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FORT WORTH, Texas – News and notes from Saturday’s third round of the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, with Webb Simpson leading by two shots after a 3-under 67. Click here for more from Colonial Country Club. SIMPSON HOPES TO SOLVE SHIFTING WINDS The good news: Temperatures for Sunday’s final round should be about 10-plus degrees cooler than Saturday’s scorcher of 96 degrees with a heat index of 108. That should make it slightly more palatable for players and fans at Colonial (but you’ll still need to drink plenty of water!). More good news: Strong overnight thunderstorms should improve scoring conditions on softer greens. In addition, wind gusts are not expected to be as severe as the previous three rounds. The storms also forced tournament officials to adjust the tee times, with threesomes now going off on two tees starting at 11:14 a.m. ET. Now for the challenging news: The wind is expected to shift, and will come out of the north for the first time since the tournament started. It had been a southerly wind the first three days. Thus, the player who makes the quickest adjustment might very well have the advantage Sunday. Tournament leader Webb Simpson (9 under) hopes it’ll be him. “There is going to be probably six holes where we hit a different club off the tee, knowing it’s a north wind,â€� Simpson. “I’m thankful I played in the practice round. I’ve seen this wind before. “You know, just got to map it out a little different.â€� Simpson has the 54-hole lead for the first time in four years. While it’s been a while, he did convert that lead into a victory at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2013, the last of his four wins on TOUR. The 2012 U.S. Open winner had a chance to end his victory drought earlier this year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open but lost in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama. That remains his only top 10 in 16 starts this season, but he feels his game is on the upswing. He tied for 11th at the RBC Heritage in April, and tied for 16th earlier this month at THE PLAYERS Championship. “I feel like Hilton Head, I had a chance to win Sunday,â€� Simpson said. “PLAYERS Championship, I was in the mix after two days. So I feel like that’s starting to happen more, where I’m part of the conversation of contending.â€� CINK, CASEY SEEK TO END DROUGHT Paul Casey’s only TOUR win remains the 2009 Shell Houston Open. Stewart Cink’s last TOUR win was also in 2009 – The Open Championship. Casey, tied for second with Danny Lee, is two shots back of Webb Simpson; Cink is three shots off the pace. Both are excited about the possibilities on Sunday. “I think in your career out here, season after season, you give yourself five or six chances to win, being in the mix on Sunday,â€� Cink said. “One of those times, it might happen, maybe more. “You can’t expect it to happen unless you get yourself in position on Saturday. Got 18 more holes to go. I would love to be down the stretch in the mix here, too, and enjoy that challenge.â€� Cink actually has been in the mix before at Colonial. In 2000, he led by three shots after 54 holes, but closed with a 71 and lost to Phil Mickelson, who shot a 7-under 63. “When I finished that tournament, that was one that I remember I probably let get away,â€� Cink said. “… I took it and learned what I could from it and tried to get a little bit better that day and the rest of the year. It did become a good year for me.â€� As for Casey, he’s won five times on other tours since his win in Houston, the last in 2014 at the European Tour’s KLM Open. He said the few times since then that he’s been in contention, “I haven’t been firing on all cylinders. If I can string together the ball-striking that I’ve been doing and hole putts, then my chances are better than they were before.â€� Casey said he feels “a pretty good calmnessâ€� about entering Sunday’s round in contention. “I would like this to be kind of like a new norm, if possible,â€� he said. SHOT OF THE DAY HEAT TALK Stewart Cink said Saturday’s heat was the No. 1 topic of conversation in the locker room. Here’s what a few of the contenders said about it. Jordan Spieth: “It was tough out there because it was so hot. Legs getting jello-y. Real loose. … I got a little lapse of concentration for a few holes, just a dizziness where anybody would have, where you just kind of not fully there. It kind of let me down. Made a mental mistake hitting my putt too hard. Pounded a bunch of waters and got it back at the end.â€� Jon Rahm: “It really is tough. There’s been some putts where you’re like standing on it and couple sweat drops came down. I’m like, Oh, boy. That’s why I had to move back. Your hands get sweaty. Just be patient and take a couple extra seconds to hit the ball and make sure you stay hydrated.â€� Stewart Cink: “I think the main thing is it’s really the first heat of the year we’ve experienced. You have to go back all the way to, you know, well back into 2016. So we’re just not accustomed to it. Not yet. It’ll be hot like this again in Memphis. Who knows? Could be hot anywhere. We’re getting to that time of year.â€� Paul Casey: “It’s not good. I’m a dry heat kind of guy. God forbid what this place is like in the summertime. Texas is just so extreme. … All credit on the people coming out and watching. I don’t know how they do it. I don’t know how they drink and watch golf in this kind of heat, but I’m glad they do.â€� Webb Simpson: “My trainer says hydration is more important before and after than during [a round]. I’ve just been drinking about a 1,000 ounces of water a day.â€� Kevin Kisner: “Didn’t bother me. I’m fine with it. I love it.