2009 World Golf Championships-CA Championship (The 11 th of 37 events in the PGA TOUR Regular Season) Doral, FL March 12-15, 2009 Purse: $8,500,000 ($1,400,000) Doral Golf Resort & Spa (Blue Course) Par/Yards: 36-36--72/7,266 Third-Round Notes Saturday, March 14, 2009 Third-round leads This is the first time there has been a tie for the third-round lead in the history of the CA Championship, as Phil Mickelson and Nick Watney are tied at 200 (-16) through 54 holes. The 16-under total through three rounds matches the lowest since the tournament moved to Doral Resort & Spa in 2007 (Geoff Ogilvy, 2008) and is just three shots off the tournament s 54-hole record, held by Tiger Woods at 19-under (2002, 2006). The 54-hole leader has gone on to win this event seven of the previous nine times - Tiger Woods - 2007, 2006, 2003, 2002, 1999 Ernie Els - 2004 Geoff Ogilvy 2008 Phil Mickelson Phil Mickelson is the third-round leader or co-leader for the 30 th time in his career. He has converted 21 of the previous 29 leads to victories (72.4 percent), most recently at the 2009 Northern Trust Open. This is Mickelson s second 54-hole lead at a World Golf Championships event (2008 Bridgestone Invitational; finished T4). Mickelson is still in search of his first career World Golf Championships Victory. Phil Mickelson Third-Round Leads (21 of 29 Overall, 3-4 Majors) Tournament Place Total Finish Score 1991 Northern Telecom Open 2-strokes over Pavin, Peoples -15 W 71 1993 Northern Telecom Open tie Hart -15 T8 75 1993 The International +29 W n/a 1994 Mercedes Championships tie Couples - 8 W 68 1995 Northern Telecom Open tie Gallagher, Jr., Ogle -14 W 68 1996 GTE Byron Nelson Classic 1-stroke over Pavin, Rymer, Wiebe -11 W 66 1996 NEC World Series of Golf 3-strokes over Mayfair, Norman - 6 W 70 1997 Sprint International +39 W n/a 1998 Mercedes Championships 1-stroke over Duval -13 W 68 2000 Buick Invitational 2-strokes over Maruyama -16 W 70 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tie Browne -14 T3 73 2001 Compaq Classic of New Orleans 3-strokes over Frazar -20 2 nd 72 2001 MasterCard Colonial tie Quigley -11 T2 70 2001 Canon Greater Hartford Open 1-stroke over Berganio, Jr. -14 W 68 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (*) 2-strokes over Haas -21 W n/a 2004 Masters Tournament tie DiMarco - 6 W 69 2005 FBR Open 4-strokes over Na -14 W 68 2005 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am 7-strokes over Owen -20 W 73
2005 Ford Championship at Doral 2-strokes over Woods -20 2 nd 69 2005 PGA Championship tie Love - 6 W 72 2006 BellSouth Classic 8-strokes over Johnson and Byrd -21 W 65 2006 Masters Tournament 1-stroke over Couples and C. Campbell -4 W 69 2006 U.S. Open tie Ferrie +2 T2 74 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tie Mallinger -14 W 66 2007 Nissan Open 1-stroke lead Harrington -13 P2 68 2008 Northern Trust Open 1-stroke lead Jeff Quinney -11 W 70 2008 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial 1-stroke over Pampling, Ames -12 W 68 2008 Bridgestone Invitational tie Westwood, Singh -8 T4 70 2009 Northern Trust Open 4 strokes over A. Romero -16 W 72 2009 CA Championship tie Watney -16 This is the second time that Mickelson has held the third-round lead at Doral s Blue course. Tournament Standing Finish 2005 Ford Championship at Doral 2-strokes over Woods 2 nd 2009 CA Championship Tied with Watney TBD Mickelson is attempting to become only the second player to win the CA Championship while leading or sharing the lead after all four rounds (Tiger Woods, 2002, 2006). Mickelson was tied for the lead with Retief Goosen, Prayad Marksaeng and Jeev M. Singh after round one at 65 (-7). He took a two-shot lead over Nick Watney after round two at 131 (-13) and is now tied for the lead with Watney after three rounds at 200 (-16). Mickelson won the 2009 Northern Trust Open on Feb. 22. A win on Sunday would make this his second win in three starts, his best stretch since winning the 2006 BellSouth Classic and Masters Tournament in back-to-back weeks. Mickelson won the 2005 FBR Open and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in back-to-back weeks; and he won the Nortel Open and Phoenix Open back-to-back, with a week off in between. Phil Mickelson has 70 putts through 54 holes (average of 23.33 putts per round). Mickelson s best single putting performance was the 1998 MCI Classic where he averaged 24.75 putts per round. The PGA TOUR record for fewest putts through four rounds is 92 by David Frost at the 2005 MCI Heritage at Harbour Tour Golf Links. Mickelson and the FedExCup FedExCup Rank: 7, FedExCup Points: 603 Mickelson would move into second place in the standings with a victory. After earning a total of 35 points in his first three starts, Mickelson has made up for it