There are 16 players within 5 shots of brilliant young Ryan Moore's precarious lead going into this Sunday's play, and none of them are called Tiger or Phil but you can bet that pair will get all the attention.
With the leaders Moore and Dustin Johnson due off at 1.45pm, the world's top 2 are due off nearly 2 hours earlier ( unlike yesterday when NBC and the PGA Tour agreed to send the leaders out at 9.15am so you and I wouldn't miss a second of the Michigan 28-24 win over Notre Dame which they aired at 3.30pm) so they will be right in the midst of their round when NBC goes to air at 2pm.
Tiger (68) and Mickelson ( 70) are both at 213, 8 shots behind Moore (66) at 205. While Mickelson will be in the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta in 2 weeks, Woods needs to at least T5 today to make it, which means he has to make up about 7 shots on the 22 players above him, a tall task considering his inconsistency these days and a Cog Hill course that is extremely difficult...
Here are some story lines if you are not only interested in Tiger..
* If you haven't heard of 28 year old Moore you haven't been paying attention. He has been all over the leader board for the last month. In 2004 as an amateur he won the US Amateur, US Public Links, NCAA Champioship, the Western Amateur and the Sahalee Players Championship. Also if he wins today he gets a great shot at the $10m Fed Ex bonus and exemptions to the Open, the US Open and the Masters.
* Dustin Johnson keeps on showing up in the final pairing and don't you think a win here would be nice after his "sand" shot from the "bunker" at the PGA cost him that championship ??
* Matt Kuchar (70) is also a short shot back at 206 and after his win last week and his gutsy performance here this week a win would really put him in the cat birds seat for the Fed Ex Cup.
* Poulter and Casey both with 69's are at 207 and will play together. Pully made Monty's team, Casey wasn't selected so a win here would be sweet, plus he was nice enough to show up at St Georges the week after his final round drama at St Andrews..
* Ernie Els (67) 208 was leading the Fed Ex points list and the PGA and European Tour money lists as late as the last week of July, and he is quietly just 3 shots back. He is also 4th in the Race to Dubai !!
Stephen Ames will play his last round of the playoffs today. He is 4th last in the field after scores of 74,77,72 223. I heard him say earlier in the week that he needs to get together with Sean Foley to sort out his game. Sean seems to be busy with someone else these days and here you have the problem, if you want to call coaching Tiger a problem, that Sean faces.
Moore -8
D Johnson -7
Kuchar -7
Wi -7
Casey -6
Poulter -6
Els -5
Na -5
EUROPEAN TOUR
Martin Kaymer, your PGA champion, member of Monty's Ryder Cup squad, and world #6, is enjoying his walk down the 18th with a 4 shot lead (-13) at the KLM Open in Hilversum Holland.
He's hardly broke sweat. There is a 5 way tie for 2nd including Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, all at -9, but Zanotti and Nilsson are both putting for birdie on 18 to get to -10.
As I watch, Nilsson ( Sweden) has made his, and so has Zanotti (Italy) so they T2 and in doing so have secured their playing cards for next year !!
Kaymer just made his for 66, -14, his 7th win including the major and he is just 25...
He is now leading the Race to Dubai by 2.5m Euros over Graeme McDowell and is the odds on favourite to win that which carries a share of the $10m dollar bonus.
Incidentally he has just been asked who he would like to be paired with in Monty's team and he said his first choice would be Rory McIlroy !!
LPGA
It's deja vu for Michelle Wie. The last tourney she played was our CN Open in Winnipeg and I think she had a 3 shot lead going into Sunday and she does again today in Arkansas after a -7 64 132 total which included an amazing front nine of 28 !!
Julie Inkster, Yani Tseng and Na Yeon Choi are 3 shots back at 135.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
David Morland who has been in contention, slipped to a +4, 75 211 total 13 shots behind leader Bradley Iles 70, 65, 63 -15...
Bradley is from Papamoa,New Zealand, and folks he spent 3 days in a coma in 2004 with a serious brain injury he suffered when he fell out of a golf cart !! This would be his first pro win.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Remember the old guys are all in Sondo City South Korea. Freddie Funk 69,67 has a 2 shot lead over Tom Pernice 74, 64 138 and then Russ Cochran 73,65 and John Cook 70,68 are at 138.
11 players are within 5 shots of the lead.
Bryan Angus bryanangus4@gmail.com
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