When he would arrive at an unfamiliar track, Nelson would inquire as to the course record and who owned it. That may sound like an arrogant maneuver, but it was actually quite the opposite. Instead, he always wanted to be careful not to break the record of a club pro or local member, so that they may keep their own legacy intact.

For one of the most dominant golfers of his – or any other – era, that wasn’t an easy proposition.

Nelson’s numbers are the stuff of legend. He won 52 career PGA Tour titles – good for sixth all-time – and in 1945 he posted 18 wins, including 11 straight at one point.

Let the records show that in the third round of his eponymous tournament on Saturday, there weren’t any competitors on the verge of pulling a Byron. Which is to say, the course record wasn’t under threat of being surpassed and individual dominance was the furthest thing from anybody’s mind.

On a warm, blustery Texas afternoon, Moving Day looked more like a nine-car pileup on the interstate, with nine different players holding at least a share of the lead throughout the day. Their names read like a combination of “who’s who” and “who’s that” amongst the game’s elite: Jonas Blixt, Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Jason Dufner, J.J. Henry, Matt Kuchar, Marc Leishman, Dicky Pride and Vijay Singh.

When the dust settled and play was concluded, it was Dufner who owned a one-stroke advantage over Day, Henry and Pride, but there remains 16 players within four shots of the lead.

It’s a role with which Dufner is feeling an increased comfort level.

The 35-year-old is becoming accustomed to playing the role of front-runner. He was 54-hole leader at last year’s PGA Championship and 36-hole co-leader at this year’s Masters before finally winning for the first time after owning the 54-hole lead at last month’s Zurich Classic.

“I feel pretty good with it,” he explained. “Last time in New Orleans was back and forth with Ernie [Els]; this week it’s going to be the same thing. There are a lot of guys around the lead. I feel good with where my game is at, what I’m doing out there, getting more comfortable playing in final groups and getting more comfortable trying to win these tournaments. I think the more you do it the more comfortable you’re going to be, and the more successful you are, it’s going to carry over.”

Dufner may own the lead, but with nasty crosswinds expected to blow through the TPC Four Seasons venue once again on Sunday, the tournament still owns an “anybody’s ballgame” type of feel.

“It’s going to be tough [Sunday],” Day said. “There are a lot of great golfers up there, and it’s going to be tough to win this tournament. The guy that obviously makes the least amount of mistakes out there tomorrow is going to win. That’s just how things are going to go.”

“So many want to make drama about it, but it all comes down to just keep playing golf,” Pride added. “If I wasn’t here at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, I would be at the Nationwide Tour playing golf. Or at home. Just playing golf. All those cliches that no one wants to hear, but you’ve got to play. It’s a heck of a challenge, but that’s the idea.”

After Pride walked off the course following a third-round 67 that left him in contention for his first title in nearly 18 years, he hugged Peggy Nelson, widow of Byron, and exclaimed, “I’m still here!”

On a day when course records were far from the forefront of anyone’s thoughts and a week where nobody is producing Nelson-like domination, it’s a proclamation that many contenders can claim entering Sunday’s final round. By day’s end, though, that thought process will belong to just one.

Whether it’s a “who’s who” or a “who’s that” is an answer that for now remains blowin’ in these Texas winds.

golf

• No Related Post

Third-round leader Jason Dufner is 1-for-3 in his career while playing with a 54-hole advantage, winning last month’s Zurich Classic from that situation.

If he wins, Dufner would join Hunter Mahan as the only multiple winners on the PGA Tour so far this season.

Dufner’s first seven rounds at this event were in the 70s, but he has since posted his last four rounds in the 60s, with a 69 in last year’s final stanza and scores of 67-66-67 this week.

Dicky Pride will start the final round in a share of second place, seeking his second victory to follow the 1994 FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Should he win this week, Pride would overtake the PGA Tour record for longest time between victories, a span of 17 years, 9 months, 19 days. The current record is held by Robert Gamez, with a differential of 15 years, 6 months.

In 379 previous starts, Pride owns 17 top-10 finishes.

Dating to 2000, there have been seven international-born winners of the championship (2000-Jesper Parnevik, 2002-Shigeki Maruyama, 2003-Vijay Singh, 2004-Sergio Garcia, 2008-Adam Scott, 2009-Rory Sabbatini, 2010-Jason Day). After three rounds, three international-born players are in the top 10: Jason Day (T-2), Vijay Singh (5th) and Marc Leishman (T-6).

Day’s lone previous PGA Tour victory also came here at the Byron Nelson Championship, back in 2010.

Coming off last week’s Players Championship victory, Matt Kuchar is seeking his second straight title and the fifth of his career.

If Kuchar, currently tied for eighth place at 4-under, wins on Sunday, he would become the first player since Tiger Woods in August, 2009, to win on back-to-back weeks.

golf

• No Related Post

Dufner stands at 8 under par, with a one-shot lead over Jason Day, J.J. Henry and Dicky Pride at the TPC Four Seasons in Irving, Texas.

Vijay Singh shot 4-under 66 to reach 6 under to trail by two shots in solo fifth.