ranking up 588 points with a victory and top-10 in his last two starts. Nick Watney Nick Watney went 46 holes without a bogey at the CA championship before missing the green on No. 11 and failing to get up-and-down (two putts from 11 feet, 6 inches) his only bogey. The last player to win a tournament with no bogeys over 72 holes was Lee Trevino at the 1974 Greater New Orleans Open. Watney won the 2009 Buick Invitational to become the first player in his 20s to win on TOUR this season, and one of seven players from the United States in their 20s with two or more TOUR victories (2007 Zurich Classic of New Orleans), with Dustin Johnson, J.B. Holmes, D.J. Trahan, Sean O Hair, Anthony Kim and Charles Howell III. A win Sunday would make Watney the only 20-something from the United States with three PGA TOUR wins. This is Watney s first CA Championship start. Watney has been in the lead after three rounds only once before in his career at the 2007 Zurich Classic of New Orleans which he won. He was five shots down entering the final round of the Buick Invitational, which he won thanks to a 68 (-4) on Sunday. Kenny Perry
Kenny Perry, a 13-time PGA TOUR winner, is one of five players in the field who could pass Geoff Ogilvy to take the No. 1 position on the FedExCup standing with a victory. Perry, who won earlier this year at the FBR Open, is looking for his second career top-10 finish in a World Golf Championships event in 18 attempts. Perry has never finished in the top 10 at the CA Championship. His best finish on this golf course is a T5 at the 2003 Ford Championship at Doral, giving him one top-10 finish in 21 starts at Doral Golf Resort & Spa. Perry was assessed a one-stroke penalty during the third round. On the par-3, 13 th, Perry s tee shot went over the green and into the greenside rough. He grounded his club behind the ball, causing the ball to move (one-stroke penalty). Perry then failed to get up and down, resulting in a double-bogey. Tiger Woods In his first stroke-play event since missing more than eight months following knee surgery, Tiger Woods shot his best round of the week on Saturday, a 68 (-4) to move from T35 to T19. At T19, this is his worst standing heading into the final round of a PGA TOUR event since being T33 after three rounds at the 2007 Memorial Tournament. Woods previous worst position heading into the final round of either of the stroke-play World Golf Championships events was T8 at the 2004 CA Championship. Misc. Soren Hansen shot a 29 (-7) on the back nine Saturday to tie the 9-hole, PGA TOUR record at Doral Golf Resort & Spa s Blue Course set by Tom Kite in 1974 and 1979 (both also in the third rounds). Hansen s 29, however, was lowest score ever recorded on the back nine. Jim Furyk carded a 69 (-3) on Saturday to move into a T5. Furyk is looking for his first World Golf Championships win and first victory since the 2007 Canadian Open. Furyk s best finish of the 2008 season came here at the CA Championship when he shot 68 on Sunday and finished T2 behind Geoff Ogilvy. Johnny McDermott was 19 years, 10 months and 14 days when he won the 1911 U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy would be 19 years, 10 months and 12 days if he were to win Sunday, which would make him the youngest player ever to win a PGA TOUR event. First starts at 2009 CA Championship Since 2000, no player has won a World Golf Championships event in his first start at that event. Nick Watney and Alvaro Quiros have the best shot at breaking that streak tomorrow. Players making their first CA Championship start: Name Country Qualification Current standing Aiken, Thomas South Africa 2008 Sunshine Order of Merit T30 Baird, Briny USA 2008 FedExCup Top 30 T19 Duke, Ken USA 2008 FedExCup Top 30 T49 Finch, Richard England 2008 Euro Order of Merit T49 Johnson, Dustin USA 2009 OWGR - Top 50 March 2 T13 Kim, Anthony USA 2008 FedExCup Top 30 T38 Larrazabal, Pablo Spain 2008 Euro Order of Merit T76 Marksaeng, Prayad Thailand 2008 Japan Order of Merit T13 McIlroy, Rory N Ireland 2009 OWGR - Top 50 March 2 T10 Mulroy, Garth South Africa 2008 Sunshine Order of Merit T38 Perez, Pat USA 2009 FedExCup Top 10 March 2 T27 Quiros, Alvaro Spain 2009 OWGR - Top 50 March 2 T5 Watney, Nick USA 2009 FedExCup Top 10 March 2 T1 Watson, Bubba USA 2008 FedExCup Top 30 T64 Wen-Tang, Lin Taiwan 2008 Asian Order of Merit T57
