The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Merritt’s early 61 holds up
Tourney record good for share as Tiger (74) fades.
Troy Merritt couldn’t miss Saturday in the Quicken Loans National. Tiger Woods couldn’t make anything.
Merritt shot a tournament-record 10-under 61 to top the leaderboard even before the leading contenders teed off. It held up, too, as several players made runs at joining him at 14 under, but only Kevin Chappell, another veteran seeking a breakthrough victory, didn’t fade in the searing heat at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.
Chappell had a 67. Rickie Fowler (68) was a stroke back, and Jason Bohn (67), Whee Kim (67), Charles Howell III (67) and David Lingmerth (68) followed at 12 under.
Woods, who seemed to signal a return to contending golf Friday with a 66 that moved him within three strokes of the lead, was errant off the tee early and had several birdie putts slide by the hole.
While Merritt had 11 birdies and a bogey on the par-5 eighth, Woods didn’t make his first birdie until a 17-foot putt dropped on the par-4 15th. He hit his tee shot on the 187-yard 16th to inches, flashing a huge smile on the tee box, and then made a bogey at the par4 18th to finish with a 74. He’ll start today nine shots back.
“I was waiting for the one moment, the one shot. I couldn’t find it,” Woods said.
Merritt had long since finished and went into the final round as the leader for the second time this season. He had the lead to himself after the second and third rounds of the RBC Heritage, but finished third.
LPGA/R&A: South Korea’s Jin-Young Ko and Taiwan’s Teresa Lu each shot 3-under 69 to share the third-round lead in the Women’s British Open in Turnberry, Scotland.
The 20-year-old Ko, playing in her first major championship, and Lu were at 8-under 208. Suzann Pettersen, the second-round leader, was a stroke back after a 72.
Champions Tour: Defending champion Kenny Perry had a hole-inone and matched the 3M Championship record with an 11-under 61 to take a four-stroke lead in Blaine, Minn.
Perry had a 14-under 130 total at TPC Twin Cit- ies. Kevin Sutherland and Scott Dunlap were tied for second. Sutherland had a 65, and Dunlap shot 67.
Minnesota native Tom Lehman, the first-round leader after a 64, had a 71 to drop into a tie for fourth at 9 under with Bernhard Langer and Marco Dawson.
European Tour: Scotland’s Marc Warren holed out from 59 yards for eagle on the 19th to beat England’s Tyrrell Hatton in the Paul Lawrie Match Play quarterfinals in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Warren will face Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat in the semifinals. Aphibarnrat beat Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey 2 and 1. In the other quarterfinals, Sweden’s Robert Karlsson beat Scotland’s Richie Ramsay 1 up, and England’s David Howell topped countryman Chris Wood 5 and 4.