Seamus Power’s hot streak continues with ace en route to 63

LAS VEGAS - An incredible stretch that included three eagles in five holes has catapulted Matthew Wolff into contention at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin. Through eight holes of his third round, Wolff was just one under par and getting swallowed up on the leaderboard as multiple players sat deep in red figures on moving day. Then he exploded. Wolff carded three eagles and three birdies to go 9-under on his next nine holes, setting up a chance for a 59. But his last three holes featured putts that hung agonizingly on the edge of the hole, forcing the 21-year-old to be content with a blistering career low 10-under 61. RELATED: Full leaderboard When he signed his card he was the clubhouse leader at 18-under however multiple players, including the lead groups, had plenty of holes left to play. Coming off his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open, Wolff is driven to go one better. "Jobs not done," Wolff said referencing that while it was a fantastic round his vision was firmly set on trying to win the tournament. "This course you have so many birdie opportunities if you hit the ball in the fairway. It’s not long. The pins were in pretty favorable spots. I just told myself to give myself as many looks as I can and the putts would fall. Even though it seems like some of them didn’t, I hit the ball really well." After opening with two pars, Wolff seemingly kick started things by chipping in from off the third green for birdie but he could only manage a string of five pars following. He would then birdie the par-5 9th from inside six feet and the par-4 10th from just inside nine feet. Then things really clicked. A brilliant hole-out eagle from 116 yards on the par-4 11th came next. "It was more the wedge shot on 10 really was the turning point. That really felt like it was a little different swing, but different in a good way. I flagged it on 10 and then 11 I holed out. And from then on I felt like I didn’t hit it outside 15 feet pretty much the rest of the way," Wolff said. "I was really happy with how my game is trending and the things I’ve been working on and put myself in a good spot. The hole-out on 11, you never expect to hole-out, but when it happens, kind of just puts you in a really good mindset. "I was a little frustrated on the front nine. Felt like I hit a lot of good putts and a lot of good shots and only shot 2-under, especially with how low the scores were. I felt like I was falling back." A missed chance from 13-feet on the 12th would prove costly in the chase for 59 a little later on, but sub 60 wasn't on his mind even after dropping in a 17-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th. He barely missed a birdie from the same length on the par-3 14th before hitting a mint 3-wood onto the drivable par-4 15th to 15-feet. He would nail the putt and head to the par-5 16th having made three eagles in five holes and needing to play the final three holes three under for a 59. A brilliant drive and approach to just 15-feet set up the chance to become the first player since records have been kept to make a fourth eagle in a six-hole stretch but his putt almost inexplicably hung on the lip of the hole. The birdie kept the chase for 59 alive, as did a great approach on the par-3 17th to inside 15-feet. Cruelly his ball defied gravity once again and hung on the edge. He would also miss a 12-foot birdie try on the final hole, curling around the back side to sit just a few revolutions from dropping. "On 16 I thought it I made it about two feet out and it kind of just snapped a little harder than I thought. Every single one of those putts I hit it right where I wanted to and got the speed right. Felt like I hit it on my line; just didn’t go in," Wolff added. "The greens are pretty tricky out here. Still could putt a little better, but I was really happy with where the ball striking is, and I’m sure the putts will drop tomorrow." Wolff is just the fifth player to make three eagles on either the front 9 or back 9 in a round on the PGA TOUR since records have been kept (1983). He is the first to do it since 2006. “After I missed that putt on 17, the one that I thought just kind of broke right and didn’t go in, I kind of realized... dang, if that putt would’ve went in, all I would’ve had to do is birdie 18 to shoot 59," Wolff continued. "It didn’t creep in until then, but I gave myself as many good looks as I could and just wasn’t meant to be. I’m sure I’ll get that opportunity again and my game is feeling really good."

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After how he ended last year, Tiger Woods set the bar high — again. At age 44 and with his health history, this week made it clear there are still going to be times when his game and body aren’t quite right.

