Thomas watches solid round get blown away in the wind

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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FORT WORTH, Texas – Justin Rose has spent a lot of time in the trees at the Fort Worth Invitational. His tee shots haven’t sent him there. His ballstriking has been superb thus far at Hogan’s Alley. The temperatures in the upper-90s have. Even the quickest respite from the scorching sun is welcome. “My caddie has done a great job of just literally handing me water bottle after water bottle. It seems relentless, to be honest with you,â€� Rose said. “I haven’t even seen the inside of a restroom yet, so you can’t drink quick enough.â€� He admitted that his focus started to flag on Saturday’s final holes as the mercury almost touched 100 degrees. “From that point, I was really trying to put one foot in front of the other and stay committed,â€� he said. The heat has been the biggest challenge for an elite player who appears to be in complete control of his game. Rose has put on a ball-striking display that would make Ben Hogan proud to build a four-shot lead after the first three rounds at Colonial. Rose shot 66 on Saturday and stands at 14-under 196. Emiliano Grillo (69) and reigning U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka (67) are tied for second. They’re the only ones within five shots of Rose. His four-shot lead matches the largest lead of his PGA TOUR career. He was victorious the previous two times that he started the final round four strokes ahead (2010 The National, 2011 BMW Championship). He knows that plenty of work remains, though. In November, he won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions after Dustin Johnson lost a six-shot lead. Rose started the final round eight back of Johnson, but shot 67 to Johnson’s 77. “It is a big lead, but it isn’t big enough,â€� Rose said. “It’s not big enough to be counting the holes away. You have to go out and play good. You have to go out positive. You have to continue to make birdies and keep going forward.â€� Low scores are available at Colonial, where the bentgrass greens have to stay soft to withstand the heat. There have been 14 scores of 64 or lower this week. The scoring average was 68.5 on Saturday. “He has to go out and shoot under par,â€� Grillo said. “He’s got 50 guys behind him trying to reach him.â€� Rose will achieve history if he can convert. A victory would be his ninth on the PGA TOUR, matching Nick Faldo for the most by an Englishman (since 1983, when the TOUR started keeping victory records). A win would make Rose the fifth player with two wins this season and move him to No. 2 in the FedExCup. Rose has impressed after spending last week practicing with coach Sean Foley. Rose is playing Colonial for the first time in eight years to get a better gauge on where his game stands entering the summer. He closed 2017 with 10 consecutive top-10 finishes, and finished outside the top 10 just twice in 15 starts dating from the 2017 FedExCup Playoffs to this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. But he sandwiched a T12 at Augusta National between two lackluster performance, a T52 at the Houston Open and a T23 at THE PLAYERS, where he started the final round in 55th place. A final-round 66, including seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch, showed him things were moving in the right direction. “I really feel like I keyed into something,â€� Rose said about his last round at the Stadium Course. “We kind of made a few changes about a year ago, but the last few weeks, things have simplified a touch. Sometimes it can take that long before you understand a change or it begins to feel natural.â€� He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green (+2.64 strokes per round) and is tied for first in greens in regulation (43 of 54, 79.6 percent). He’s amassed this large lead despite making just one putt outside of 20 feet. In other words, he’s hit his irons well enough that he hasn’t needed to rely on a hot putter. He’s seventh in proximity to the hole this week, averaging 26 feet, 2 inches. The shortest club in the bag is also the most fickle, and it often deserts a player under Sunday pressure. Rose’s iron play has been rock solid for much of his career, though. All of his ballstriking stats confirm that he’s in complete control. He’s fourth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (+1.16), sixth in fairways hit (28 of 42) and fifth in driving distance (286 yards). He hasn’t had to save par very often, but he feels like his short game has been there when he’s needed it. He’s made just three bogeys this week. And, he’s made 10 of 16 putts from 5-10 feet, helping him convert on so many of those strong iron shots. “Quite often, there’s one aspect of the game that doesn’t always feels good on the day, and you need something to back it up,â€� Rose said. “I feel like everything this week has been working at some point.â€� Grillo said the opening holes would be crucial to his chances Sunday. Rose birdied the first three to build a four-shot lead. He added another birdie at the sixth hole, then made just one birdie and one bogey the rest of the way. “You have to get off to a good start here,” Koepka said. “If you can birdie the first two, at least, put some pressure on Rosey, you’ll be just fine.” Rose was five shots ahead after Grillo’s bogey at the 15th hole, but Rose gave one back with a three-putt from the fringe on the 16th hole. Grillo had a chance to draw closer on the last hole, but missed an 11-foot birdie putt. Rose closed the day by sinking a 5-footer for par. “You can see how things can go both ways really quick,â€� Rose said. “That’s why there is no point in getting too far ahead of myself.â€�

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The Open was back in his home country for the first time in 68 years. There was so much anticipation — for the event, for him, for Royal Portrush. But things got ugly quick.

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