South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
DeChambeau leads by 4 at Northern Trust
PARAMUS, N.J. — Bryson DeChambeau described himself as a “man on a mission,” and he sure played like one Saturday in The Northern Trust.
Now it’s a matter of which mission he’s on.
DeChambeau made four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn to pull away from a fading collection of stars, closed with two more birdies and had an 8-under
63 to build a four-shot lead over Keegan Bradley going into the final round of the opening FedEx Cup playoff event.
A victory would assure DeChambeau one of the top seeds at East Lake to have a clear shot at the $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup.
“That would be something pretty special,” he said.
And the timing would be ideal for his Ryder Cup hopes. DeChambeau narrowly missed qualifying for the U.S. team when he missed the cut at the PGA Championship, but a victory against one of the strongest fields of the year might be tough for Jim Furyk to ignore when he makes three of his captain’s picks a week from Tuesday.
“I’ve just got to keep focusing on this tournament,” the
24-year-old Californian said. “If I can play well in the first leg of the FedEx Cup, I’ll hopefully show captain that I’m worthy.”
He played the part on a day when everyone else around him went the other direction.
DeChambeau and Adam Scott were the only players from the last
10 to tee off who managed to break par, and Scott had to birdie three of his last four holes for a 70. He was six shots behind.
Dustin Johnson, trailing by two shots after 36 holes despite two triple bogeys, added a double bogey to his week and shot 72 to fall nine shots behind. Brooks Koepka, the U.S. Open and PGA champion who shared the 36-hole lead, began his slide with a three-putt bogey from 12 feet on No. 5 and by Bryson DeChambeau of the United States celebrates his birdie on the 18th green during the third round of The Northern Trust on Saturday.
missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the next hole. He went 13 holes in the middle of his round with three bogeys and 10 pars and had to settle for a 72. He was seven behind.
Brooke Henderson leads CP Women’s Open: Brooke Henderson took the lead into the final round of the CP Women’s Open, fighting through gusting wind at Wascana Country Club in pursuit of a breakthrough home victory in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The 20-year-old Canadian star shot a 2-under 70 in clear and cool conditions to reach 14-under 202 and take a one-stroke lead.
“Very exciting,” Henderson said. “These crowds this week have been totally amazing, and I’ve been playing well for them, so I’m happy about that.”
Jocelyne Bourassa is the only Canadian to win the national championship, accomplishing the feat in 1973 at Montreal Municipal
in the inaugural La Canadienne.
“I don’t know a ton, but she was an amazing golfer,” Henderson said. “To win the national championship at home, it’s truly amazing, especially in front of these crowds. I definitely will hope to be somewhat like her tomorrow and be able to finish the job.”
Henderson won the LOTTE Championship in April in Hawaii for her sixth LPGA Tour title. She again attracted a large gallery, with fans lining the fairways to watch her.
“It’s amazing to see all the little kids out here,” Henderson said. “If I high-five them or sign something for them, just their face kind of lights up, and it’s a really cool feeling for me. I remember being in their shoes, as well, and I know it’s really meaningful when somebody like myself spends that little bit extra with them.”
Henderson birdied the 12th, 13th and 14th — with her eagle chip
on the par-5 14th hitting the back of the cup and staying out — to get to 15 under. She saved par with a 20-foot putt on the par-4 16th, then dropped a stroke when she missed a short putt on par-5 17th.
“The conditions have changed a lot over the course of the week and today it played really tough,” Henderson said. “I think you can see that on the leaderboard, as well. People were having some trouble with it. Hopefully, go out tomorrow, make a lot of birdies, and just kind of see what happens.”
Nasa Hataoka of Japan and American Angel Yin were a stroke back. Hataoka had a 69, and the long-hitting Yin shot 71, settling for par on par-5 18th after running an eagle putt long.
Kevin Sutherland shoots 60 to take Boeing Classic lead: Kevin Sutherland shot a 12-under 60 on Saturday in the Boeing Classic, birdieing the final four holes in Snoqualmie, Wash., to finish a stroke off his own PGA Tour Champions record.
Needing an eagle on the par-5
18th for another 59, Sutherland made a birdie after missing the green with a 3-iron approach. He was tied for the lead with Ken Tanigawa at 14-under 130.
“I birdied 16, I go, ‘You birdie 17 and you eagle 18, you’re there,’” Sutherland said. “But it’s easier said than done, eagles just don’t happen all the time. But I gave myself a chance, hit a really good drive. I didn’t hit a great 3-iron. It would have been nice to hit one up there and give yourself at least a putt at it and that didn’t happen.”
In 2014, Sutherland became the only player to break 60 in the history of the 50-and-over tour, shooting a 13-under 59 — with a closing bogey — in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.
“One of the lessons I did learn from Endicott was that there was this feeling that you actually had won something before the tournament was over, and I did not play well the next day,” Sutherland said. “So, I’m going to take a little bit of that with me.”
On Saturday at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Sutherland played the back nine in 7-under 29, also birdieing Nos. 10, 12 and 13. He opened with three pars in cold conditions, then birdied No. 4 and Nos. 6-9.
“I hit it very close to the hole on five holes on the front,” Sutherland said. “I hit it about a foot 3 feet on 10 and then about a foot on 12. Then I started hitting good shots, but they were going to like 15 feet and I started making those, too. So it all worked together.”
He didn’t dwell on missing a chance for another 59, and did break the course record of 61 set by Scott Simpson and Tom Jenkins in
2006.
“Trust me, I’m not even remotely disappointed with the day,” Sutherland said. Tanigawa shot 64, closing with a birdie in a back-nine 30.
Scott McCarron was third at 11 under after a 67.