Third-round notebook – HSBC Champions
Tiger WoodsTiger Woods, 67-67-70--204 (-12) is T2 with Nick Watney and two shots off of Phil Mickelson’s lead after 54 holes.
Woods is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour in 2009 and is making his third appearance at the HSBC Champions, but the first since 2006. He finished as runner up in both appearances (2005, 2006).
Of Woods’ 71 PGA Tour wins, 20 have come when he was trailing heading into the final round. His most recent come-from-behind win came at this year’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He was three shots down to Padraig Harrington entering the final round, shot 65 on Sunday and won by four. In all, Woods’ has won five of the 13 stroke-play World Golf Championships when trailing to start the final round.
While this week’s HSBC Champions event is considered “unofficial” on the PGA Tour, Woods has 16 wins and 27 top-10 finishes in 30 World Golf Championships starts. He has at least one victory per season in a World Golf Championships event since the series’ inception in 1999.
Tiger Woods -- 16 Official World Golf Championship victories
Bridgestone Invitational 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Accenture Match Play Championship 2003, 2004, 2008
CA Championship 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007
Woods has won events in 12 countries, but never before in China. Countries where he has won: United States, Thailand, Germany, Spain, Scotland, Canada, Ireland, Japan, United Arab Emirates, England; and in the World Golf Championships-World Cup, Malaysia and Argentina.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson, the 2007 HSBC Champions winner, has carded rounds of 69-66-67 to take a two-shot lead over Tiger Woods and Nick Watney after 54 holes.
Mickelson has won five Tournaments in his career during which Tiger Woods finished in second place or tied for second, the most of any player. Mickelson led by two in 2007 when he won this event, although it took two holes of a sudden-death playoff to do so.
Mickelson has won 22 of 30 events on the PGA Tour when leading or co-leading heading into the final round. Two of his three wins this season have come when Mickelson held the 54-hole lead:
2009 Northern Trust Open led by 4 shots; shot 72 on Sunday and won by 1 (over Steve Stricker)
2009 WGC-CA Championship tied with Nick Watney; shot 69 on Sunday and won by 1 (over Watney)
The last time Mickelson held/shared a 54-hole lead and did not go on to win was at the 2008 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He was tied with Lee Westwood and Vijay Singh after 54 holes, but shot 70 on Sunday to finish T4.
Nick Watney
Nick Watney made eagle on 18 to post a 70 (-2) and earn a spot in the final group with Tiger Woods, who is also at 204 (-12) and Phil Mickelson.
In his win earlier this year at the Buick Invitational, his second PGA Tour win, Watney was in third place heading into the final round. Trailing leader John Rollins by five strokes, Watney shot 68 on Sunday to win by one (over Rollins).
Watney is one of eight players from the United States in their 20s with two or more Tour victories with Dustin Johnson, Troy Matteson, Lucas Glover, J.B. Holmes, D.J. Trahan, Sean O’Hair and Anthony Kim.
Ryan Moore
Ryan Moore (T3) is competing in his first World Golf Championships event this week at the HSBC Champions. Moore qualified by winning the Wyndham Championship, the final event in the PGA Tour Regular Season.
Anthony Kim
Anthony Kim, a two-time PGA Tour winner, has had a mediocre year by his standards but seems to be rounding into form following a runner-up finish to Ross Fisher at the Volvo World Match Play Championship last week. With rounds of 67-69-72, Kim is T6 after 54 holes and within four shots of Phil Mickelson’s lead. It could have been better for Kim, if not for a double-bogey on the par 4 16th. That double cost Kim a third consecutive under-par round this week, something he has only managed to do three times this season on the PGA Tour.
2009 RBC Canadian Open 69-66-66-73 Finished T3 (tied for the lead heading into final round)
2009 Travelers Championship 66-66-67-67 Finished T11
2009 Crowne Plaza Inv. 69-68-68-72 Finished T54
The leaders
Here is a look at the HSBC Champions leaderboard through 54 holes and where each player is currently ranked in the Official World Golf Ranking.
o 1 Phil Mickelson No. 2
o T2 Tiger Woods No. 1
o Nick Watney No. 32
o 4 Ryan Moore No. 75
o 5 Lee Westwood No. 5
o T6 Anthony Kim No. 22
Jyoti Randhawa No. 235
o T8 Ernie Els No. 24
Martin Kaymer No. 11
Ryo Ishikawa No. 36
Lin Wen-Tang No. 104
Of the four past winners of the HSBC Champions, Y.E. Yang was the lowest ranked the week before winning this event:
o 2008, Sergio Garcia No. 3
o 2007, Phil Mickelson No. 2
o 2006, Y.E. Yang No. 77
o 2005, David Howell No. 19
Sergio Garcia is the youngest winner in HSBC Champions history at the age of 28 years, 10 months, 1 day. Of the players in currently in the top 10, Nick Watney (age 28/6/14 on Sunday); Ryan Moore (age 26/11/3 on Sunday); Anthony Kim (age 24/4/20 on Sunday); Martin Kaymer (age 24/10/11 on Sunday); and Ryo Ishikawa (age 18/1/22 on Sunday) have a chance to establish a new record if they should go on to win this week.
