Third-round notebook – Northern Trust Open
* 1990 and 1992 Northern Trust Open champion Fred Couples began the day five strokes off Scott McCarron’s 10-under lead. But following a 5-under 30 on the front nine, Couples had caught that lead. The 49 year-old Couples ended the third-round with a 6-under 65, trailing Mickelson by five. His 65 was his best round since shooting an 8-under 64 in round three of the 50th Bob Hope Classic presented by Arnold Palmer last month. * Fred Couples is playing in his 26th Northern Trust Open, and upon conclusion of Saturday’s third round, has now competed in 100 rounds at the Northern Trust Open.
* For the second day in a row, defending Northern Trust Open champion, Phil Mickelson made an eagle-three at the par-5 first en route to a 9-under 62 and a four-stroke lead over Eduardo Romero. His 62 is just one stroke shy of the course record set by Ted Tryba in 1999.
* Phil Mickelson’s four-stroke lead is the largest heading into a final round since Geoff Ogilvy held a six-shot lead after 54 holes at this year’s season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship.
* Phil Mickelson’s three-round total of 197 is just one stroke shy of Mike Weir’s record of 196 (66-64-66) in 2004.
* Phil Mickelson’s 9-under 62 is one stroke better than his previous best of 63 at Riviera, which he posted in round one Thursday. It’s his best score since the first round of the 2005 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
* Phil Mickelson held a one-stroke lead at 11-under after 54 holes at last year’s Northern Trust Open, before going on to win by two.
* Phil Mickelson has previously held at least a share of the 54-hole lead 31 times. Of those, he has parlayed 23 into victory. Only once did he finish worse than third (T8 Chrysler Classic of Tucson).
* The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win five of the six events so far this season, including Geoff Ogilvy at the Mercedes-Benz Championship and Pat Perez at the 90-hole 50th Bob Hope Classic presented by Arnold Palmer. Because of a final-round wash-out at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Dustin Johnson emerged victorious as the 54-hole leader.
* If Phil Mickelson manages to hang to win the 2009 Northern Trust Open, it will mark the fifth time he has successfully defended a PGA TOUR title. The others:
1995-1996 Northern Telecom Open
2000-2001 Buick Invitational
2001-2002 Greater Hartford Open
2005-2006 Bellsouth Classic
* Should Phil Mickelson win on Sunday, he would become only the seventh player to successfully defend a title at the Northern Trust Open. The feat was most recently achieved by fellow lefty, Mike Weir, who won at Riviera in 2003 and 2004.
* In his third start of the season, Andres Romero put himself in great position for a solid Sunday finish after a third-round 6-under 65. It was his best round since shooting a 7-under 65 in round-three of the 2008 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, site of his first PGA TOUR win.
* Robert Allenby, who won the 2001 Northern Trust Open in a one-hole, six-way playoff, fired a third-round 3-under 68 to finish T12. Allenby has finished inside the top-seven three of the last four years at the Northern Trust Open..
Robert Allenby finishes at the Northern Trust Open:
Year Finish
2005 T3
2006 Cut
2007 T3
2008 T7
* By making the cut at the 2009 Northern Trust Open, Robert Allenby extended his streak of made cuts to 28, just one behind the current best of 29, held by Tiger Woods.
* Following the death of his mother on January 28, 2009, Robert Allenby is making his first start of the year. He is attempting to play his way on the 2009 Presidents Cup team after having played on the 1994, 1996, 200 and 2003 Presidents Cup International Team.
* At one point in the third round, there were four past champions in the top-five:
Past Champion Year(s)
Fred Couples 1990, 1992
Phil Mickelson 2008
Mark Calcavecchia 1989
Robert Allenby 2001
* The par-5 first hole has played the easiest the first three rounds at 4.320. The toughest hole in round three was the par-four eighth, with an over-par average of 4.307.
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