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Romero holds off Garcia to win in Germany

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WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia – You can bet the next time Harold Varner III plays a practice round with Tiger Woods he won’t be checking his smart phone on the tee or between shots. Varner did sneak some glances the first time the two teed it up. The second time, Woods laid down the law. “He made me put my phone up, because the first time I played with him, I was like, dude, relax, it’ll be okay,â€� Varner said with a grin. “And then he wasn’t having it the next time.â€� That was part of a broader lesson, though. Woods was trying to teach the affable Varner how to focus, how to block out the extraneous and concentrate on the task at hand. And should Varner win A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier on Sunday, the former world No. 1’s words of advice just might pay dividends. “He said that focusing is like reading a book while you’re watching TV,â€� Varner said. “So like you hear the noise but you focus on the book. So the golf course is the book, so don’t act like you don’t hear it. “And I thought that was awesome.â€� Varner enters the final round at the Old White TPC holding a share of the lead with Kelly Kraft. Both are seeking their first PGA TOUR win in their 85th starts. Neither has led entering the final round. Varner’s previous best TOUR finish came when he tied for fifth at the 2015 OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He did win the 2016 Australian PGA Championship, though, and feels like he’s getting better with each passing year. “I want to see how good I can get, and every year I find a way to just keep learning, keep growing,â€� Varner said. “… I’m going to wake up tomorrow and give it all I’ve got.â€� So far, Varner has been extremely steady. He’s only made two bogeys this week and hasn’t dropped a shot to par since the 12th hole of his first round. He’s tied for the lead in scrambling, too. “I’m pretty hungry,â€� Varner said. “I’m ready to see what happens. This is what you work for. This is what I get so pumped up to do.â€� At the same time, Varner plans to keep the day in perspective, a word he mentioned more than once in his post-round interview. He’ll be the same person when Sunday’s round is over regardless of whether he wins or not. “You know, if I shoot 90 tomorrow, I’m going to be able to go home and my mom is going to give me a kiss and say, You’re still a winner. I’m going to be mad, but that’s just how it is,â€� he said. “And then if I win, she’s going to humble me and be like, You’re not better than me, and I thoroughly enjoy that. I’m going to mow my parents’ grass on Monday, so that’s just what I’m going to do.â€� NOTABLES A year ago, Kelly Kraft was the one chasing the leaders at The Greenbrier. He was four strokes off the lead held by Sebastian Munoz and ended up shooting 69 to tie for fifth. This year, though, he and Varner are the hunted, one stroke ahead of defending champion Xander Schauffele and Kevin Na. “I’m looking forward to going out in the last group and having some fun,â€� Kraft said. “It will play firm again, so I will get after it with wedges and hit it to more conservative lines when need be. Hopefully I’ll roll in a few long ones. It will be a fun day. This is what we play for, to be in contention.â€� The Greenbrier has been played seven times previously and believe it or not, a first-, second- or third-round leader has never gone on to win. Schauffele was one of those come-from-behind winners, making up a three-stroke deficit last year with a final-round 67. He finds himself in a similar position this year, although only trailing by one, and is among15 players within five strokes of the lead. Schauffele feels the experience he gained in 2017 should serve him well on Sunday. “Instead of getting nervous, I’ve been trying to relive some of those moments last year and remind myself that I do play well here, obviously, and sort of keep that on the forefront versus getting nervous,â€� he explained. Bubba Watson delighted the crowd on Saturday as h climbed the leaderboard with a 65 that left him 11 under. Watson, who has a summer home here at The Greenbrier, is seeking his fourth win of the season and second in the last three weeks. His best finish in four starts at The Old White TPC, though, is a tie for 13th in 2015. Even though his 65 was his lowest in competition here, Watson knows he needs to improve his putting. He ranks third in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green but 49th in Strokes Gained: Putting. “Still not comfortable,â€� Watson said. “I think I left at least two from inside 15 feet, dead in the heart short. Maybe three today. So even though I made a lot of birdies there was a couple, one extra roll and I would have made a couple more birdies. But like I said, it’s my own frustrations. The score is great, but I want to be lower because I want to have a chance to lift that trophy.â€� QUOTABLES Every time I get in contention, I’m hungry to win. When I won, it took me eight years, and I told everybody that it will not take that long to win my second one, and I’m running out of time. Hopefully I get this done.I’m an athlete. I want to win. So let’s go with that first. Then all these other guys are trying to beat me, so I’m trying to beat them. Then another trophy on the mantle would be nice. Having a house here, being a member here at the club, The Greenbrier has been so good to me, the fans and everything, so it would be nice to win. I’ll call myself a local boy. It would be good to have the trophy stay here. SUPERLATIVES Lowest round: Bronson Burgoon, Kevin Na, J.T. Poston, Xander Schauffele and Bubba Watson each shot 65. Longest drive: Tony Finau hit a 369-yarder on the sixth hole. Longest putt: Brett Stegamaier made a birdie putt of 59 feet, 11 inches on the par 4 14th hole. Hardest hole: The par-4 13th hole played to an average of 4.247 with just 4 birdies, 53 pars, 18 bogeys, 1 double bogey and one “other.â€� Easiest hole: The par-5 17th hole played to an average of 4.571 with 1 eagle, 35 birdies, 38 pars, just 2 bogeys and one double bogey. