Simpson leads Colonial, leaving crowd behind
Webb Simpson felt almost as if he had just played a round in a major after a steamy Saturday at Colonial.
For the 2012 U.S. Open champion, and pretty much everyone else at Hogan’s Alley in Fort Worth, Texas, it was a mentally draining day at the traditional tree-lined course where temperatures were in the upper 90s, with a heat index of 108 degrees and wind gusting to 25 mph.
“There is so much thinking involved on every shot,” Simpson said.
Even so, Simpson shot a 3-under 67 to break out of a crowd and take the third-round lead.
At 9-under 201, Simpson was two strokes ahead of Paul Casey (68) and Danny Lee (69) after both of them made long birdie putts at the 18th hole. Stewart Cink (66) and Kevin Kisner (70) were three strokes off the lead.
“It was a good grind day,” Lee said. “It’s tough out there with the wind blowing sideways.”
Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot 68 to get to 4 under, even with caddie Michael Greller leaving the course after 11 holes because of heat exhaustion.
Part of a four-way tie for the 36-hole lead, Simpson went ahead alone to stay after consecutive birdies to start his back nine. He made a 6-foot birdie putt at the 387-yard 10th and a 12-footer at the 630-yard 11th before finishing with seven consecutive pars.
It is only the second time in 12 years for the 54-hole leader at Colonial to have more than a onestroke advantage.
Simpson leads after three rounds for the fifth time in his career, and first since the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October 2013 that was the last of his four PGA Tour victories. He lost in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama at Phoenix in February.
“Definitely feel like (the season has) ebbed and flowed,” he said. “I feel like that’s starting to happen more, where I’m part of the conversation of contending. That’s a good feeling. I know what I’m doing is working.”
Playing in the final group, Simpson birdied the first two holes Saturday. He gave one of those back with a bogey at the par-3, 192-yard eighth after missing the green with his tee shot. His only other birdies were at Nos. 10 and 11.
Spieth said it was “a no-brainer situation” to make a caddie switch because Greller felt so bad. Greller told Spieth that he’d be ready for Sunday’s final round.
Damon Goddard, the personal trainer for both the player and the caddie, carried the bag the last seven holes. Spieth had a bogey at the 14th and two birdies down the stretch.
“He’s caddied for me before. Michael was really sick in Houston in 2014. Damon caddied the first round. We went bogeyfree, 2 under,” Spieth said. “I let Damon down today. I made my first bogey with him on the bag by threeputting.”
Lee and Kisner also were tied for the secondround lead, along with Scott Piercy, who shot 72 to fall five strokes back.
After three birdies and three bogeys his first eight holes Saturday, Lee had a steady stream of pars until finishing with a 16-foot birdie.
Casey made a nearly 25-foot birdie putt that had just enough speed to fall in at No. 18. He was 1 over for the day without a birdie until starting his back nine with three birdies in a four-hole stretch that included a bogey.
“I had missed a lot of good looks for birdies and opportunities, although I’m not complaining,” Casey said.
LPGA Tour: Shanshan Feng shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead after three rounds of the Volvik Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Feng is 15 under for the tournament after a bogeyfree round. Lizette Salas (67) is in second place, one shot ahead of Suzann Pettersen (69).
Second-round leader Sung Hyun Park (72) is tied for fourth with Jeong Eun Lee (68) at 12 under. Champions Tour: Vijay Singh used his power to take advantage of rainsoftened Trump National, shooting a 5-under 67 to move one shot ahead of Bernhard Langer in the third round of the Senior PGA Championship at Sterling, Va.
Singh, 54, is 10 under par for the week on the par 5s at President Trump’s 7,100-yard course on the shores of the Potomac River. He routinely outdrove the 59-year-old Langer by 30 yards and got up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th to keep his one-shot edge. European Tour: Andrew Dodt of Australia will take a one-stroke lead into the final day of the BMW PGA Championship after shooting a 4-under 68 in the third round at Virginia Water, England.
South Africa’s Branden Grace is a shot behind Dodt, a two-time winner on the European Tour, after a 70 at Wentworth. Lee Westwood (72) and overnight co-leader Francesco Molinari (74) are a further two shots back.