Round 3 Notes – Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
Third-Round Notes – Friday, January 18, 2008Robert Gamez, who finished T50 last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, moved to 18-under-par 198 and a one-stroke advantage over Justin Leonard (67/PW) and D.J. Trahan (68/LQ) after the third round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by George Lopez. Gamez fired a 5-under 67 at Palmer Private at PGA West, tallying seven birdies and two bogeys on his scorecard.
At the BHCC, Gamez is perhaps best known for firing a course-record 60 at Indian Wells CC during the third round in 2004. He has made the cut in 14 of his 17 previous starts here, with a sixth-place finish in 1995 his best outing.
Gamez, a three-time PGA TOUR winner, has now held the 54-hole lead on four occasions, most recently going on to finish second at the 2002 John Deere Classic. This represents his first 54-hole lead in a 90-hole event. History isn’t on his side this week as he enters the final two rounds. The third-round leader has gone on to win the BHCC just 12 times since the tournament’s inception in 1960, with 2006 champion Chad Campbell the latest to do so.
Boo Weekley birdied the final four holes at the Palmer Private Course at PGA West to equal the round of the week with a career-best 10-under-par 62, moving into solo-fourth place. Weekley’s previous best round was a 63 during the final round of the 2002 FedEx St. Jude Classic. In addition to 11 birdies, Weekley posted his only bogey of the day at the par-3 12th hole.
Not to be outdone, veteran Jim McGovern also posted a 10-under 62 at Palmer Private at PGA West, posting nine birdies, one eagle and a bogey. McGovern, who won his only PGA TOUR title at the 1993 Shell Houston Open, is back on TOUR on a full-time basis for the first time in 10 years, most recently finishing 45th on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list.
It is looking less and less likely that the BHCC will produce just its second back-to-back winner (Johnny Miller (1975-76). Defending champion Charley Hoffman posted a 1-under 71 at Palmer Private at PGA West to move to 5-under 211, but he’ll enter the fourth round 13 strokes behind Gamez.
2007 Nationwide Tour graduate Paul Claxton had the TOUR’s first hole-in-one of the season on Friday, doing so at the 208-yard fifth hole (4-iron) at Palmer Private at PGA West on his way to a 4-under 68 (T63). Claxton is making his second start at the BHCC after missing the cut in 2005. He is fresh off of his 10th full season on the Nationwide Tour, finishing the year No. 10 on the money list and posting his second career win at the Melwood Prince George’s County Open.
Daniel Chopra, currently No. 2 on the FedExCup points list after winning the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, joined in on the action with an ace of his own at the 173-yard 14th hole (8-iron) at SilverRock Resort. Chopra posted a 4-under 68 to move to 1-under 215 through three rounds.
Chez Reavie (T9/67/PW) and Brett Rumford (T9/69/PW) are the only players currently inside the top 10 on the leaderboard who have never played in the BHCC. Reavie is a 26-year-old rookie on TOUR after finishing No. 18 on the 2007 Nationwide Tour money list. The 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion began the season last week with a T32 effort at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Rumford, a 30-year-old rookie from Perth, Australia, is making his first start of the year and just the fifth of his TOUR career.
Best rounds of the day:
The Classic Club 66, John Senden, Bubba Watson , Jin Park
Palmer Private at PGA West 62, Boo Weekley, Jim McGovern
La Quinta Country Club 64, Shane Bertsch
SilverRock Resort 67, Anthony Kim, Rod Pampling, Scott Sterling
Best rounds of the week:
The Classic Club 65, Tim Petrovic, Joe Durant, Shigeki Maruyama, Mathew Goggin, Scott Verplank
Palmer Private at PGA West 62, Boo Weekley, Jim McGovern
La Quinta Country Club 64, Justin Leonard, Ryan Moore, Shane Bertsch
SilverRock Resort 64, D.J. Trahan
There have been a total of 30 bogey-free rounds so far this week, including 14 on Friday:
La Quinta CC – Shane Bertsch (64), Stewart Cink (66), Vaughn Taylor (68), Frank Lickliter II (68)
The Classic Club – John Senden (66), Bubba Watson (66), Jin Park (66), Ryuji Imada (67)
SilverRock Resort – Scott Sterling (67)
Palmer Private – Tom Scherrer (66), Justin Leonard (67), Chez Reavie (67), Jason Bohn (67), Paul Claxton (68)
All four courses played easier on Friday in comparison to the second round, highlighted by Palmer Private at PGA West playing 2 _ strokes easier:
Course Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Cumulative
The Classic Club 69.969 70.969 70.375 70.438
Palmer Private at PGA West 69.813 70.969 68.500 69.760
La Quinta Country Club 69.688 70.531 69.438 69.885
SilverRock Resort 70.125 71.405 70.500 70.688
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