 67 71, Bill Lunde 68 68 71, Jeff Quinney 64 74 69
208 Omar Uresti 70 67 71, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 68, Shane Bertsch 62 69 77, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 68 70 70
209 Jerod Turner 69 69 71
210 Jay Williamson 71 68 71, Ted Purdy 70 69 71
211 D.A. Points 70 71 70
213 Nicholas Thompson 72 71 70
214 Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 73 72 69
215 Chris Stroud 71 68 76, Kris Blanks 69 75 71
216 Kevin Johnson 76 75 65, Martin Laird (Sco) 73 72 71
219 Scott Piercy 76 71 72
222 Brad Faxon 70 73 79
La Quinta CC
196 Bubba Watson 66 62 68
200 Bill Haas 68 66 66
202 George McNeill 65 72 65, Ryan Moore 69 67 66
203 Matt Kuchar 67 69 67
204 John Merrick 68 70 66
205 Jeff Klauk 66 72 67, John Senden (Aus) 68 69 68
206 Ricky Barnes 67 72 67, Brett Quigley 71 66 69
207 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 67 70 70, David Toms 70 70 67, Roger Tambellini 66 71 70, Graham Delaet (Can) 71 69 67
208 Bob Estes 68 72 68, Jamie Lovemark 71 71 66
209 Michael Sim (Scot/Aus) 73 67 69, Ben Crane 70 69 70
211 Cameron Percy (Aus) 70 70 71, Scott Verplank 70 74 67, Chez Reavie 71 71 69
212 Michael Bradley 74 68 70, Harrison Frazar 72 72 68, Sam Saunders 74 67 71
213 Chris Tidland 72 72 69, Matthew Every 69 71 73
214 Mark Brooks 70 71 73
216 Cameron Beckman 67 74 75
217 Daniel Chopra (Swe) 73 71 73
218 Johnson Wagner 75 70 73
220 Steve Lowery 71 76 73
221 Christopher Baryla (Can) 71 78 72
Silver Rock
203 Jason Dufner 72 67 64, Ryan Palmer 72 67 64
204 Kevin Streelman 70 71 63
205 Pat Perez 68 69 68, Kevin Stadler 67 69 69, Lee Janzen 69 70 66
206 Justin Rose (Eng) 70 67 69
208 Jimmy Walker 71 68 69, Troy Merritt 72 70 66
209 Joe Durant 71 69 69, Bo Van Pelt 73 70 66, Chris Couch 71 72 66, Josh Teater 71 69 69, Jason Bohn 69 72 68
211 Charley Hoffman 69 72 70, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 68 69 74
212 Brian Davis (Eng) 73 70 69, Tim Petrovic 67 75 70, Billy Horschel 77 68 67, James Nitties (Aus) 71 69 72
213 Chad Campbell 79 70 64, Rich Beem 71 74 68, Rocco Mediate 75 71 67
216 Mark Calcavecchia 71 77 68
218 Justin Leonard 75 71 72, John Mallinger 74 76 68
219 David Lutterus (Rsa) 75 70 74, Rickie Fowler 74 70 75
220 Woody Austin 77 70 73, Greg Kraft 75 73 72
222 Craig Stadler 76 75 71
Withdrew: 224 Ron Skayhan 71 75 78
FROM THE CBS.SPORTS.COM WEBSITE
Alex Prugh, a 25-year-old US PGA Tour rookie, shot a seven-under-par 65 over the testing La Quinta course to take a one-stroke lead from the big-hitting Bubba Watson and another Tour rookiie, Martin Flores in the Bob Hope Classic in California.
=================
Leaderboard
=================
Prugh, a former University of Washington golf team leading light, leads the five-round, four-course tournament with a 54-hole tally of 21-under-par 195. He has not had a bogey over his last 36 holes.
Prugh thinks the pro-am format keeps him away from any mental dangers that might otherwise arise from leading a PGA Tour tournament after three rounds. Perhaps helping amateurs with their game prevents him from overthinking his own.
Whatever the magic formula, Prugh is the first rookie to lead a round at the event since John Senden took the second-round lead in the 2002 tournament eventually won by Phil Mickelson.