Of the four previous HSBC Champions, two players have come from behind to win and two have converted a 54-hole lead into a victory.
Come-from-behind wins
2008 Sergio Garcia trailed Oliver Wilson by 2 shots; in the final round, Garcia shot 68 to force playoff with Wilson
2006 Y.E. Yang trailed Retief Goosen by 1 shot; in the final round, Yang shot 69 and won by 2 over Tiger Woods
54-hole leaders who went on to win
2007 Phil Mickelson led Ross Fisher by 2 shots; in the final round, Mickelson shot 76 and then won a playoff over Fisher and Lee Westwood
2005 David Howell led Tiger Woods by 1 shot; in the final round, Howell shot 68 to win by 3 over Woods
Miscellaneous
Geoff Ogivly put together the best nine-hole score of the Tournament thus far with a 30 (-6) on the back nine (his first nine holes). Ogilvy made birdie on Nos. 10 and 13, then finished the back nine with an eagle-birdie-birdie string. He was bogey-free until his last hole of the day, No. 9. Ogilvy shot 65 (-7) now 211 (-5), T17 heading into the final round.
The name Jyoti Randhawa may sound familiar to those who have followed the HSBC Champions over the past few years. Currently ranked No. 235 in the World, Randhawa led the event after the first (65) and second (69) rounds in 2006. He shot 72-75 on the weekend to finish T9, his best performance here in three starts. Randhawa could improve on that mark if he continues to post under-par rounds, as he did the first three days of this week’s HSBC Champions: 68-70-70=208 (-8) and T6. Randhawa has 10 wins worldwide: 8 on the Asian Tour; 1 on the Japan PGA Tour; and 1 on the Indian Tour.
Six players in the field have participated in all four of the previous HSBC Champions: Paul Casey, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Lian-Wei Zhang. Stenson and Harrington have the best finishes of that group with a T5 in 2008 for Stenson and T5 in 2007 for Harrington. Below are their standings after 54 holes.
o Paul Casey T12
o Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano T45
o Padraig Harrington T32
o Ian Poulter T54
o Henrik Stenson T32
o Lian-Wei Zhang 67
The 23 countries represent the most international field of the World Championships events this year. After 54 holes, the top 10 includes six countries: USA (Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Nick Watney, Ryan Moore, Anthony Kim); England (Lee Westwood); Jyoti Randhawa (India); South Africa (Ernie Els); Germany (Martin Kaymer); Japan (Ryo Ishikawa); Chinese Taipei (Lin Wen-tang).
No player in the HSBC Champions field has finished in the top 10 in all three previous World Golf Championships this season; below is a list of those who have posted two top-10 finishes and where they stand through 54 holes of the HSBC Champions.
Name Accenture CA Bridgestone HSBC (through 54 holes)
Phil Mickelson T9 Won T58 1
Camilo Villegas T9 T5 T36 T22
Oliver Wilson T9 T5 T11 T39
Tiger Woods T17 T9 1 T2
Stewart Cink 3 T59 T6 T54
There were five eagles on the day, compared to three during the first round and 11 in the second round.
Par 5, No. 2 Ryan Moore, Thomas Levet
Par 4, No. 16 Geoff Ogilvy, Henrik Stenson
Par 5, No. 18 Retief Goosen, Nick Watney
There were no bogey-free during Round Three. Only Phil Mickelson has gone bogey-free in one round this week (Friday).
Over the first four holes at Sheshan International Golf Club, Robert Allenby is 9-under par on the week. Allenby began the third round with three straight birdies on holes Nos. 1-3. During the second round, he birdied Nos. 1-4, and on Thursday he made birdies on No. 2 and 4. He is 5-over par on the 12 other holes and is currently T22 at 212 (-4).
Round One: 20 of the 78 players in the field broke 70 in the second round. 37 players broke par while 47 were at par or better.
Round Two: 22 of the 78 players in the field broke 70 in the second round. 40 players broke par while 51 were at par or better.
Round Three: 7 of the 78 players in the field broke 70 in the second round. 28 players broke par while 39 were at par or better.
HSBC Champions field and the Official World Golf Ranking:
o 4 of top 5
o 7 of top 10
o 15 of top 20
o 18 of top 25
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