Bradley withstands elements
‘It felt like a Patriots playoff game out there’
KeeganBradley did nothing special on the only easy scoring day this week at the Wells Fargo Championship in Potomac, Md., opening with an even-par 70 that left himaround the cut line.
Since the conditions got tougher, Bradley has been the best player at TPC Potomacat Avenel Farm.
Bradley shot the lowest score for the second day in a row Saturday, a 3-under 67 that gave him a three-day total of 8-under 202 and a two-shot lead over Max Homa in British Open weather on a U.S. Openstylecourse.
About 2 inches of rain has fallen since Friday morning, yet the low-lying course near the Potomac River has held up well enough to avoid any delays in play. Temperatures dropped into the low 40s on Saturday.
“It felt like a Patriots playoff game out there in December,” said Bradley, who grew up in New England. “It was fun, but I’m gladto be done.”
Bradley was one of four players to shoot in the 60s. The scoring average was 73.7, the highest relative to par on the PGA Tour since the final round of the 2020 U.S.Open at Winged Foot.
Although he has only one win in the past nine years, the 35-year-old Bradley has been solid recently, with top-10 finishes in three of his last five events, including fifth at the Players Championship during anotherweek of bad weather.
Jason Day’s retooled swing couldn’t hold up for a third straight day. The leader after 18 and 36 holes, Day began struggling with his driver before it spilled over to the rest of the bag. He found the same pond on consecutive holes — a driver that never crossed dry land on the par-4 fourth, leading to triple bogey, and a 3-wood that hooked violently on the fifth.
The day’s second-best score belonged to Rory McIlroy, who made the cut on the number and played on the opposite side of the course from the leaders. The highest-ranked player in the field at No. 7, McIlroy
bogeyed his first two holes, made four birdies before the turn and closed with nine straight pars for a 68 that moved him into a tie for sixth at 2 under.
“I think when you see conditions like this, you have to have a pretty upbeat attitude towards it and for me it was just grateful to be here,” McIlroy said.
Four-shot swing
David Toms flipped the script with a four-shot swing on the 15th hole for a 1-under 71 and two-shot lead over Ken Duke at the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Duluth,Ga.
Toms was in danger of falling two shots behind whenhis long birdie putt on the 14th went past the hole and nearly off the green. He made the 12-footer for par, and then seized it on the big mess Duke made out of the nexthole.
Duke’s 20-foot birdie putt from above the hole had too much pace and trickled — and trickled some more — until it picked up steam and rolled some 35 yards down the fairway. His wedge was too weak and rolled off into a bunker, and he made triple bogey.
Toms rolled in his birdie putt and went from one behindto a three-shot lead.
Big finish
Thorbjorn Olesen finished eagle- birdie to shoot 3-under 69 and take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the British Masters in Sutton Coldfield, England. Thirdround leader Hurly Long (73) and Marcus Armitage (70) were the nearest challengers at 8 under.