Round 4: Viking Classic
February 5 2012
5:21 pm
Stanley saves par at the 16th
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — While Spencer Levin was struggling at the par-5 15th, Ben Crane and Kyle Stanley were having their troubles at No. 16.
Both missed the green long and left. Stanley, who was tied with Levin when he teed off on the par 3, chipped on and made a 9-footer for par to remain at 15 under. He is now 62 of 64 on putts inside 10 feet this week.
Crane, though, missed his par putt from 14 feet so he is now 13 under.
Round 4: Viking Classic
July 17 2011
5:48 pm
Congratulate Kirk on his win
Chris Kirk is rookie winner on the PGA TOUR, taking the Viking Classic. Want to send Chris a note of congratulations? Leave a comment below and we’ll make sure he gets it.
5:45 pm
Kirk closes out win at Annandale
Chris Kirk’s Viking Classic win makes him the fifth rookie to win on the PGA TOUR this year, joining the group of Jhonnatan Vegas, Charl Schwartzel, Brendan Steele and Keegan Bradley.
Kirk’s final-round 66 at Annandale included two late birdies on No. 15 and 17 that helped him move a shot past Tom Pernice Jr. and George McNeill, who finished at 21 under.
Kirk earned his TOUR card by finishing second on the Nationwide Tour money list last year. He had the lead entering Round 4, but did not pull away from the field until the final hole. Pernice and McNeill shot 67 and 68 respectively, and held the lead or a share of the lead for a majority of the back nine.
Kirk approached Annandale’s finishing par-5 with a one shot lead and played it in winner’s fashion – fairway, layup, green and two putts.
It was a stellar performance that many could see coming from the former University of Georgia standout. Kirk finished second to Phil Mickelson at the Shell Houston Open in April. He also fired a third-round 63 at the AT&T National two weeks ago that eventually led to a tie for eighth.
Kirk earned 250 FedExCup points with the win, and is now No. 25 in the FedExCup Standings.
4:47 pm
Cauley comes through with top-5
Bud Cauley made the most of his Viking Classic sponsor’s exemption.
The 21-year-old shot rounds of 68-67-66-67 to get to 20 under par. He’s currently in a tie for fourth with Hunter Haas, a shot behind the leaders.
Cauley was a junior at the University of Alabama last year, but decided to forgo his senior season and turned professional after qualifying for the U.S. Open.
"I made the decision to turn pro because I knew I could come out here and compete with these guys," he said. "Obviously, I’ve had a very good start, and I’ve been playing well. It gives me a lot of confidence going into the tournaments, you know, in the future, that I always knew I could do it, but now I think I’ve proved that I can come out here and play."
Cauley has made the cut in each of his three starts on TOUR, finishing tied 63rd at Congressional and tied for 24th at the Travelers Championship.
3:30 pm
Kirk trying to land first victory
The final round of the Viking Classic has reached the back nine at Annandale Golf Club, where 51-year-old Tom Pernice is trying to make a little history of his own.
At 20 under through 14 holes, he’s just one shot off the lead.
The player he’s chasing? Chris Kirk, who is looking for his first career victory on the PGA TOUR. Kirk has played well of late and was in contention just two weeks ago when he carded a third-round 63 at the AT&T National before eventually tying for eighth.
Kirk has plenty of other company besides Pernice, though. Currently there are 11 players within three strokes of his lead.
2:10 pm
Pernice in contention in final round
At 51, two-time PGA TOUR winner Tom Pernice Jr. is a threat to win every Champions Tour event he plays in. The Champions TOUR is off this week, but Pernice still finds himself in contention.
After three birdies in his first seven holes, Pernice is tied for the lead with third round leader Chris Kirk, who is 1 under through his first five holes an Annandale.
Look for scores to be low again today. The top seven players on the leaderboard are already in red figures early in the final round.
12:00 pm
Bowditch’s road back continues
Steven Bowditch’s final round may be an indication of what’s to expect this afternoon from the leaders.
Bowditch birdied the par-5 last at Annandale to shoot 62, climbing more than 50 spots on the leaderboard. He is currently tied for ninth.
The Aussie entered the event 130th in FedExCup standings, and a high finish would go a long way toward securing a spot in the all-important top 125.
Bowditch first qualified for the TOUR in 2006 but battled a bout of serious depression that derailed his game. In that year, he played in 22 events but only made two cuts. He made it back to the TOUR this year after finishing in the top 25 of last year’s Nationwide Tour money list.
This year, Bowditch has made the cut in 11 of 19 events, including a top-10 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Round 3: Viking Classic
July 16 2011
9:21 pm
Kirk emerges with one-shot lead
By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM
Smooth greens and soft conditions led to ultra-low scores in Round 3 at Annandale.
For many players, Round 3 was their second round of the day. But the physical challenge of playing 36 holes in mid-summer Mississippi heat was only evident in their sweat-stained shirts, but not their birdie-filled scorecards.
Chris Kirk birdied the par 5 finishing hole to take the outright lead going into the final round. It was one of the eight birdies he carded for a third-round 64.
Behind Kirk sits a group of four players at 17 under, which includes George McNeill, Peter Lonard, PGA TOUR rookie Sunghoon Kang and former Viking Classic winner D.J. Trahan.
"The golf course is very vulnerable and the greens are perfect," Trahan said. "It’s playing soft so you can attack and the greens are in awesome shape. They are rolling great. Some guys are making a lot of putts tomorrow."
Another PGA TOUR rookie, Jim Renner, carded a 62, which was the low round on Saturday. It vaulted him nearly 40 spots on the leaderboard, a shot behind the group of players at 17 under.
Tomorrow’s weather forecast for Annandale calls for scattered thunderstorms and a high of 85 degrees.
"Hopefully it is a somewhat decent day where everyone can go out and play and get it in," Renner said. "That remains to be seen."
7:50 pm
Leaderboard update: Kang, Kirk tied
After a birdie on No. 16, Sunghoon Kang looked like he might pull away from the field at Annandale. He had eagled two par 5s, and had another par 5 to play, the 532-yard 18th. But Kang backed up with a bogey on the par-4 17th, and then drove his tee shot into the water on No. 18, leading to a par and a third-round 64. He is tied for the lead at 17 under with Chris Kirk, who is 7 under for his round.
Saturday’s final group of Hunter Haas, Peter Lonard and Troy Matteson also failed to capitalize on their good position. The trio is stuck in neutral — a combined 1 under on a day where players are going really low. Haas and Lonard are currently tied for sixth, while Matteson has fallen to all the way to 28th place.
Jim Renner, who began Round 3 in 45th place, has made eight birdies and an eagle for a bogey-free 62. His rounds of 69-69-62 are currently good for third place.
6:37 pm
Kang moves into lead in Round 3
PGA TOUR rookie Sunghoon Kang has played his first 14 holes 8-under par in Round 3 at the Viking Classic . Kang played Annandale’s front nine in 31. He then eagled the 579-yard par-5 11th hole, and added a birdie on the 14th hole to take the lead.
D.J. Trahan, 16 under, and Tommy Gainey and Tom Pernice Jr., 15 under, are also making Saturday moves. Trahan and Gainey are 5 under on their rounds, while Pernice is 4 under.
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