Harbour Town: Round 3 notes – Verizon Heritage
* Nine of the past 10 Verizon Heritage third-round leads have been outright. Of those nine, however, only three times has that third-round leader gone on to win. In 2005, Peter Lonard managed to parlay his third-round lead into victory, as did Justin Leonard in 2002. Davis Love III accomplished the feat in 1998. Boo Weekley has never previously held even a share of a third-round lead on the PGA TOUR. Last year, he began the Verizon Heritage final round in solo-fourth place.Weather: Mostly cloudy in the morning with temperatures in the mid 60s. Sun and clouds in the afternoon with temperatures in the mid 70s. Winds SSW 10-15 mph.
* 2007 Verizon Heritage Champion Boo Weekley is in position to win for the second time in his career. The last player to win the same event for his first two victories on the PGA TOUR came this year when J.B. Holmes won the FBR Open after winning the event in 2006. The last player to win the same event for his first two victories in consecutive years was Vaughn Taylor when he won the 2004 and 2005 Reno Tahoe Open. Before Taylor, Brian Henninger won the 1994 and 1999 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
* Boo Weekley, who played in the event for the first time last year, was the only player in 2007 to post four rounds in the 60s (67-69-66-68—270). After his first three rounds of 69-64-65, he has now fired seven consecutive rounds in the 60s, tying Greg Norman. The most consecutive rounds in the 60s for a player at this event is nine by Nick Price (last three ’96, all ’97 and first two ’98).
* If Weekley successfully defends his Verizon Heritage title, he will become the first to do so this season since Tiger Woods, who has won the Buick Invitational every year since 2005.
* En route to his third-round 65, Boo Weekley birdied five consecutive holes (five through nine), which ties the best consecutive birdies streak this week as Weekley picked up where Jay Williamson left off. In round-one, Williamson birdied the first five holes. The two join a list of five others who have matched the feat this year. The season’s best birdie streak is six, held by six players.
* Boo Weekley has already racked up two top-10 finishes this year. He claimed a T8 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and a T9 at the FBR Open.
* 2006 Verizon Heritage champion Aaron Baddeley fired a 4-under-par 67 to claim a three-way tie for third. Following the third round in ’06, Baddeley was tied for the lead at 14-under-par with Jim Furyk, who heads into tomorrow’s final round in sixth place and six strokes back.
* After a 4-under-par 67 Saturday, Jason Bohn enters the final round in great position to improve on season marked by three missed cuts in his last four starts. Bohn, who began the day T7, trails Weekly by five strokes at T3.
* Lucas Glover is still in search of his first top-10 finish since the 2007 Buick Open (T10). His best finish this year was a T14 at the Shell Houston Open two weeks ago.
* Jason Bohn, who injured himself last year at the Memorial and missed most of the season, is still in search of his first top-10 finish since the 2007 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro (2). His best effort this year is a T20 at the Zurich Classic of new Orleans.
* 22-year-old Anthony Kim finds himself in the final group Sunday for the first time in his second year on the PGA TOUR. He and Boo Weekley have previously never been paired together in any round. If he does indeed win, he would become the youngest player to win the Verizon Heritage. Davis Love III is the youngest winner when he won the Verizon Heritage at the age of 23 years and six days.
* Playing on a Major Medical Exemption, Denver native Shane Bertsch’s 5-under-par 66 was his best 18-hole score since round four of the 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (66). Bertsch, who only competed in four events in 2007 before vertigo ended his season, has 28 events in 2008 to make $774,164 (combined with 2007 earnings of $39,760 which would equal 2007’s number 125 earnings of $785,180) to retain his card. Bertsch begins the final round T14.
* In round one, the hardest hole was the 200-yard, par-3 fourth hole. In round-two, the toughest-ranked hole was the 437-yard par-four third. In round-three, toughest-hole honors went to the 436-yard par-4 11th. The 11th hole Saturday surrendered just two birdies, but claimed 27 bogeys.
* With his 3-under-par 68, Jim Furyk was the only player in the field Saturday to post a bogey-free score.
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