Phil Mickelson is 2 under through three rounds while defending champion Keegan Bradley is at 4 under.

golf

• No Related Post

The event had been scheduled to be contested Aug. 16-19. Englishman Oliver Fisher won the Czech Open last year for his first European Tour victory.

The tournament had been held at Prosper Golf Resort, in the town of Celadna, for the last three years. Before then, the tournament ran from 1994-97. Organizers hope to continue the tournament for at least three more years beginning in 2013.

It is the third event this season to be canceled or moved from its original location. The Iberdrola Open was postponed because of sponsorship problems. The Volvo Golf Champions was moved from Bahrain to South Africa because of political unrest in the original host country.

golf

• No Related Post

The court issued a search warrant for such contracts as a result of a suit brought by Elmway Participacoes, a company claiming ownership of the parcel to be transformed into a Gil Hanse-designed course for the Olympics.

City officials said it had not signed any contracts related to the development because it would be handled privately, according to the Associated Press.

Pasquale Mauro claims ownership of the land to the satisfaction of city officials, who announced an agreement to build the course on the land earlier this year. Elmway Participacoes has disputed the ownership claim for the last three years.

Upon announcing Hanse as the designer whose vision was selected for the Olympic course, Rio 2016 organizers said a deal had been struck with Mauro to build it. In exchange for the acreage and paying for a portion of the cost to construct the course, Mauro would later be able to develop housing with more relaxed requirements.

Olympic organizers said the contracts for the course would be finalized by the end of June. The city, however, will not be involved. Instead, the Rio 2016 committee, Pasquale Mauro, the course’s construction company and an association assigned to manage the course after the Olympics will be parties to the deal.

When Hanse was awarded the job as designer, it was announced construction would begin on the course in October. The course is to be completed in time for a test event in early 2015.

The city has not developed an alternative plan in the event the proposed land cannot be developed for the course.

golf

• No Related Post

McIlroy ranks only behind Brazilian soccer player Neymar on the list compiled by SportsProMedia.com. The Ulsterman was No. 21 a year ago.

It is the third year for the list, which aims to measure the marketability of athletes three years into the future. The ranking criterion considers future monetary value, age, charisma, crossover appeal, their home market and willingness to engage sponsors.

The website considers McIlroy a player easy to root for as “course-side spectators will him on with the kind of enthusiasm reserved for sons and daughters.”

The 2011 U.S. Open champion was considered especially worthy of the ranking due to his deals with banking company Santander U.K., as well as Audemars Piguet, Footjoy, Jumeirah, Oakley, Skins, Sunseeker and Titleist.

Three other golfers made the top 50. Tiger Woods ranked 47th on the list. Bubba Watson is 20th, while Yani Tseng was the highest-ranked female golfer at No. 10. All three were not ranked last year. 

golf

• No Related Post

TODAY’S TOPICS
- Ryan’s Redemption
Last year he lost the HP Byron Nelson Championship in a playoff to Keegan Bradley. This year, Ryan Palmer is back in the lead thru 18 holes. He carded six birdies en route to a bogey-free 64. Palmer has a one-shot lead over Alex Cejka and Marc Leishman.
- One and Done
Suzann Pettersen’s defense didn’t last long in the LPGA Tour’s Sybase Match Play Championship. She lost 3-and-1 to Jodi Ewart. U.S. stars Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome and Michelle Wie also lost their matches. World #1 Yani Tseng squeaked by Jeong Jang with a 1-up win.
- Something Borrowed
Brandt Snedeker borrowed some clubs — and never looked back! After losing his clubs in transit to Spain, Sneds took down Thomas Bjorn 5-and-4 on the first day of the Volvo World Match Play Championship. He’ll play Branden Grace later this morning in the round robin format.
- Still the One
Tiger Woods is still the #1 athlete in the world — in the 2012 Forbes Celebrity List. The list measures earnings and media attention. He’s actually #12 overall. Jennifer Lopez is the most powerful celebrity.
 

- Facebook’s Market Value?
- Forbes Names Tiger Woods Most Powerful Athlete
- Mortgage Rates Continue to Fall
 
GUEST SCHEDULE
6:08a ET:    Seema Mody, CNBC Business Report
6:45a ET:    Holly Sonders, Morning Drive Updates Host
7:15a ET:    Jason Sobel, GolfChannel.com Senior Writer
7:30a ET:    Dougie Donnelly, European Tour Analyst
 
WATCH & LISTEN TO TODAY’S ACTION
Check back later in the show for interviews and analysis
 
TODAY’S MUSIC
If interested in the music you heard today on “Morning Drive”, download it on iTunes.
 “Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers Band
 “Only Girl (In the World)” by Rihanna
 “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” by Billy Joel
 
UPCOMING GUESTS
Tune-in or stream the show live on GolfChannel.com weekdays at 7AM ET
 
Monday, May 21
GUEST HOST Jason Sobel
Ron Sirak
Lauren Thompson

golf

• No Related Post

It should hardly come as a surprise.

What, like you thought he was going to start tanking? Pack it in for the season? Move to a tropical island, set up a hammock near the beach and roll around in stacks of cash from the $1.71 million he pocketed in Ponte Vedra Beach?

That’s not the Kuchar Way.