â€� CALL OF THE DAY   ODDS AND ENDS Webb Simpson has played Colonial’s Horrible Horseshoe (hole Nos. 3, 4 and 5) in 1 under this week. That three-hole stretch is the toughest on the course. Closest chasers Paul Casey and Danny Lee are each even par for those holes … Until Jordan Spieth won last year, the 54-hole leader at Colonial had not won in the previous seven years … Paul Casey has played seven rounds on the weekend at Colonial, and has broken par each time, including Saturday’s 2-under 68. In his three previous final rounds, his average is 67. … Sergio Garcia’s 1-over 71 dropped him into a tie for eighth, five shots off the pace. Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson shot a 1-under 69 and moved into a tie for 32nd, 10 shots back. BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA #TopTracerGoals pic.twitter.com/f3JvpPWASb — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 27, 2017 If only it was this easy.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/CH7cnWss42 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 27, 2017 147 yards to 11″. 🎯#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/qoG6SwarN4 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 27, 2017

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Here are nine tidbits from the third round of the THE PLAYERS Championship that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. THE PLAYERS Stadium Course TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has been the host since 1982 and plays 7,189 yards to a Par-72.   PAIN OR GAIN These were the top-10 picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: The good news about playing for second place in an event of this magnitude is that it pays well. The check for second is worth $1.188 million, the first place check for a “normal” TOUR event.  ALONE Webb Simpson rolled in a par putt from just over 17 feet on his final hole to sign for 68 (-4) as he will take a seven-shot lead into the final round. Simpson’s last victory was in the fall of 2013, where he won the Shriners Hospitals for Children’s Open on 24-under-par. He’s 19-under after three rounds, matching Greg Norman’s 54-hole record from 1994.  With only three bogeys (one double) on the week and all three rounds in the 60’s, it’s going to take something special to knock him off Sunday as his seven-shot lead is largest in history entering the final round. RIDING SHOTGUN Danny Lee began the day in the penultimate group behind Simpson and Charl Schwartzel. Paired with Patrick Cantlay, Lee fired 70 to post 12-under and earn a spot in the final pairing.  Lee’s bogey-free round should give him confidence heading into tomorrow but he’ll be the first to remember that he hasn’t posted a top-10 paycheck since T7 at the CIMB Classic last October. In 2018, Lee hasn’t appeared in this column once as he’s MC nine times in 13 attempts. His best finish in 2018 is T51 (Valero Texas Open) and he will have some heavy hitters breathing down his neck. NO. 1  Using the Aim Point System must be growing on the OWGR No. 1 player as Dustin Johnson was second in SG: putting in Round 3. He holed almost 143 feet of putts and got up-and-down six times in eight tries. He’s looking to improve on his best finish, T12, as he’ll begin tomorrow nine shots off Simpson’s lead in third place. He’ll be looking for a big finish to hang on to his spot at No. 1 in the world. LOST IN THE SHUFFLE While the golfing world was hanging on every shot from Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth on Saturday morning, Jason Dufner, as usual, was quietly going about his business. After an uneventful 35 that didn’t cause any gamers to take notice, Dufner screamed home in a bogey-free 31 to post 66 and move up 42 spots to T4. His playing partner Johnson has closed the last two years 68 and 68. Dufner’s best Sunday in seven previous tries is 72 twice.  MOVING DAY Gamers have been waiting patiently for a monster on the weekend from Tiger Woods and they finally got their wish with his 65 in Round 3. Unfortunately he began the round 14 shots off the lead and will begin Sunday 11 off the pace. Imagine shooting 65 on Saturday and only gaining three shots!  Jordan Spieth, who also started Saturday 14 shots off the lead, matched Woods’ 65 with one more birdie (9 to 8) and one more bogey (2 to 1). Spieth only hit six fairways, but birdied the last three to see him land T8 heading into the final round. MOVING DAY: WRONG WAY Alex Noren opened 66-69 and was primed to improve on his 10th-place finish in his maiden voyage last year. As great as his bogey-free opening round was his 77 in Round 3 was the opposite. He circled one birdie against four bogeys and a double and dropped from T5 to T42. Jon Rahm shot 82 here on Saturday last year. He made one birdie and shot 77 on Saturday this year. He was six-over thru 11 holes before making his first birdie. He made the secondary cut and will have another chance to crack the TPC Sawgrass code. MDF With 80 players making the 36-hole cut, the field will be cut again for Round 4 to the top 70 and ties. Thursday’s rabble rousers Keith Mitchell (67), Lucas Glover (68) and Ollie Schniederjans (68) joined Zach Johnson in packing up a day early. Johnson still managed to run his record to 10 consecutive paydays and 13 of 14 in his career. STUDY HALL Round 3 played 71.800, up from 71.273 in Round 2. The morning wave handled the lowest scores of the day as there was barely any wind, overcast skies and soft greens. Thank you Charl Schwartzel for your AMAZING birdie on the last hole that assured Woods and Spieth would be paired on Sunday. It’s true, not all heroes wear capes! The South African played in the final group and shot 73 and ended the day T4. Johnny Miller said no player in the history of the PGA TOUR has ever blown a seven-shot lead.  The biggest comeback in this event is seven shots by Tim Clark in 2010.  

