Round 4: Frys.com Open
October 9 2011
10:30 pm
Watch: Molder’s winning putt
Molder wins Frys.com Open
Bryce Molder birdies the 18th hole -- the sixth extra hole -- to beat Briny Baird in a playoff.
10:20 pm
Baird a bridesmaid again
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — As far as losses go, this one will actually be a little easier for Briny Baird to swallow, even if he’s now gone 348 starts without a victory.
“I finished second before four times, and only one of those four times did I really honestly think I had a chance to win,” said Baird, who lost to Bryce Molder on the sixth playoff hole at the Frys.com Open. “The other times they weren’t back door seconds, but I didn’t feel like I was out there to win the tournament.
“Today I felt like I was out there to win the tournament.”
He certainly had his chances — again. On the fourth extra hole was Baird’s best chance; he had a 7 1/2 -footer for the win but missed it.
But to Baird’s point, he also hit some big shots Sunday when he needed them most — a birdie on the 15th and a pitch-in eagle on the 17th during regulation, not to mention three birdies during the playoff.
“For me that’s a big deal,” Baird said. “There’s a hurdle that I overcame today that I’m not scared to talk about it.
“If I knew [how to win], you know, I would have — I probably would have won. You know, because you keep doing this, that’s knocking on the door. A lot of other times, you know, you finish second, you finish third, you finish fourth, you’re not really knocking on the door. You’re just shooting a good Sunday round when you were in 25th place. This was good.”
10:00 pm
Cauley closing in on TOUR card
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — Thanks to a third-place finish, Bud Cauley moved one step closer to securing his PGA TOUR card for next year.
Cauley, who turned pro in June after leaving Alabama following his junior year, entered the week with just over $331,000 in earnings. By finishing solo third, he picked up another $340,000, which would put him 114th on this year’s money list if the season ended today.
It also means that Cauley earned a spot in the field for next week’s McGladrey Classic, where he can of course add to that total.
Only a handful of players have been able to go right from college to the PGA TOUR. Ryan Moore was the last to do it in 2005 and Tiger Woods nearly a decade before that.
“I really never given it much thought, you know,” Cauley said of his chances of adding his name to that list. “I was just going to try and give myself as many opportunities as I could to play.
“I knew I could compete. Obviously getting starts out here and playing is really the most difficult thing.”
Cauley, though, has acquitted himself quite well in the professional game. In three of his eight starts, he’s finished in the top 15.
Not that Ernie Els noticed. Playing with El earlier in the week Els asked Cauley when he was going to turn professional. Perhaps confusing Cauley with amateur star Patrick Cantlay, a sophomore at UCLA, Els felt a little embarrassed when Cauley informed him that he’d turned pro months ago.
“I think by the back nine he knew I was a professional,” Cauley joked.
He does now. Els tied for fourth, one shot behind Cauley.
9:50 pm
Congratulate Molder on victory
In the longest playoff in a year of playoffs on the PGA TOUR, Bryce Molder outlasted Briny Baird, beating him on the sixth extra hole with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole. The victory is the first of Molder’s career. Send him your congratulations here and we’ll pass them along to Molder.
8:00 pm
Molder tops Baird on sixth playoff hole
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — With 27 feet separating Briny Baird from his first career victory, Baird left his putt on the 18th hole just short of the hole meaning that he and Bryce Molder are headed to a playoff after each finished at 17 under.
Both players are trying for their first career win, though Baird has been waiting for his a lot longer with 347 career starts already under his belt coming into this week.
The first playoff hole will be the par-4 17th, followed by the par-4 18th (if needed), then the 17th again (if needed) . Molder parred the 17th earlier today, while Baird eagled it by chipping in from just off the green. Stay tuned for the play-by-play here.
9:33 p.m. ET: Molder made his birdie putt, becoming a first-time winner on the PGA TOUR. “You practice and you work … you hope some validation’s behind it,” Molder said. “I’m excited.”
9:32 p.m. ET: Want drama? Baird lagged his first putt short of the hole and had PGA TOUR rules official Mark Russell use the flagstick to determine whether he was still away – it was that close. Baird was away, and he drained his par putt.
9:28 p.m. ET: From the rough, Baird reached the front of the green, well short of the back hole location. Molder hit his stiff to about six feet. Advantage Molder, with the sun setting rapidly.
9:23 p.m. ET: On the 18th tee for the sixth hole, Briny Baird’s shot landed in the right rough while Molder’s landed safely in the fairway. Baird has 162 yards to the hole from the rough, Molder has 136 yards.
9:18 p.m. ET: Both players hit great shots onto the green of the par-4 17th. Baird was away and his eagle putt drifted just right of the cup. Molder’s went left. They both tapped in for disappointing birdies. The sixth playoff hole (again, the 18th) is next.
9:05 p.m. ET: Molder, some 80 feet from the flag, lagged his putt just past the hole to set up par. Meanwhile, Baird missed his 12-footer for the win for a par as well. And back to the 17th they go.
9 p.m. ET: With his ball nestled in some heavy grass in the hazard, Molder managed to find the front of the green with a wedge … but Baird just hit the flag on the fly and the ball settled maybe 15 feet from the hole.
