Americans seek to end major jinx
Source: Agencies |
August 15, 2011, Monday
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AFTER failing to win any of the last six majors, the United States holds the top five spots heading into the final round of the PGA Championship in Johns Creek, Georgia, with unheralded duo Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner sharing the lead at 7 under.
Steele, who had not played a hole on the PGA Tour before this year, is ranked 121st in the world but he fired a confident 4-under 66 at Atlanta Athletic Club while, all around him, many of the sport's elite struggled.
Steele has at least got a PGA Tour win under his belt, he won the Texas Open in April, which is more than the 34-year-old Dufner, who has played most of his golf on the second tier Nationwide Tour, can claim. Dufner carded a 68.
Britain's Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, the top-ranked players in the world but neither yet to secure a major title, both looked well poised to mount challenges.
However, like so many this week, their prospects were hampered by misfortune on the tricky final four holes.
Instead another American rookie, Keegan Bradley, was a stroke behind the leaders after showing intense concentration through his round of 69.
Veteran Americans, Scott Verplank and world No. 5 Steve Stricker, carded matching 69s and were respectively two and three shots behind the pacesetting pair.
Europe's closest challenger was Dane Anders Hansen, whose consistent week continued with an even-par 70 to follow rounds of 68 and 69.
Hansen is four strokes off the pace along with yet another unfancied American D.A. Points (71).
Bogey-free round
If there is to be an unprecedented seventh consecutive non-American win in a major then the best bet looks to be Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa who achieved the rarity of a bogey-free round on the challenging Highland course as he put himself in contention with a 66.
Tied with Schwartzel, five strokes off the lead, were Swede Robert Karlsson (67) and Australians Adam Scott (70) and John Senden (72).
However, Saturday belonged to the Americans who seemed to be as surprised as everyone else to find themselves leading a major at the end of the third round.
"We'll see how it is," said Steele, looking ahead to the final round. "My expectations are just to go play a solid round tomorrow and if it's good enough, then great. If not, then well ... this is my first major so hopefully the first of many."
Dufner, who cuts a casual figure on the course with his lank hair and slight paunch, ended his round in cool fashion - making a mockery of the difficult 15th and 16th where he made birdies and then showing exactly how to handle the difficult water-protected 18th green with a confident par.
That was in marked contrast to how the world's top-ranked player Donald handled the latter stages of the course.
Donald had moved within a stroke of the lead, getting to 5 under after 14 holes, but he bogeyed the 16th and then found water on the tricky last hole which he double-bogeyed to end the day with a 68.
"It was a very disappointing finish but there was a lot of great golf out there, too," said the Englishman.
Westwood was solid, recording birdies at the fifth and 10th but he had to settle for an even-par 70 with a double bogey on the 14th after driving into a car park.
Steele, who had not played a hole on the PGA Tour before this year, is ranked 121st in the world but he fired a confident 4-under 66 at Atlanta Athletic Club while, all around him, many of the sport's elite struggled.
Steele has at least got a PGA Tour win under his belt, he won the Texas Open in April, which is more than the 34-year-old Dufner, who has played most of his golf on the second tier Nationwide Tour, can claim. Dufner carded a 68.
Britain's Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, the top-ranked players in the world but neither yet to secure a major title, both looked well poised to mount challenges.
However, like so many this week, their prospects were hampered by misfortune on the tricky final four holes.
Instead another American rookie, Keegan Bradley, was a stroke behind the leaders after showing intense concentration through his round of 69.
Veteran Americans, Scott Verplank and world No. 5 Steve Stricker, carded matching 69s and were respectively two and three shots behind the pacesetting pair.
Europe's closest challenger was Dane Anders Hansen, whose consistent week continued with an even-par 70 to follow rounds of 68 and 69.
Hansen is four strokes off the pace along with yet another unfancied American D.A. Points (71).
Bogey-free round
If there is to be an unprecedented seventh consecutive non-American win in a major then the best bet looks to be Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa who achieved the rarity of a bogey-free round on the challenging Highland course as he put himself in contention with a 66.
Tied with Schwartzel, five strokes off the lead, were Swede Robert Karlsson (67) and Australians Adam Scott (70) and John Senden (72).
However, Saturday belonged to the Americans who seemed to be as surprised as everyone else to find themselves leading a major at the end of the third round.
"We'll see how it is," said Steele, looking ahead to the final round. "My expectations are just to go play a solid round tomorrow and if it's good enough, then great. If not, then well ... this is my first major so hopefully the first of many."
Dufner, who cuts a casual figure on the course with his lank hair and slight paunch, ended his round in cool fashion - making a mockery of the difficult 15th and 16th where he made birdies and then showing exactly how to handle the difficult water-protected 18th green with a confident par.
That was in marked contrast to how the world's top-ranked player Donald handled the latter stages of the course.
Donald had moved within a stroke of the lead, getting to 5 under after 14 holes, but he bogeyed the 16th and then found water on the tricky last hole which he double-bogeyed to end the day with a 68.
"It was a very disappointing finish but there was a lot of great golf out there, too," said the Englishman.
Westwood was solid, recording birdies at the fifth and 10th but he had to settle for an even-par 70 with a double bogey on the 14th after driving into a car park.
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