Stricker keeps 5-stroke lead in Maui
After playing 14 holes during Sunday’s third round, Steve Stricker was even-par and appeared he would lose his second-round five-stroke lead at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. But as the 44-year-old has done all week, Stricker finished strong with birdies on each of the final four holes to keep his five-stroke lead going into Monday’s final round.Stricker has played the final five holes in 13-under-par through three rounds. This is the best any player has
played the last five holes through three rounds in tournament history since the event moved to the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
Stricker holds the outright lead heading into the final round for the eighth time in his career and the outright 54-hole lead for the seventh (led a 90-hole event once going into the final round). In 72-hole events, Stricker has never lost when entering the final round alone with a lead.
Stricker shared the lead with Jonathan Byrd and Robert Garrigus after 54 holes at this event last year. He
went on to finish T4.
Byrd, who shot a 6-under-par 67 to move to 14-under-par and T2, will be in the final group with Stricker on
Monday. Byrd was also in the final group with Stricker at the Memorial Tournament. Stricker started the final
round of that event with a 3-stroke lead and went on to victory.
Stricker’s five-stroke 54-hole lead is one short of the tournament mark set by Geoff Ogilvy in 2009.
Stricker is looking for his fourth consecutive top-10 finish at this event. In his last three trips to Kapalua, he has finished 2nd-2008, T10-2010 and T4-2011.
Stricker is looking to become the second-consecutive American winner of the event (Jonathan
Byrd/2011). Prior to 2011, the Hyundai produced nine consecutive international winners. Including ties at the top, this is 14th time in his PGA TOUR career that Steve Stricker has held or shared the lead after 54 holes. He has gone on to win 7 times, including five of the last six events.
With victories at the 2011 Memorial Tournament and the John Deere Classic, Stricker won multiple events for the third straight season on TOUR. He is the only golfer to have multiple wins each of the last three years (2009, 2010, 2011). Stricker leads the field through two rounds in Strokes Gained – Putting, gaining a total of 6.913 strokes on the field.
Jonathan Byrd, 67-71-67 (-14), T2
Defending champion and first-round leader Jonathan Byrd found himself seven strokes off the lead to start round three after Steve Stricker’s second-round 63. Byrd, who has now broken par in 18 of his 19 rounds at the Plantation Course, started the day 2-over through three holes, but finished 8-under on his final 15 to shoot a thirdround 6-under-par 67 to move to T2, five strokes off the lead with one round remaining.
Byrd’s 68.73 scoring average is the best of any player with eight or more rounds at this event since 1983.
Byrd, who defeated Robert Garrigus in a playoff at last year’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions, was one of just seven players last season never to fall outside of the top 30 on the FedExCup points list. He ended the season ranked a career-best 27th in the standings.
Defending champions have done well at this event recently with Geoff Ogilvy winning back-to-back in 2009 and 2010 and Stuart Appleby winning three consecutive events from 2004-2006.
Martin Laird,68-70-67 (-14), T2
Playing in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions for the second time in three years, Martin Laird has yet to shoota round of par or worse. Laird broke par for the seventh consecutive round on Friday shooting a 6-under-par 67.
Laird finished T4 at last year’s event.
Laird, who won for the second time in his career at last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, bogeyed two of his first three holes on the day but finished the last 15 holes with 8 birdies and one bogey.
Webb Simpson, 68-68-69 (-14), T2
Webb Simpson’s 2012 season has begun similar to the way it ended in 2011. The 26-year-old Simpson, who finished second in the FedExCup, finished in the top 10 in six of his final seven events in 2011 including two victories and a runner-up finish. He currently stands T2.
Dating to 1989, just three players have won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in their first attempt (Daniel Chopra – 2008, Sergio Garcia – 2002, Steve Jones – 1989).
Since missing the cut at last year’s PGA Championship, Simpson’s average finish is 6.714 in his last seven PGA TOUR events.
Simpson’s 2011 season included 12 top-10 finishes, second on TOUR to Luke Donald’s 14. The second-youngest player in the field this week is one of 12 first-time winners from 2011 in the champions-only field.
Miscellaneous Notes
Third-Round Leaders to go onto win (22/28), the last being Jonathan Byrd last year.
Winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions has traditionally sparked an outstanding season – out of the last 20 winners, 2008 champion Daniel Chopra is the only player who failed to advance to the TOUR
Championship by Coca-Cola, the fourth and final event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
Bogey-free Rounds:
Friday: Michael Bradley (68), Keegan Bradley (69)
Saturday: Steve Stricker (63), Chris Kirk (66), Jonathan Byrd (71)
Sunday: Nick Watney (68)
The par-4 17th hole played the toughest on Sunday, yielding an average of 4.296.
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