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the final round at A Miltary Tribute at The Greenbrier, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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FORT WORTH, Texas – We entered this week not really knowing what to expect. First PGA TOUR event in three months. No fans. No stands. Testing protocols and in-the-bubble existence. Masks required for most, thermal screening necessary for all. Now we’re 54 holes in and guess what? The Charles Schwab Challenge has turned into … a regular golf tournament. And that’s a good thing. Sunday’s final round will focus on which player on a leaderboard stacked with notable names will emerge as the latest champion this season. A big trophy, a plaid jacket, a nice check and 500 FedExCup points will be rewarded, just like previous years at Colonial. RELATED: RELATED: Leaderboard | Big names in contention at Charles Schwab Challenge “We’re … here to win a golf tournament,â€� said South African Branden Grace, one of five players a shot behind leader Xander Schauffele. “Whether there’s 40,000 people or four people watching, it doesn’t really make a difference.â€� Of course, Grace and all the players in this week’s field realize it’s been anything but a normal week on TOUR. Some received another dose of the new reality after their third rounds, as players scheduled to fly the charter to next week’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town were required to again undergo COVID-19 testing in order to play next week. On Sunday, there will be no trophy presentation on the 18th green for the champion, although there will be a photo op. The winner’s press conference will be handled virtually, as have all media obligations this week. The charter leaves shortly after the event, so there’s no time to spend on other responsibilities generally required of a tournament champ. Still, it’s competition. A chance to beat your peers. The determining factor might very well be how players handle the unusual circumstances of a high-pressure environment without being able to feed off fans. Some may like it. Some may find it difficult to play their best. “I’m into it, and it’s a little bit more competitive honestly than I thought it would be,â€� said Justin Thomas, who joins Grace, Jordan Spieth, Gary Woodland and Collin Morikawa as the closest pursuers to Schauffele. “I thought it was going to be very odd. I was hoping that I’d be in this position to where I’d have a good chance to win the tournament and see how I feel, but it is going to be different, especially come those last couple of holes if you have a lead or if you’re trying to chase someone down or if you’re tied for the lead. “It’ll be interesting to see how that adrenaline plays a role.â€� Schauffele, a four-time TOUR winner who grabbed the lead with a birdie on his final hole Saturday, leaving him at 13 under after his second consecutive 66, may be the perfect player to handle the atmosphere. The word “subduedâ€� was invented for him. “I’m kind of a quiet guy,â€� he said. “I don’t have like a huge effect on the crowd, I’d say, so not having fans isn’t the craziest thing for me. “It just does feel like I’m playing at home with some of my buddies. It’s quiet. You make three birdies in a row, you can kind of give yourself a pat on the back.â€� His playing partner in the final twosome is Gary Woodland, who also shot 66 to move into a five-way tie for second with Grace, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa. Woodland said it will simply be a matter of making his own noise. “When you get into contention and have a chance to win a golf tournament, that adrenaline starts pumping,â€� Woodland said. “It’s been a little different; the first two days there wasn’t too much adrenaline. There will be adrenaline going, which you have with fans or without fans. Tomorrow should be fun.â€� One person who definitely has fed off the Colonial crowd in recent years is Spieth, the Dallas native who won here in 2016. Spieth is the only other pro to reach 13 under this week, but a bogey at the 15th prevented him for playing in the final twosome for the second consecutive day. He shot 68 while playing with 36-hole leader Harold Varner III, who posted a 70 to drop two shots off the pace. Instead of becoming a normal tournament as the week has progressed, Spieth admitted “it’s felt weirder, in my opinion.â€� “Going in, I thought that Monday to Friday would be somewhat normal and then Saturday and Sunday would be a bit odd,â€� he said. “Today definitely felt a lot different for it being a Saturday afternoon in the last group. When you kind of think about the situation you’re in, you just don’t feel like you’re actually out there doing that. I just felt like I was playing a normal round with Harold, certainly knowing where I was at. “You know, I like to feed off the crowds.â€� So does Rory McIlroy, the world’s top-ranked player. McIlroy, making his first start at Colonial, followed his 63 with a 1-under 69 while basically flying under the radar. He’s at 10 under and will be another player trying to make his own noise. “I feel for a Saturday afternoon being in contention on the PGA TOUR, it felt sort of weird out there,â€� McIlroy said. “The first couple days it was fine, but definitely today it’s feeling strange. I’m sure tomorrow will feel pretty strange, especially with so many guys in and around the lead.â€� So many notables, to be more specific. The top 14 players on the leaderboard, all within 3 shots of the lead, includes the last five FedExCup champs (Spieth, Thomas, Justin Rose and McIlroy times two). Seven of the contenders played in the Presidents Cup last December. Woodland is the reigning U.S. Open champ; Grace holds the record for lowest round shot in a major. You get the drift. “It definitely has a major feel,â€� Woodland said. “You’ve got a lot of the top players in the world, and everybody is playing well. I think everybody is excited to be out here, and with no fans here, you get some big names up there that you definitely get the juices going.â€� Still, there’s no denying that this week has been unusual for all at Colonial. But a win’s a win – and this win Sunday, given the circumstances, may very well be as special as they come. “Listen, this is new to us all,â€� said Rose, trying to win at Colonial for the second time in the last three years. “It’s going to feel different for everybody, but it’s going to feel as rewarding to win. You’re going to have to beat a great field and it’s going to be a good leaderboard to contest against, and whoever wins tomorrow is going to have to go out and play some good golf. From that point of view, that’s all we’re looking at. “Ultimately, we all need to break down the golf course week in and week out and that doesn’t change tomorrow. Obviously, the crowd and the fans, they bring some of the atmosphere and the energy, but it doesn’t change the task.â€� Play the quiet game … or make your noise. Whoever figures it out the best may be the subject of a photo op late Sunday afternoon.

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