Saturday, February 21, 2004
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage
UPDATE 1-Weir surges five clear with third-round 66
Sat February 21, 2004 07:48 PM ET
(Page 1 of 3)
(adds quotes, detail, byline)
By Alex Miceli
LOS ANGELES, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Defending champion Mike Weir took advantage of wet and soft conditions to forge five shots clear of the field at the Nissan Open on Saturday, firing a five-under-par 66 in the third round.
Canada's U.S. Masters champion mixed six birdies with a solitary bogey before finishing on a tournament record total of 17-under 196 after 54 holes at Riviera Country Club.
Japan's Shigeki Maruyama, co-leader with left-hander Weir overnight, birdied the last to card an even-par 71 to lie second at 12 under.
Jeff Maggert, who finished runner-up two weeks ago behind Vijay Singh at Pebble Beach, was a further stroke back in third after returning a 69 while fellow American Scott McCarron shot a one-over-par 72 to lie fourth at 10 under.
Last week's winner John Daly also carded a 72 to finish in a tie for fifth at nine-under 204, along with Loren Roberts (69), Briny Baird (73) and Australian Stuart Appleby (70).
World number one Tiger Woods, who had rallied on Friday with a second-round 66, could only manage a 72 and slipped back into a share of 44th, 14 adrift of Weir.
Fijian Singh produced his best round of the week, shooting a three-under-par 68 to climb into a tie for 34th at four under.
Weir has not won on the Tour since his last year's playoff victory at the Masters and after starting the round tied for the lead with Maruyama, he adopted a safety-first approach to open with a birdie and a bogey. Another birdie on the par-three sixth hole while his playing partners Maruyama and McCarron both had bogeys gave the Canadian a two-shot advantage which he never looked like relinquishing.
"That was a tough shot today, the wind was kind of picking up, gusting up and down a little bit," Weir said of his tee shot on the sixth hole.
"I was right in between a four- and a three-iron and just went with a hard four-iron. I just tried to just keep it under the hole and hit a great shot there -- maybe 15 feet underneath the cup.
I made that putt and that kind of got some momentum going on my side."
LARGEST LEAD
After a one-under-par 34 on the front nine, Weir then shot a four-under 32 on the back side to take the wind out of the sails of the field going into the final round.
His 54-hole lead is the largest on tour since last year's Texas Open.
The key to Weir's round was his prowess on the greens where he needed only 22 putts. More impressively, he has yet to three-putt so far in the tournament.
"Going out today, I didn't expect to shoot five-under," Weir added.
"The course is playing a little more difficult, more mud on the ball and the course playing longer, but my putter's on fire.
"I'm making a lot of putts and a number of good par saves and my misses have been on the right side of the hole which is what you need around here."
Before last year's breakthrough victory, Weir had not had any success at this event and missed the cut in his first four attempts.
But in 2003, Weir rallied to catch Charles Howell III and eventually won in a playoff.
His performance through three rounds eclipsed the 14-year-old 54-hole scoring record of 197 set by Fred Couples in 1990.
"Before last year, I knew how to play the golf course but for whatever reason I didn't strike the ball well the week leading into the event," Weir said.
"But I always felt like I had a good gameplan for the course."
In his the last seven rounds at Riviera, Weir is 26-under-par and has clearly demonstrated that his gameplan is sound.
However, when he tees it up for the final round on Sunday he will have to exorcise another demon.
On five previous occasions, Weir has led going into the final round but never won.
Most recently, the left-hander held the third-round lead at the 2002 Honda Classic but finished tied for 11th.
"I'm looking at it as a big challenge," he said.
"I want to go out there and play solid golf and make whoever is challenging do something phenomenal to catch me."
UPDATE 1-Weir surges five clear with third-round 66
Sat February 21, 2004 07:48 PM ET
(Page 1 of 3)
(adds quotes, detail, byline)
By Alex Miceli
LOS ANGELES, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Defending champion Mike Weir took advantage of wet and soft conditions to forge five shots clear of the field at the Nissan Open on Saturday, firing a five-under-par 66 in the third round.
Canada's U.S. Masters champion mixed six birdies with a solitary bogey before finishing on a tournament record total of 17-under 196 after 54 holes at Riviera Country Club.
Japan's Shigeki Maruyama, co-leader with left-hander Weir overnight, birdied the last to card an even-par 71 to lie second at 12 under.
Jeff Maggert, who finished runner-up two weeks ago behind Vijay Singh at Pebble Beach, was a further stroke back in third after returning a 69 while fellow American Scott McCarron shot a one-over-par 72 to lie fourth at 10 under.
Last week's winner John Daly also carded a 72 to finish in a tie for fifth at nine-under 204, along with Loren Roberts (69), Briny Baird (73) and Australian Stuart Appleby (70).
World number one Tiger Woods, who had rallied on Friday with a second-round 66, could only manage a 72 and slipped back into a share of 44th, 14 adrift of Weir.
Fijian Singh produced his best round of the week, shooting a three-under-par 68 to climb into a tie for 34th at four under.
Weir has not won on the Tour since his last year's playoff victory at the Masters and after starting the round tied for the lead with Maruyama, he adopted a safety-first approach to open with a birdie and a bogey. Another birdie on the par-three sixth hole while his playing partners Maruyama and McCarron both had bogeys gave the Canadian a two-shot advantage which he never looked like relinquishing.
"That was a tough shot today, the wind was kind of picking up, gusting up and down a little bit," Weir said of his tee shot on the sixth hole.
"I was right in between a four- and a three-iron and just went with a hard four-iron. I just tried to just keep it under the hole and hit a great shot there -- maybe 15 feet underneath the cup.
I made that putt and that kind of got some momentum going on my side."
LARGEST LEAD
After a one-under-par 34 on the front nine, Weir then shot a four-under 32 on the back side to take the wind out of the sails of the field going into the final round.
His 54-hole lead is the largest on tour since last year's Texas Open.
The key to Weir's round was his prowess on the greens where he needed only 22 putts. More impressively, he has yet to three-putt so far in the tournament.
"Going out today, I didn't expect to shoot five-under," Weir added.
"The course is playing a little more difficult, more mud on the ball and the course playing longer, but my putter's on fire.
"I'm making a lot of putts and a number of good par saves and my misses have been on the right side of the hole which is what you need around here."
Before last year's breakthrough victory, Weir had not had any success at this event and missed the cut in his first four attempts.
But in 2003, Weir rallied to catch Charles Howell III and eventually won in a playoff.
His performance through three rounds eclipsed the 14-year-old 54-hole scoring record of 197 set by Fred Couples in 1990.
"Before last year, I knew how to play the golf course but for whatever reason I didn't strike the ball well the week leading into the event," Weir said.
"But I always felt like I had a good gameplan for the course."
In his the last seven rounds at Riviera, Weir is 26-under-par and has clearly demonstrated that his gameplan is sound.
However, when he tees it up for the final round on Sunday he will have to exorcise another demon.
On five previous occasions, Weir has led going into the final round but never won.
Most recently, the left-hander held the third-round lead at the 2002 Honda Classic but finished tied for 11th.
"I'm looking at it as a big challenge," he said.
"I want to go out there and play solid golf and make whoever is challenging do something phenomenal to catch me."
