Saturday at the Booz Allen Classic was just like any other day on the PGA Tour right? That is far from the truth, as 55-year old Tom Kite holds the lead by one over a host of others at Congressional Country Club. Kite has gone about his business all the three days, shooting rounds of 68, 69, and 66. He shot the 66 Saturday on “moving” day while the rest of the golfers just stayed where they were after the second round. Kite carded six birdies and only one bogey to move himself into serious contention with only one round to go. Tom Kite knows it will be tough to hold onto the lead. There are 15 players within just two shots of Kite’s lead, and that list includes a lot of the world’s top-ranked golfers. Kite had this to say about his current position heading into Sunday.
“I’m just happy to be here, believe me,” said Kite, who opened with rounds of 68 and 69. “I’m ecstatic with the position that I’m in. Obviously, yes, it’s going to be hard. Yes, the scores are jammed … it’s going to take somebody, hopefully me, but somebody will come and shoot a good score tomorrow and they will be crowned the winner here. Needless to say, I’m pleased with where I am.”
As I mentioned, there are some great golfers that will be trying to catch Tom Kite on Sunday. Kite currently stands at -10, and some of the players only one back include Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Stuart Appleby, and defending Booz Allen Classic champ Adam Scott. Els, as I stated in my preview, won the U.S. Open in 1997 when it was held at Congressional. He will definitely be very tough to hold off in the final round. Els had a very solid third round, as he finished with a 68 (five birdies and two bogeys). The other two players at -9 are Lee Westwood and Steve Elkington. Both of these guys were also in a tie for second after second-round play.
The group of players two shots back (-8) is nearly as impressive as the group only one shot back. The fourth-ranked golfer in the world, Phil Mickelson, sits in this group. Mickelson shot his second straight 67 to move himself into contention yet again going into a final round. Sergio Garcia and Zach Johnson are two shots off the lead as well. They both shot wonderful 66s to move into the top ten. Second-round leader Robert Allenby moved the opposite direction on Saturday. He shot a 72 and now sits in the group at -8. He shouldn’t be overlooked, however, as he is still only two shots behind Tom Kite.
Other golfers at -8 include Brett Wetterich, Alex Cejka, Ben Crane, Rory Sabbatini, and first-round leader Matt Gogel. Wetterich was one of three players that shot a round-low 65 on Saturday, the other two being Stuart Appleby and Chad Campbell. These golfers are not as well-known as some of the others, but Sunday could provide a great chance for one of them to make their official arrival on the PGA Tour.
The group at -7 is currently in a tie for 17th, but that number is definitely deceiving. This group includes Jim Furyk, Chad Campbell, Davis Love III, and Shigeki Maruyama, and they are only a slim three shots behind the leader. All of these golfers are proven winners on the PGA Tour and can go low on any given day. The other golfer at -7 is Brett Quigley, who has contended a couple times already in 2005. With so many top golfers at the top of the leaderboard, one of these guys will have to shoot something in the mid-60s to have a chance on Sunday.
Two of the members of the “Big Four” this week have already been mentioned. Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen are the other two, and they aren’t in near as good as shape as Els and Mickelson heading into the final round. Singh went about his business as usual on Saturday and shot a 68. He is currently in a tie for 30th and will need something really low to have a shot at winning his fourth tournament of the year. Goosen, on the other hand, really hurt himself in the third round. He shot a one-over par round of 72 and moved down the leaderboard into a tie for 52nd. A triple bogey on the 10th hole derailed any hopes Goosen had in the third round. He followed that up with two more bogeys on the backside and fell completely out of contention.
Other notables that went the wrong direction on “moving” day include Paul Goydos and Fredrik Jacobson. Goydos shot a 73 to move from a tie for sixth place to a tie for 40th place. Jacobson, who has been playing better golf the last month, shot a 75 on Saturday to move from a tie for 11th to a tie for 52nd.
The leaderboard is as packed as it has been all year long. There hasn’t been any tournaments so far in 2005 with this many great players within a few shots of the lead. There will more than likely be a lot of lead changes on Sunday, which should also give the fans a major-championship feel. With the U.S. Open at Pinehurst being played next week, the top players will be using the final round as their last tuneup for the second major of 2005. Ernie Els had this to say about the final round tomorrow. “There’s a lot of guys in there, a lot of great players,” said Els, who shot a 68. “It’s anybody’s golf tournament tomorrow. You’ve got to stay steady. It’s going to be one of those classics, I guess.”
The weather for the final round should be about the same as it was Saturday. There is a very small chance for thunderstorms and the highs will be in the mid-to-high 80s. The wind shouldn’t play that much of a factor either. The final round of the Booz Allen Classic can be seen Sunday on ABC from 3-6 pm ET. Here is a quick look at the leaderboard going into the final round at Congressional:
Pos Player Tot R1 R2 R3 1 Tom Kite -10 68 69 66 T2 Stuart Appleby -9 70 69 65 T2 Luke Donald -9 70 67 67 T2 Ernie Els -9 69 67 68 T2 Lee Westwood -9 66 69 69 T2 Steve Elkington -9 68 67 69 T2 Adam Scott -9 68 67 69 T8 Brett Wetterich -8 66 74 65 T8 Zach Johnson -8 73 66 66 T8 Sergio Garcia -8 71 68 66 T8 Phil Mickelson -8 71 67 67 T8 Alex Cejka -8 69 68 68 T8 Ben Crane -8 67 70 68 T8 Rory Sabbatini -8 69 68 68 T8 Matt Gogel -8 63 72 70 T8 Robert Allenby -8 68 65 72
Photo Credit: © Matthew S. Gunby, AP.
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