CATWALK: Tiger Woods, who is four shots behind leaders Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar, walks off the 14th green during yesterday’s third round of The Barclays. (Getty Images)
With three rounds of The Barclays now in the books, Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City is making one thing clear: This is a venue where the fearless are rewarded.
So when today’s final round commences, it will not be just those in the final few groups with a chance to walk away with the opening tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs, but just about anyone willing to be aggressive.
In yesterday’s brilliantly clear sunshine, the person who most exemplified that precise abandon was Kevin Chappell, who allowed Keegan Bradley’s course-record 63 to rest for just one day, as he fired a 9-under 62 with nine birdies, no bogies, and a sparse 24 putts. At 11-under par for the tournament, he will start just one back of the leaders Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland.
“If the wind blows, a good round could be 2-under par,” Chappell said of today, as he goes for his first PGA Tour win on a grand stage. “If the wind doesn’t blow, it’s still soft enough that 7-, 8-, 9-under par is feasible out there.”
With that kind of berth, allow the majority of the field to enter the picture.
Most notably, that includes Tiger Woods, who looks older than his 37 years as he struggles with a sore back, yet managed to scrape together a third-round 2-under 69 and keep him three back of the lead.
“I figured a number in the mid-60s was certainly doable,” said Woods, who birdied two of his final three holes and will be paired with Chappell in the second-to-last group, going off at 1:40 p.m. “Kev [Chappell] went out there and he got it, he shot the low one. It was certainly out there. The greens are perfect.
“If you’re feeling pretty good and pretty frisky,” Woods continued, “you can drive it all the way down there where you have a lot of wedges in.”
Well, long drives are not a problem for Woodland, who for most of yesterday was holding the lead until he plugged a drive into the face of a fairway bunker on the 17th hole. A resulting bogey dropped him back into a tie with Kuchar, who himself caught a bad break on the 16th hole when his putt from the front fringe hit a sprinkler head and lead to a disheartening bogey.
“I saw there were a lot of guys making birdies behind me and I know I saw Kevin Chappell shoot nothing, so I knew they were out there,” said Woodland. “You wanted to give yourself as many birdies as you can going into [today].”
From the top, to look down the leaderboard even a bit would show no shortage of possible late chargers. Sitting in a group at 7-under are young hotshot Jordan Spieth, lefty bomber Bubba Watson, cagey veteran Jim Furyk, reigning U.S. Open champ Justin Rose and the electric Ricky Fowler.
Just behind them at 6-under are players like Nick Watney, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia — and Rory McIlroy, whose even-par third round was more a test in mettle than talent.
“You can go after it,” McIlroy said of the course after his even-par 71. “If the wind died down a little bit [today], you’ll see a few guys shoot a few good numbers, I’m sure.”
And if that’s the case, than the title is up for grabs.