"I'm just trying to entertain my amateur partners as well as I can, and hopefully they get their money's worth when they're out here," Prugh said.
Flores was every bit as impressive as Prugh, shooting the second straight 65 of his bogey-free tournament to pull into a tie with second-round leader Watson (68), who rallied after a slow start on the Arnold Palmer Private course.
Joe Ogilvie (68) was four strokes back at 17 under. Chad Collins (69), Tim Clark (67) and Bill Haas (66) were 16 under, and Mike Weir (67) was 15 under.
After rain washed out play Thursday and threatened Friday, the players finally revelled in perfect Palm Springs scoring weather. Amateurs, celebrities and pros alike were thrilled to see fewer fairway marshes and more sturdy greens, but two unheralded rookies made the biggest splashes by crowding around Watson, who's also seeking his first US PGA Tour victory.
The long-hitting Watson was in prime position to pull away a bit after doing well on the two tougher courses during the rainy first two days, but he was 1 over after eight holes on the Palmer course Saturday before stringing together four birdies on the back nine. Although he's touting a new mental attitude this season, Watson couldn't help jabbing himself after wasting a chance.
"I just played bad," said Watson, the tour's second-longest driver last year. "The 68 was getting a lot out of my round today, so I'm not mad at a 68. It's just [that] I wanted to play better. My caddie kept yelling at me, trying to get me to pay attention and stay focused. I just hung in there."
After finishing 72nd last week at the Sony Open, Prugh played as well as a Pacific Northwest native might be expected to do on the Hope Classic's two rainy days. He shot an opening-round 64 on the easier Nicklaus Private course at PGA West, followed by a steady 66 on Friday at the Palmer course.
Prugh has played 41 straight holes without a bogey, while the 27-year-old Flores has yet to make a bogey in the tournament. The Texas native seemed a bit more excited than Prugh about the auspicious debuts of two Nationwide Tour regulars last year.
"There's a first for everything, and I just seemed to be very comfortable in this situation for some reason," said Flores, whose last bogey was on the 17th hole of his final round at the Sony Open last week. "I don't know why that is. I never want to come off as arrogant, but ... I'm just confident in my game, and I like that right now."
Prugh and Flores both played on the Nationwide Tour last year. Prugh won the New Zealand Open and earned his PGA Tour card by finishing 16th on the money list, while Flores didn't do particularly well in his nine starts, but earned his card by finishing fourth at the national qualifying tournament.
After two weeks, Prugh hasn't found the US PGA Tour competition to be a whole lot stiffer than on the Nationwide Tour. With none of the tour's top 35 players in the Hope Classic field, he might have a point.
"The competition level is very similar," Prugh said. "I think you're very well prepared after coming out of there
THIRD-ROUND LEADERS (five-round tournament)
Par 216 (3x72). First prize $918,000.
Players from US unless stated
PGA West (Palmer Course)
196 Martin Flores 66 65 65
199 Joe Ogilvie 65 66 68
200 Chad Collins 67 64 69
201 Mike Weir (Can) 67 67 67
202 Kevin Na 69 66 67, J.P. Hayes 65 67 70, D.J. Trahan 69 68 65, Steve Elkington (Aus) 69 65 68
