BETHESDA, Md. - A triple bogey for Bill Haas. Double bogeys for Andres Romero and Roberto Castro. They still wound up in a four-way tie for the lead Saturday in the AT&T National with James Driscoll, whose third round was pleasantly dull by comparison.
Castro put a finishing touch on a wild day at Congressional when he hit his approach into the water left of the 18th green, and then chipped in for par from 80 feet for an even-par 71 and keep a share of the lead.
Haas made nine birdies and had to settle for a 68, courtesy of two wedge shots that cost him four shots, including his triple bogey on the beastly 11th hole. Romero had a three-shot lead at one point, and then it was gone. He went from the water to a bunker on the 11th for double bogey and followed that with a bogey on the next hole. He made six pars the rest of the way for a 70.
Driscoll, meanwhile, motored along without too much excitement. He had a 68, the only player in the field to break 70 all three rounds. Coming off a bogey on the 15th, Driscoll thought he might be headed for another with a poor tee shot. But he knocked a 4-iron out of the rough, barely got onto the green and rolled in a 25-foot birdie.
They were at 7-under 206, and more fun awaits Sunday.
“I think over four days here, every player is going to hit kind of a rough patch,” Castro said.
Ten players were separated by four shots going into the final round, a group that includes 19-year-old Jordan Spieth. He had a two-shot lead after opening with two consecutive birdies, and then went through a stretch of missing five putts inside 8 feet on a four-hole stretch. One of them was a three-putt from 5 feet for double bogey on No. 8. Spieth had a 74, though he’s still in the game, three shots behind.
“A wild day,” Castro said.
It was a long - but productive - day for Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State), who took a circuitous path en route to a 54-hole total of 2-under 211, five shots off the lead and in a tie for 15th.
Duke, who won his first PGA Tour tournament last week in Cromwell, Conn., finished his second round with 10 holes early Saturday morning, shooting a 1-under 70 to complete 36 holes at 1-under 141. Duke started his third round with birdies on four of his first six holes to move to 5 under, but a bogey at 8, a birdie on 9 and a bogey at 10 dropped Duke to 4 under. He was still 4 under when he reached 17, but he found two bunkers around the green and ended up with a double-bogey six. He parred 18 for a 1-under 70, a round that included 6 birdies, 3 bogeys and 1 double bogey.
David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) started the day 3 under after a 65 Friday,but he was 2 over on Saturday - a round which included four bogeys and two birdies - and is at 1 under for the tournament, good enough for a tie for 20th place.
Bryce Molder (Conway) shot a 6-over 77 to finish tied for 74th at 7 over. Molder, who started his round on No. 10, had 5 bogeys and a double bogey en route to a first-nine 42 before shooting a 1-under 35 on his final nine holes.
CHAMPIONS TOUR Couples in front
PITTSBURGH - Fred Couples birdied three of the final five holes for a 3-under 67 and a two-stroke lead Saturday after the third round of the Senior Players Championship.
Couples finished a 62 in the morning in the rain-delayed second round and had a 15-under 195 total at Fox Chapel.
Kenny Perry was second in the Champions Tour major. He finished off a 63 in the morning and backed it up with another 63 in the afternoon. Duffy Waldorf was third at 11 under after rounds of 67 and 66.
First-round leader John Huston briefly pulled into a tie with Couples early in the third round, but bogeyed the final two holes for a 68 to join Mike Goodes (65) at 10 under.EUROPEAN TOUR Luiten leads Irish Open
MAYNOOTH, Ireland - Dutch golfer Joost Luiten will take a one-shot lead into the final round at the Irish Open with a chance at his second victory this month.
Luiten moved to 13-under par and one ahead of Pablo Larrazabal of Spain after both players shot bogey-free 6-under 66s at Carton House on Saturday.
Luiten won the Lyoness Open in Austria this month for the second European Tour title of his seven-year pro career.
England’s Robert Rock (71) was in third place at 10 under and still within sight of making amends for losing a playoff for the 2009 Irish Open.
England’s Paul Casey (67) and Scottish newcomer Scott Henry (69) were tied in fourth place at 9 under.
WEB.COM TOUR Hurley remains in front
NEWBURGH, Ind. - Billy Hurley III shot a 4-under 68 at the Victoria National Golf Club and holds a two-stroke lead over Joe Affrunti heading into today’s final round of the United Leasing Championship.
Hurley is at 11-under 205 for the tournament after his second consecutive four-under round.
Ron Whittaker (Little Rock) suffered two double bogeys during Saturday’s round and finished with a 4-over 76. He also had two birdies and two bogeys on Saturday. Whittaker is at 2 over for the tournament and is tied for 51st place.
Sports, Pages 28 on 06/30/2013