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In conjunction with the 75th anniversary of Byron Nelson’s historic 1945 season, PGATOUR.COM’s writers responded to a couple of pertinent questions. Feel free to chime in via the message board at the bottom of this file. THE IMPACT OF BYRON NELSON During what would’ve been AT&T Byron Nelson week, PGATOUR.COM is celebrating the tournament’s legendary namesake and his impact on golf with a series of stories, including: • His impact on my life and career, by Tom Watson • His impact on the modern golf swing • His impact on winners of his event • His impact on charity with the Salesmanship Club • 11 things to know about Nelson’s 11 consecutive wins What’s more unbreakable: 11 consecutive wins or 18 in one season? BEN EVERILL: I’d say both might stand forever, but the 11 consecutive certainly will never be broken. The depth of fields these days and forever more will just make this downright impossible. Winning three in a row now is an incredible achievement. Anything more than that in today’s game is other worldly. JIM McCABE: Neither will be touched. But the one-in-a-million chance it could happen would probably be 18 total wins. Winning 11 straight is never-in-a-million. CAMERON MORFIT: Given that no one has come even remotely close since – Snead won 11 times in 1950 – I don’t think anyone will ever match 18 wins in one season. That number is so outrageous it seems like a typo. HELEN ROSS: I don’t see either being broken, to be honest. The most Tiger ever won in a single season was nine while Jack’s best was seven — and I’m hard-pressed to see that kind of talent and dominance anywhere on the horizon. But I’ll choose the 11 consecutive wins because that requires a steely mental focus to cast aside the distractions, as well as the abundant talent to get the job done. SEAN MARTIN: Can I say both? Neither can be broken and neither will be. MIKE McALLISTER: Initially, I was thinking 11 straight wins is the more daunting task. But I’ve reversed course. A dominant player could theoretically pick and choose his optimum schedule based on form and health, as well as the courses that fit his game – and remember, the record book is based on starts regardless of the season (hence, Tiger’s seven spread over two years). From that perspective, 11 straight over a longer stretch seems slightly more doable than 18 wins in a single season. And consider this: According to ShotLink, of the 937 players who have won at least one PGA TOUR event, just 49 have won 18 for their careers. To achieve that in just one season boggles the mind. Is Nelson’s 1945 performance the greatest single season in golf? BEN EVERILL: Statistically of course it is — 18 wins in 30 starts, 30 of 30 top-10s with seven runner-ups to go with the wins. Incredible. But the world is increasingly biased towards modern history and things we remember or have seen. My parents were still 10 years away from being born in 1945 and with the greatest amount of respect to Lord Byron, I’m not sure the events he played had the depth of competition we have today. For mine – the 2000 Tiger Woods season is the greatest. Nine wins, 17 of 20 top 10s, 20 of 20 top 25s. Won the last three majors of the year as part of his nine wins and outside of those was on winning Presidents Cup and World Cup teams. But if Nelson’s season got the majority nod, I wouldn’t be disappointed. JIM McCABE: Yes. He established not one, but three records that will never be sniffed – 11 straight wins, 18 in all, 30-for-30 in top 10s. I know about the depth-of-competition argument, but here’s what never gets treated properly: Travel was way more difficult, money was absurdly petty, and the character it took to survive was off the charts. As always, when wisdom is required, I turn to the greatest sage of ‘em all, Jack Burke Jr., who said of Nelson’s 1945 season: “I don’t care if he was playing against orangutans, winning 11 straight (and 18 in all) is amazing.â€� CAMERON MORFIT: Hard to judge two eras 55 years apart, and I’m no historian, but I’ll say Tiger Woods’ 2000 season was the best. His non-adjusted scoring average of 68.17 beat Nelson’s unofficial mark of 68.33. Woods also joined Hogan in ’53 as the only men to win three professional majors in a single season. Woods won tournaments by 15 (U.S. Open) and 11 strokes (WGC-NEC Invitational), which is insane. Yes, Nelson won more, 18 times to Tiger’s nine, but he also had 30 starts to Tiger’s 20, and golf was more of a global game, with a roster of more stars from more places, when Tiger had his magical season. HELEN ROSS: The only other season that would merit consideration is Tiger in 2000, and frankly, it seems like heresy to pick one over the other. It’s hard to compare strength and depth of field, but for purposes of the debate, I’ll go with Nelson, who played 30 times and won 18 of those while finishing second on seven other occasions. His unadjusted scoring average was 68.3, which certainly compares favorably to Wood’s 68.17 in 2000. That streak of 11 straight wins also strengthens the argument, although for many, Tiger’s three majors are the trump card, and I can’t disagree. SEAN MARTIN: I’m biased toward Tiger’s 2000 season. Three majors, including a 15-stroke win at the U.S. Open and 8-stroke margin at The Open Championship. Maybe it’s the bias of youth. He won nine times in 20 starts that year and finished outside the top 3 just six times. MIKE McALLISTER: Using Tiger’s three major wins in 2000 as the deciding factor is a bit unfair, considering only one major was played in 1945 – the PGA Championship, which Nelson won while playing 204 (yes, 204!) holes in the old format. The other three majors, canceled due to World War II, would’ve been played during Nelson’s 11-win streak. Same for lack of wartime competition – Hogan and Snead did make a combined 44 starts in 1945, so it wasn’t like Nelson was bereft of significant rivals. I actually think the most interesting comparison involves unadjusted scoring averages. Of the top 10 recorded scoring averages in TOUR history, nine belong to players in the last 20 years. The outlier is Nelson in 1945. To me, that’s pivotal in the argument of the better season. Yes, Tiger’s average was slightly lower, but Nelson’s was the more impressive in its era. You may argue the set-ups were harder, the courses longer in 2000; I’ll respond that the equipment was much better, the courses better manicured, the travel more demanding. Give me Nelson’s season as the best.

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