Wilson, Oliver England 2008 Euro Order of Merit T19 Yano, Azuma Japan 2008 Japan Order of Merit 79 Course stats The 16 th hole measures to approximately 372 yards depending on the location of the tees. However, several players choose to cut the corner of the dogleg left in an attempt to drive a green that is slightly more than 300 yards away from the front of the tee box. Below are the ShotLink stats for players who have attempted to drive the green through three rounds. In 2008, 53 players attempted to drive the green out of 313 opportunities. None of the 53 players ended up landing their drive on the green. 16 stats Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Cumulative Going for the green 0/12 0/6 0/2 0/20 Scoring Average going for the green 3.58 3.83 4.50 3.75 Scoring Average laying up 3.82 3.88 3.81 3.84 Total Scoring average 3.78 3.87 3.82 3.83 Here are other notable drivable par 4s on the PGA TOUR from the 2008 season Course Hole Yardage Average Score AVG. O/U par Ridgewood Country Club No. 5 291 yds 3.841 -.159 TPC River Highlands No. 15 296 yds 3.633 -.337 The Plantation Course No. 14 305 yds 3.726 -.274 Riviera CC No. 10 315 yds 3.865 -.135 La Cantera GC No. 7 316 yds 3.830 -.170 Warwick Hills G&CC No. 14 322 yds 3.597 -.403 TPC Scottsdale No. 17 332 yds 3.724 -.276 Redstone Golf Club No. 12 338 yds 3.762 -.238 Doral Blue Monster No. 16 372 yds 3.834 -.166 The par-4 18 th hole again played most difficult on Saturday, after playing to 4.456 average. Through 54 holes, the scoring average on the 18 th hole is 4.487 and there have only been five birdies. In 2009, the hardest hole on the PGA TOUR so far has been the 462-yard par 4 7 th hole at the South Course at Torrey Pines with an average of 4.402. Course stats since the World Golf Championships-CA Championship moved to Doral Resort & Spa. Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Cumulative 2009 70.60 70.50 70.81 70.64 2008 70.89 72.33 70.18 70.73 71.04 2007 73.39 72.11 72.56 73.94 72.99 Birdies for the Brave activities this week are highlighted by the Patriots Outpost, a military hospitality chalet sponsored by Lockheed Martin located adjacent to the scoring area. The Patriots Outpost provides complimentary access to active duty and retired military members from all five branches and their families from Tuesday through Sunday. Several players spent time interacting with military personnel in the Patriots Outpost today, including Dudley Hart, Boo Weekley, Steve Stricker, Davis Love III, Anthony Kim, Charley Hoffman and Pat Perez. For more information on all of the events taking place at the Patriots Outpost this week, please see a PGA TOUR Media Official onsite. Aaron Baddeley DQ Aaron Baddeley was disqualified today for signing an incorrect scorecard after the second round. Today, Baddeley hit his tee shot into the hazard on No. 3. He called for a rules official to determine if he could move a stone that was under his foot during his stance. The rules official informed Baddeley that he could not intentionally move the stone. When Baddeley reached No. 9, he realized that during the second round, he had hit his tee shot into the same hazard and HAD moved a stone that was under his foot in his stance. He called a rules official again, and Baddeley was asked if he intentionally moved the stone, or if it happened incidentally as he took his stance. Baddeley determined that
it was intentional, therefore calling a penalty on himself (violation of Rule 13.4c). Since the penalty occurred during the second round, Baddeley had signed an incorrect scorecard yesterday and is therefore disqualified. Baddeley receives last-place (80 th ), unofficial money: $35,000 I m sure you are disappointed. AB: Yeah, just disappointed. You always want to play four round and just play as much as you can. And especially in a World Golf Championships like this. Disappointing, but I had to do the right thing. Could you walk us through how it all happened? AB: I drove the ball in the right water twice, both times, it finished in the sand in the rough edge right where I hit it. And yesterday, I sort of like kicked the stone out of the way as I was taking my stance, not really thinking anything of it. And then I was within a foot of it, in the same spot today. I had the same thing, and a rules official must have seen where I drove it, so he was, like, in the fairway. And I had another good-sized rock under my foot, and so I turned around and I sort of asked him if I could use my foot to move the rock out of the way. And he said if you feel you re taking your stance, you can, but you can t kick it out of the way. When he said that, I was like ooh, I think I did that yesterday. I spoke to Mike Shea and told him what happened, and he said, unfortunately that will be a disqualification. And I sort of knew that. So it was really a matter of you deciding what you had done. Players have to police themselves. AB: That s the idea. You have to be honest with yourself. I ve got to be able to go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning and look at myself in the mirror. That s the great thing about this game. You know you can trust all the guys out there because you know they re going to do the same.