8:55 p.m. ET: Baird found the fairway off the tee, while Molder just hit into the hazard left of the fairway. The ball is playable but obviously Baird has the advantage.
8:48 p.m. ET: Baird ran his putt 6 feet past and then, as Baird kept his head down unable to watch, Molder missed his eagle putt as well. After Molder tapped in, Baird calmly rolled his in to extend the playoff. Back to the 18th they go.
8:40 p.m. ET: Baird teed off first and landed on the left side of the drivable par-4 17th, where his ball stopped 57 feet from the hole. Molder? He was a bit closer, hitting his drive over the top of the flag and watching it spin back to 13 feet, 7 inches.
8:35 p.m. ET: Molder missed his putt to the right … and so did Baird as his putt caught the left edge. Back to the 17th they go.
8:30 p.m. ET: Baird hit first and stuck his approach to 7 1/2 feet, while Molder has 15 feet, 5 inches.
8:25 p.m. ET: Both players found the fairway off the tee on the par-4 18th. Advantage, no one.
8:20 p.m. ET: Almost certainly needing to get up and down from the downslope behind the green on the 18th, Baird did exactly that, pitching to 4 1/2 feet. Molder had a chance to win but he missed his 22-footer before Baird made his par putt. They’ll head to the 18th now.
8:15 p.m. ET: Baird teed off first on the drivable par-4 17th and hit his tee shot over the green and into the rough, where he’s now on a downslope. Molder, meanwhile, found the green with his tee shot stopping just 22 feet, 6 inches from the hole.
7:45 pm
Baird eagles 17th to take lead
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — From one shot back to one shot ahead. That’s what just happened to Briny Baird after he holed out for eagle from just off the 17th green to get to 17 under on the week and one shot clear of Bryce Molder.
No to be outdone, Molder stuck his approach shot to birdie range.
Meanwhile, Bud Cauley just finished at 15 under after a 66. At the moment he’s in third place, which helps tremendously as he tries to earn enough to skip q-school later this year. In any event, a top-10 gets him into the field for next week’s McGladrey Classic.
So basically we’re down to Baird or Molder, both of whom are trying to win for the first time in their careers.
7:30 pm
Update: Molder trying to hang on
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — We’re down to the final few holes at the Frys.com Open, where Bryce Molder is 16 under and leading by one over Briny Baird. Another shot back from that is Bud Cauley, who drove the short par-4 17th, but missed his eagle putt.
Shane Bertsch is already in the clubhouse at 14 under, while Ernie Els is 13 under with two to play.
John Rollins and Adam Hadwin are both 12 under but each has just one hole remaining.
6:56 pm
Watch: Birdie propels Bertsch
Bertsch birdies 13th
Shane Bertsch rolls in 20-foot putt for birdie on the par-4 13th hole before finishing at 14 under for the clubhouse lead.
6:40 pm
Shakeup at top, Molder now leads
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — Just like that Briny Baird’s lead has vanished.
Bryce Molder now leads by two at 16 under after playing making six birdies over his first 14 holes. That has Molder, who has five top-10s this year but no wins, two shots clear of the field with four players, including Baird, tied for second.
How good has Molder been? He has nine one-putts so far and hasn’t come close to making a bogey.
Meanwhile, Shane Bertsch, who entered the week 174th on the money list with just one top-10 this year, is another one of those players who has moved to within two of the lead. He’s 7 under on the day through 16 holes, which includes making eagle on the par-5 15th.
Playing on a major medical, he had nine events to earn just over $605,000 to equal the earnings from the No. 125 position on the 2009 money list to secure his status. Coming into this week, he’d earned just over $250,000.
Ernie Els is also at 14 under. He’s 3 under on his round and looking for his first top-10 of the year. Paul Casey, who was outside the top 125 on the money list at the start of the week, is another stroke back at 11 under.
5:46 pm
Woods closes week with another 68
Interview: Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods discusses his final round at the Frys.com Open.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
SAN MARTIN, Calif. — Tiger Woods was looking for consistency in his return this week, and in one way he got it with his third straight 68 to finish his week at 7 under.
“I hit a lot of good putts the last three days,” Woods said. “It was nice to make that adjustment there on the putting green after Thursday’s round. I felt very comfortable, and I just need to keep staying the course. The game’s coming.”
Though Woods struggled at times with his putting, not to mention the rest of his game, it was the first time all year he’d broken 70 in three consecutive rounds. He also had 17 birdies the last three days, including six on Sunday.
Five of those came during Woods’ first nine holes as he charged up the leaderboard following a 32 on CordeValle’s back nine. They were offset by two bogeys and just one birdie over his final nine holes, but Woods was pleased with the progress.
“I could have just really got it rolling, and I had a couple opportunities like that, both yesterday and again today,” Woods said. “I haven’t played much. That comes with competitive flow, understanding the situations and feels, and game time’s a little bit different. I really haven’t played a whole lot since the Masters.”
Woods added that he doesn’t plan on adding any more Fall Series events. He is hosting a tournament at Pebble Beach next week to raise money for his foundation and said "family obligations" would keep him from playing the season-ending tournament Children’s Miracle Network Classic. He will play a series of exhibitions in Asia and Australia before the Australian Open on Nov. 10-13 and Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne a week later.
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