More mature Hoffman ready to tackle pond, 17

Charley Hoffman lost his chance at winning last year’s Travelers Championship on the 71st hole.

His tee shot on the difficult par-4 17th at the TPC of River Highlands found the pond that runs along the fairway and he finished second, missing out on his third PGA Tour victory.

This year Hoffman is in a three-way tie for the lead heading into Sunday’s final round and he expects a different outcome.

“Obviously if I get on 17 tee [in the lead], I’d be lying to say I’m not going to think about that tee shot,” Hoffman said Saturday after his 4-under 66 tied him with Bubba Watson and Graham DeLaet at 10-under 200.

“But I’m a much more mature, better player than I was a year ago and don’t feel uncomfortable on that tee shot.”

Watson, who led by two shots when he began the third round and by four shots midway through it, made three bogeys in his last six holes to help create the logjam. DeLaet tied for the low round of the day with a 65.

Chris Stroud and Nick O’Hearn are one shot back of the leaders at 9 under, while Ken Duke’s 65 put him alone in sixth place. Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) hit five birdies in his bogey-free round.

Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) was 1 over on Saturday with three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. Ridings fell into a tie for 14th. Bryce Molder (Conway) is at even par through the first three rounds after a 3-over 73 on Saturday. His round included one birdie and four bogeys.

Justin Rose, less than a week after his U.S. Open victory, is 7 under and in a tie for seventh after a second consecutive 68.

Hoffman led after shooting 61 in Thursday’s first round but shot 73 on Friday. He bounced back with a 66 Saturday that included five birdies.

“I got off to a pretty quick start and then birdied 10, thought I was going to get going again,” Hoffman said. “And then a little three-putt bogey on 12 sort of slowed things down.”

Watson made three birdies in his first six holes Saturday and was ahead by four shots after the third. But bogeys on Nos. 13, 15 and 17 brought the 2012 Masters champion back to the field.

Watson, who won the 2010 Travelers, is trying to become the seventh man to win the event at least twice. Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson have also done it.

EUROPEAN TOUR Three-way tie at Munich

MUNICH - Frenchman Alexander Levy overcame two bogeys to shoot a 4-under 68 in the third round Saturday to pull into a three-way tie with Ernie Els of South Africa and Sweden’s Alex Noren atop the leaderboard of the BMW International Open.

They are at 15-under 201 heading into today’s final round.

Els, who began the day with a one-stroke lead and shot a second consecutive69, remains confident he can claim the title.

“I’m swinging nicely,” said the two-time winner of the British Open and U.S. Open, “and I’ve had my back against the wall, so to speak, the last two rounds where I’ve had to come back and try to salvage something. I did it again today.”

England’s Matthew Baldwin and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn were one stroke back.

CHAMPIONS TOUR Stadler grabs lead

GLENVIEW, Ill. - Craig Stadler grabbed the outright lead at the Encompass Championship on Saturday, birdieing three of the four par-5s in a 7-under 65 Saturday that put him two shots ahead of Bob Tway and Jeff Sluman.

Stadler, who had a share of the overnight lead, shot 4-under 32 on his final nine to finish the second round at 12-under 132 at North Shore Country Club. Tway also shot a 65 and Sluman had a 66 that included eight birdies and two bogeys.

Sports, Pages 27 on 06/23/2013

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