Woodland sinks 65-foot eagle putt, leads by 3

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Former FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker has been a pretty annoyed spectator of late when it comes to the TOUR Championship. Snedeker has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in all 13 seasons of the season-long competition’s existence, but has been unable to get to the final hurdle in recent times. The nine-time PGA TOUR winner failed to make it to East Lake over the last two seasons, a place he loves having won the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup there in 2012.  But with a scintillating 8-under 63 on Saturday at THE NORTHERN TRUST, the 38-year-old has given himself every chance to lock up his return to Atlanta nice and early. Related: Leaderboard | Watson headlines FedExCup eliminations | New TOUR Championship format aims to creates excitment Coming into the Playoffs, Snedeker sat 33rd on the points list, knowing the top 30 after next week’s BMW Championship get a ticket to the TOUR Championship. His third round at Liberty National featured two eagles in a three-hole stretch (Nos. 6 and 8), five birdies and left him at 12-under for the tournament, giving him the early clubhouse lead with several golfers still out on the course. “My rookie year on TOUR when I shot 61 in San Diego, I did it. That would be about the last time,â€� he smiled while recounting his two eagles. Should he win on Sunday, Snedeker is likely to move as high as second in the FedExCup standings. Any high finish at Liberty National would ensure his play at Medinah is purely about positioning for Atlanta. “For me who has been outside of East Lake the last few years, my main goal is to get into East Lake to make sure I have a chance and build on that tomorrow,â€� Snedeker said. “With the new format (at the TOUR Championship), obviously being as close as you can to the leader going in is going to be a huge deal more so than years past. “Everybody is trying to make as many points as they can and get as high as they possibly can.â€� The FedExCup leader heading to the TOUR Championship will start at 10-under, second place at 8-under, third 7-under, fourth 6-under with fifth at 5-under. Players ranked 6-10 will start at 4-under, 11-15 at 3-under, 16-20 at 2-under, 21-25 at 1-under and 26-30 at even par.

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Newly elected World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen tees it up for the first time since getting the call, while Ryan Armour defends a title for the first time as the PGA TOUR comes to Mississippi for the 33rd consecutive year. Lucas Glover, fresh from retaining his card via the Web.com Tour Finals, joins Goosen to give the Sanderson Farms Championship two former U.S. Open winners. The roster also includes former FedExCup champion Bill Haas, trying to lock down full TOUR status as he plays out a medical extension. FIELD NOTES: Sungjae Im, fourth at the Safeway Open after winning the Web.com Tour earnings title, tees it up in a short turnaround after playing THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in his native South Korea. Im, Armour and J.J. Spaun are the only entrants to take on the trans-Pacific turnaround. … Jhonattan Vegas, unable to compete on the Asia Swing while dealing with passport issues in his native Venezuela, resumes his season in Mississippi. He tied for 53rd at the Safeway Open. … With the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking qualified for the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, Dylan Frittelli (No. 73) is the highest ranked player in the field. … Im and Glover are among 49 graduates in the field from the Web.com Tour Regular Season or Finals. The only absentee: Finals money leader Denny McCarthy. … Dicky Pride is set to make his 20th start in Mississippi, extending his own longevity mark. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 300 points. STORYLINES: Mississippi has become a haven for first-time winners, with five of the past seven champions making it their first. Armour’s victory followed Cody Gribble (2016), Peter Malnati (2015), Nick Taylor (‘14) and Chris Kirk (‘11). … In all, 11 players have made the Sanderson Farms Championship their first PGA TOUR triumph. … Haas, who missed a chunk of the spring after injuries in a fatal auto accident near the Genesis Open, has two starts left to earn 68 FedExCup points that would lock up full TOUR privileges for 2018-19. A top-10 finish in Napa earned him an extra start. … Goosen tees it up for the first time since a missed cut at the Wyndham Championship in August. He’s seeking his first top-10 finish since the FedEx St. Jude Classic last June. … U.S. entrants have won 21 of the past 23 editions in Mississippi, including 13 of the past 14. Canada’s Nick Taylor won in 2014, snapping a run of 10 straight U.S. winners, and England’s Luke Donald captured the 2002 edition. COURSE: Country Club of Jackson, 7,421 yards, par 72. Utilizing the Dogwood and Azalea nines from a 27-hole complex built by Dick Wilson in 1962, CCJ now enjoys its fifth year as Sanderson Farms host. Six Mississippi State Amateurs have been contested at CCJ, most recently in 2015, and the Southern Junior Amateur made an appearance in 2014. The club, which dates back to 2014, also played a key role in Mississippi history as a 1962 raid on the Carnival Ball turned up gallons of illegal liquor and prompted legislators to end the state’s prohibition. 72-HOLE RECORD: 263, Dan Halldorson (1986 at Hattiesburg GC). CC of Jackson record: 268, Cody Gribble (2016). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Keith Clearwater (2nd round, 1996 at Annandale GC). CC of Jackson record: 62, Roberto Castro (1st round, 2015). LAST YEAR: Armour finally captured that elusive first PGA TOUR victory, pulling away with a 4-under-par 68 for a five-shot triumph. The 41-year-old Ohio native was the only man to break 70 all four days, opening with a 66 and carding nothing worse than a 68 for the entire week. A third-round 67 opened a five-shot gap heading into the final day, and six birdies kept any challengers at bay. Victory came in Armour’s 105th career TOUR start, dating back to 2007, and he had just four top-10 finishes during that decade. It also came just a month after regaining his card via the Web.com Tour Finals, where a runner-up showing at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship secured his status. Chesson Hadley led the chase pack, his second top-three finish of the new season after earning his card back via the Web.com Tour Finals. Jonathan Randolph, from nearby Brandon, Mississippi, was third after a closing 67. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Sunday, 2:30-5:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-5:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-5:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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