“He’s a hard worker,” said his caddie, Lance Bennett. “He’s just not going to win and then be content and be like, ‘I’m done.’ That’s not the way he is.”

More articles and videos on Matt Kuchar

So, what is the Kuchar Way? After a subdued celebration Sunday night at TPC-Sawgrass, he not only honored his previous commitment to compete in the Byron Nelson, but ventured here free of any complacency following last week’s victory.

In fact, he punctuated the win by working even harder this week.

Kuchar’s instructor, Chris O’Connell, lives here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so he annually uses the Texas Swing as an opportunity to get his own swing tuned up and ready for the upcoming U.S. Open. Even with a maneuver through the ball that often appeared flawless during victory, Kuchar stuck with the plan and grinded on the practice range in the days leading into the event.

“There is some room for improvement, some things I would like to continue to dial in on [with] my ball-striking,” he explained. “Having Chris here, we don’t have that many chances to get together, and I figured I would take advantage. The U.S. Open is not far around the corner. I’m hoping to really continue to be sharp and get even sharper come the U.S. Open.”

What is he working on with O’Connell?

“The same stuff,” he continued. “You know, getting the club as close to the shaft line as possible, so getting the hands lower and tighter to my body.”

There is often a negative emphasis on players who attempt to make improvements after enjoying success – think Tiger Woods – but Kuchar is proof that a player treading water in the status quo is in effect losing ground to his fellow competitors.

The truth is, whether Kuchar had won last week or missed the cut by a mile, he was going to keep digging in the dirt, trying to uncover any new secrets to the swing.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he came into this week without a good feel for his game.

“There’s extra confidence,” he said. “I know that I’m doing a lot of things well.”

“You can just tell how hard he’s working,” Bennett added. “You know he would like to back it up with another one.”

In the brave new world of PGA Tour golf that has turned into a parity party, no player has won in back-to-back weeks since Woods did so three years ago. That would be tough to ask of Kuchar – now in search of his fifth career victory – but certainly well within the realm of reason.

For now, though, backing up his win with one strong round is momentous enough. Just ask a player who knows about being in that situation.

“It’s impressive,” said defending champion Keegan Bradley. “I didn’t do that at the Memorial after I won here, so it’s a tough thing to do. He’s won four times, so he’s more used to it than I am, but that’s a great round, and I’m happy for him.”

Maybe someday Kuchar can enjoy the luxuries of a hammock, a beach and a cash cushion. For now, he’s just going to keep grinding his way up the leaderboard, leaving the idea of complacency far out of mind.

golf

• No Related Post

The native Texan made six birdies in a bogey-free round at TPC at Four Seasons in Irving, Texas.

Marc Leishman and Alex Cejka are tied for second after shooting 5-under 65.

Defending champion Keegan Bradley finished at 3 under, while Jason Day finished with a double bogey to fall to 2-under 68.

Phil Mickelson, playing in the event for the first time since 2007, shot even-par 70.

Matt Kuchar, winner of last week’s Players Championship, is one of seven players tied for fourth at 4 under.

golf

• No Related Post

TODAY’S TOPICS
- USGA Break-In
Police in New Jersey are searching for a burglar who broke into the USGA Museum and stole the U.S. Amateur Trophy and a replica of Ben Hogan’s 1953 Hickok Belt award. No injuries have been reported.
- On The Tee
Defending Champion Ian Poulter and John Senden are facing off in Spain for the Volvo World Match Play Championship. 16 of the 24 players in the field play today in the round robin format. Coverage starts immediately after Morning Drive.
- Early Start
Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Ernie Els get an early start this morning in the HP Byron Nelson Championship. The marquee morning group tees off at 8:30AM ET. Full first round coverage starts at 2:30 this afternoon.
- Sybase Stars
Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie, and defending champion Suzann Pettersen are among the stars who tee it up in the LPGA’s Sybase Match Play Championship today. This event is single elimination. You can see the first round at 6:30PM ET tonight.
 

- Wall Street Bonuses on the Rise
- Fewer April Foreclosures
- Ford’s C-Max Hybrid Minivan
- New Limits for Verizon 4G Customers
 
GUEST SCHEDULE
6:08a ET:    Seema Mody, CNBC Business Report
6:15a ET:    Holly Sonders, Morning Drive Updates Host
6:25a ET:    Scott Williams, Weather Channel Report
6:45a ET:    Annika Sorenstam, World Golf Hall of Fame Member
7:15a ET:    John Feinstein, Golf Channel Contributor
7:30a ET:    Julian Tutt, European Tour Analyst
7:40a ET:    Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina
 
WATCH & LISTEN TO TODAY’S ACTION
Check back later in the show for interviews and analysis
 
TODAY’S MUSIC
If interested in the music you heard today on “Morning Drive”, download it on iTunes.
 “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles
 “Driver 8” by R.E.M.
 “I Need to Know” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
 
UPCOMING GUESTS
Tune-in or stream the show live on GolfChannel.com weekdays at 7AM ET
 
Friday, May 18
GUEST HOST Jimmy Roberts
GUEST HOST Trevor Immelman
Jason Sobel

golf

• No Related Post