Johnson, Potter tied at 14-under
Dustin Johnson overcame a sloppy back nine in the stiffening breeze by making a 10-foot birdie on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach for a 2under-par 70 that gave him a share of the lead going into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am.
Given the conditions, the 70 at Pebble Beach felt like hard work.
Ted Potter Jr. shot a 62 at Monterey Peninsula and left wondering how much better it could have been. Potter, with virtually no one watching his round because the stars were at Pebble on Saturday, was 11 under with three holes to play, needing only one birdie and two pars for a 59.
He bogeyed the last two holes, which at least was enough to tie for the lead.
“I didn’t feel like I hit bad shots coming in there on the last couple, making bogeys there, but I just knew it was going to be tough coming in,” Potter said.
They were at 14-under 201.
Rory Mcilroy’s debut in this tournament was a short one. He hit into the ocean with an iron on the par-5 sixth hole leading to bogey. He finished with a drive that bounced along the rocks left of the 18th hole, though he took his penalty drop, hit the pin with his third shot and finished with a birdie. No matter. He still managed a 72 and missed the cut by two shots.
Calcavecchia closes fast.
BOCA R ATON, FLA . » Mark Calcavecchia birdied the last three holes to take a two-stroke lead over Bernhard Langer into the final round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Boca Raton Championship.
Calcavecchia shot a 6-under 66, rebounding from bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 with the late birdie run.
Langer, the 2010 winner in his home event, had his second straight 66.
The 57-year-old Calcavecchia had a 14-under 130 total.
Westwood ousted.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA » Thailand’s Prom Meesawat took a two-stroke lead after three rounds with a 5-under 67 while England’s Lee Westwood went from a tie for first place to being out of the World Super 6 tournament.
The Thai golfer had a three-round total of 12-under 204, with three golfers tied for second: American Sean Croker (67), Australian Lucas Herbert (69) and Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen (69).
Westwood shot a thirdround 78 in the European Tour event to finish out of the top 24 that would have qualified him for match play on Sunday.
Tiger will wait and see. Long expected to play the Honda Classic beginning Feb. 22, Tiger Woods will wait to see how things progress this week at the Genesis Open before making a decision, his agent said.
Woods, 42, returned to competitive golf in December after 10 months away because of spinal fusion surgery. He will play for the third time when the Genesis Open begins Thursday.