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The Monday qualifier for the RBC Canadian Open had a distinct local flavor with all four spots going to Canadian players – but not before some playoff excitement. Michael Gligic and Russell Budd, who grew up close to Glen Abbey, took medalist honors with solid 4-under 67s at Heron Point Golf Links. But Justin Yong Woo Kim and Mitchell Sutton had to come through a 5-for-2 spot playoff against American’s Tyler McCumber and Blake Austin and Korean Seung-su Han to book their place in Canada’s national Open. Kim birdied the first playoff hole to advance, Sutton made birdie on the second. “Wow, that was pretty exciting coming down the last few holes and into the playoff,� said Sutton, who won back-to-back Canadian Junior Boy Championships in 2008 and 2009. “I’m pretty pumped up right now and looking forward to playing in my first RBC Canadian Open. I’ve played Glen Abbey a couple of times, but not in a while. I’m excited to go back.� Gligic has been in nice form of late on the MacKenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada but even he must have been worried after falling 3 over through three holes. Seven birdies in his last 13 holes, including three in the last four holes, helped him surge into his third national Open. But this is his first one at Glen Abbey – the venue he dreamed of playing at as a youngster. “I’ve been looking forward to playing one there, so it’s nice to finally punch my ticket,� Gligic said. “I definitely feel the best I ever have going into a RBC Canadian Open. My nerves got to me in my first one and in the second one my game wasn’t that great. But now I feel like my game is in a really good spot, so hopefully I’ll play well.� Two of this season’s most successful qualifiers missed out on earning a spot. Chase Seiffert, who finished T9 at the Travelers Championship, missed the playoff by two shots, while T.J. Vogel was not at his best as he chased an eighth successful qualification this season. There will now be 21 Canadians in the field. Here’s a closer look at this week’s qualifiers: RUSSELL BUDD (67) Age: 26 Hometown: Toronto, Ontario Alma mater: DePaul University PGA TOUR starts: Debut Notes: He has made eight starts on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica in 2018, missing the cut in five with a best finish of T39. MICHAEL GLIGIC (67) Age: 28 Hometown: Burlington, Ontario  PGA TOUR starts: 2 Cuts made: 0 Best PGA TOUR finish: MC, 2012 & 2014 RBC Canadian Open’s. Notes: Grew up just 10 minutes from Glen Abbey. Two top-6 results on Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada in last three starts. Won the ATB Financial Classic Presented by TELUS on MacKenzie Tour in 2012. JUSTIN YONG WOO KIM (68) Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario PGA TOUR starts: Debut Notes: Has had handful of starts on Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and also tried to find his way in the PGA TOUR China Series over the last five years with limited success. A former winner in Canada’s Golden Horseshoe Area Tour. MITCHELL SUTTON Hometown: London, Ontario PGA TOUR starts: Debut Notes: Played MacKenzie TOUR – PGATOUR Canada in 2015 and 2016 with limited success. Played one event this year on same tour for a missed cut. Previous winner of multiple Canadian junior titles. BARBASOL CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS T34. John Oda, 69-69-69-68 MC. Kevin Foley, 72-69 MC. Domenico Geminiani, 74-67 MC. Ryan Wenzler, 70-76 THIS SEASON’S QUALIFIERS Qualifiers: 83 Made cut: 26 Top-10s: 4 (Scott Strohmeyer, T4 at Sanderson Farms; Trey Mullinax, T8 at Valspar; Julian Suri, T8 at Houston; Chase Seiffert, T9 at Travelers) Top-25s: 6 Most times qualified: T.J. Vogel (7)

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