203 Derek Lamely 68 69 66
204 Brandt Snedeker 70 69 65
205 Jeff Overton 68 68 69, Paul Goydos 69 69 67, Webb Simpson 67 72 66
206 Brian Gay 71 65 70, Ryuji Imada (Jpn) 67 71 68, Tom Gillis 68 66 72, Heath Slocum 66 72 68
207 Greg Chalmers (Aus) 70 69 68
208 Henrik Bjornstad (Nor) 68 70 70, Justin Bolli 70 71 67
209 Greg Owen (Eng) 74 65 70
210 Briny Baird 68 67 75
211 Billy Mayfair 71 71 69, Blake Adams 74 68 69
212 Boo Weekley 71 74 67, David Duval 74 65 73
213 Jeff Maggert 76 67 70
214 Marc Turnesa 69 70 75, Alex Cejka (Ger) 70 74 70
215 Mathew Goggin (Aus) 76 71 68, Jeff Gove 72 69 74
220 Steve Flesch 71 78 71
PGA West (Nicklaus Course)
195 Alex Prugh 64 66 65
200 Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 63 67
203 Richard S Johnson (Swe) 69 69 65, Charles Howell III 68 69 66
204 Garrett Willis 65 69 70
205 Scott McCarron 67 71 67, Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 70 67 68, Chris DiMarco 72 67 66, Carl Pettersson (Swe) 73 66 66, Matthew Jones (Aus) 69 67 69
206 Vaughn Taylor 66 67 73, Matt Bettencourt 71 66 69
207 Brendon De Jonge 73 67 67, Chris Wilson 69 67 71, Bill Lunde 68 68 71, Jeff Quinney 64 74 69
208 Omar Uresti 70 67 71, Kevin Sutherland 69 71 68, Shane Bertsch 62 69 77, Brenden Pappas (Rsa) 68 70 70
209 Jerod Turner 69 69 71
210 Jay Williamson 71 68 71, Ted Purdy 70 69 71
211 D.A. Points 70 71 70
213 Nicholas Thompson 72 71 70
214 Garth Mulroy (Rsa) 73 72 69
215 Chris Stroud 71 68 76, Kris Blanks 69 75 71
216 Kevin Johnson 76 75 65, Martin Laird (Sco) 73 72 71
219 Scott Piercy 76 71 72
222 Brad Faxon 70 73 79
La Quinta CC
196 Bubba Watson 66 62 68
200 Bill Haas 68 66 66
202 George McNeill 65 72 65, Ryan Moore 69 67 66
203 Matt Kuchar 67 69 67
204 John Merrick 68 70 66
205 Jeff Klauk 66 72 67, John Senden (Aus) 68 69 68
206 Ricky Barnes 67 72 67, Brett Quigley 71 66 69
207 Rodney Pampling (Aus) 67 70 70, David Toms 70 70 67, Roger Tambellini 66 71 70, Graham Delaet (Can) 71 69 67
208 Bob Estes 68 72 68, Jamie Lovemark 71 71 66
209 Michael Sim (Scot/Aus) 73 67 69, Ben Crane 70 69 70
211 Cameron Percy (Aus) 70 70 71, Scott Verplank 70 74 67, Chez Reavie 71 71 69
212 Michael Bradley 74 68 70, Harrison Frazar 72 72 68, Sam Saunders 74 67 71
213 Chris Tidland 72 72 69, Matthew Every 69 71 73
214 Mark Brooks 70 71 73
216 Cameron Beckman 67 74 75
217 Daniel Chopra (Swe) 73 71 73
218 Johnson Wagner 75 70 73
220 Steve Lowery 71 76 73
221 Christopher Baryla (Can) 71 78 72
Silver Rock
203 Jason Dufner 72 67 64, Ryan Palmer 72 67 64
204 Kevin Streelman 70 71 63
205 Pat Perez 68 69 68, Kevin Stadler 67 69 69, Lee Janzen 69 70 66
206 Justin Rose (Eng) 70 67 69
208 Jimmy Walker 71 68 69, Troy Merritt 72 70 66
209 Joe Durant 71 69 69, Bo Van Pelt 73 70 66, Chris Couch 71 72 66, Josh Teater 71 69 69, Jason Bohn 69 72 68
211 Charley Hoffman 69 72 70, Jesper Parnevik (Swe) 68 69 74
212 Brian Davis (Eng) 73 70 69, Tim Petrovic 67 75 70, Billy Horschel 77 68 67, James Nitties (Aus) 71 69 72
213 Chad Campbell 79 70 64, Rich Beem 71 74 68, Rocco Mediate 75 71 67
216 Mark Calcavecchia 71 77 68
218 Justin Leonard 75 71 72, John Mallinger 74 76 68
219 David Lutterus (Rsa) 75 70 74, Rickie Fowler 74 70 75
220 Woody Austin 77 70 73, Greg Kraft 75 73 72
222 Craig Stadler 76 75 71
Withdrew: 224 Ron Skayhan 71 75 78
Labels: US PGA TOUR, US PRO TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Sunday, January 24, 2010
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