Watson shoots 63 to rally for 3rd Travelers title

POTOMAC, Md. – Notes and observations from Saturday’s third round of the Quicken Loans National, where David Lingmerth fell back with a 3-over 73 but kept the lead by one over Daniel Summerhays (70). Spencer Levin (65) shot the round of the day and was at 5 under, two back. For more coverage from TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. LINGMERTH HANGS IN THERE There was stifling heat, and a wild thunderstorm, delaying play one hour and 31 minutes, and there were bogeys. And for the first time all week, there was a double-bogey. All week, players talked up the difficulty of TPC Potomac, and all week the course proved formidable. In the third round, though, its challenges caught up to even the leader. After racing ahead with back-to-back 65s, Lingmerth bogeyed the first hole, double-bogeyed the par-4 fourth after pulling his tee shot into the hazard, and bogeyed the par-5 10th. This was clearly a different day than the first two. “Missed a couple tee shots to the left, which is something that I don’t usually do,â€� Lingmerth said. “And it kind of maybe got me a little unnerved, I guess, with the tee balls for the rest of the day because I didn’t hit as many fairways as I usually do.â€� After hitting 12 of 14 fairways in the first round, and 10 in the second, Lingmerth hit just six fairways Saturday. He mostly minimized the damage, though, to remain in the solo lead, where he’s been all week. Also on the bright side: When he won the Web.com Tour’s 2012 Neediest Kids Championship on this course he also struggled in the third round, going 66-66-74-66. If history repeats itself, Lingmerth would go 65-65-73-65 to win the Quicken. “I don’t know if it’s comforting or not,â€� he said. “But I know I can play well out here.â€� A native of Sweden who attended Arkansas, Lingmerth, 29, has one PGA TOUR victory already, at the 2015 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Asked if he sees himself winning six, seven or eight times in his career, Lingmerth said no. “I envision winning a lot more than that,â€� he said. “I think I can win a couple times a year if I just do what I’m supposed to do.â€� SHOT OF THE DAY LEVIN HEATS UP WITH PUTTER Spencer Levin, 33, missed eight straight cuts earlier this season. He’s tried different swing fixes, different caddies. Enter his old friend from UCLA, Grant Zider, whose father, Bob, invented a pixel-design insert that Levin had built into his new Edel putter. The club went in the bag for last week’s Traveler’s Championship, and Levin made the 36-hole cut but not the 54-hole one. He came into this week at 176th in the FedExCup race. It’s a good thing he didn’t give up on the putter. Levin (65) made 128’ 7’’ of putts Saturday. “That’s probably more than I made all year combined,â€� he said before a quick range session after his round. Levin’s 65 edged Patrick Rodgers and Byeong Hun An (66) for low round of the day. Levin came into this week at 116th in strokes gained: putting. This week? He leads the field. He’s also starting to drive the ball better—he hit 10 of 14 fairways Saturday—and “feeling better about my game and feeling better about myself, too.â€� Levin is 369th in the Official World Golf Ranking, but he has flirted with winning. He shot a third-round 63 to take a six-shot lead going into the final round of the 2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open, but shot 75 to finish T3, two back of winner Kyle Stanley. This time, Levin will be the chaser, not the chased. He could go a long way toward making the FedExCup playoffs with another low round. Also on offer: a spot in the Open Championship. The top four players who are not already exempt and finish in the top 12 at the Quicken earn spots at Royal Birkdale, July 20-23. “It’s been a tough year,â€� Levin said, “but the putts have been going in this week, which is obviously why I’m playing well. So, that’s what it’s going to take tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it, though. I haven’t been in this position for a long time.â€� CALL OF THE DAY   ODDS AND ENDS For the second time in five weeks, Daniel Summerhays will go into Sunday with an excellent chance to nab his first win, as his even-par 70 left him just a shot behind Lingmerth. “My front nine, honestly, I didn’t miss a shot until the ninth hole,â€� Summerhays said. “I felt like I rolled good putts, too, and they were just rolling past the edges.â€� Although putting is normally one of his strengths, Summerhays was in negative numbers in strokes gained: putting for the second straight day Saturday. A 10-year TOUR veteran, he’s making his 189th career start. He led going into the final round of this year’s Memorial Tournament, but shot a final-round 78 to finish T10. Keegan Bradley holed out from 144 yards for eagle at the 18th hole and shot an even-par 70 to remain 1 under for the tournament. He’s tied for 12th place, six off the lead. Geoff Ogilvy, who turned 40 earlier this month and who is playing this season on a one-time-only exemption for players in the top 50 in career earnings, bogeyed the driveable, par-4 14th hole on the way to a 74 to drop into a tie for fourth at 4 under par, three back. After fighting the front nine to an even-par draw, sponsor exemption Arjun Atwal, 44, playing in the day’s second-to-last group, made five bogeys on the back to shoot 75 and fall back to even. Rickie Fowler, after hitting just 13 fairways through two rounds, hit nine fairways and 15 greens in regulation Saturday as he shot 68 to get back to even par. “I haven’t been far off all week,â€� said Fowler, who is eighth in the FedExCup standings. “I felt like I’ve been swinging well. There’ve been a couple tee balls that have just snuck into the rough, I felt like I did a good job of it today hitting a little bit more up the center of the fairway.â€� He’s seven back going into Sunday. BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA That’ll soften the ol golf course up 😬 pic.twitter.com/JkYKxtp8uV — Zac Blair (@z_blair) July 1, 2017 Summer days with Summerhays. ☀ï¸� 😎🌂 pic.twitter.com/Hp3kveeGY7 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2017 Walk-off eagle ✅🦅 Walk off with the bag ✅😂 Perfect finish for @Keegan_Bradley!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/to0608SMDz — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2017 Spencer Levin shot 65 today. “It was the best round I played all year.” Putts made: 33 feet 22 feet 13 feet 10 feet 8 feet 8 feet 7 feet pic.twitter.com/azSbTzliin — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 1, 2017

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SANDWICH, England – Masters champions Hideki Matsuyama and Bubba Watson have withdrawn from the Open Championship at Royal St George’s thanks to COVID-19 related travel complications. Matsuyama, who became the first male player from Japan to win a major championship at April’s Masters Tournament, chose to withdraw due to UK protocols, ensuring he keeps his Olympic dreams alive. Watson, a two-time Masters winner and 12-time PGA TOUR winner, has been identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and as such serves as a risk according to the UK Government protocols. Matsuyama tested positive for the virus prior to the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on July 2 and according to the R&A has been in quarantine since and is currently symptom free, but he has continued to show positive results on PCR tests. “I’m feeling fine but haven’t been able to practice in preparation for The Open. Combining that with the difficult travel to the UK, my team and I have decided it’s best to withdraw to ensure everyone’s safety,” Matsuyama said via statement to the R&A. “I feel badly missing The Open and look forward to playing again at St Andrews next year. I’d like to thank the many golf fans for their continued concern and support as I strive to return to the game I love as soon as possible.” Individuals need a negative test result to enter the UK and any positive result inside the UK could result in a 10–14-day quarantine in the country. Matsuyama will now attempt to be ready for the Olympic golf tournament to be held in Japan starting July 29, where he will represent his home country. A fully vaccinated Watson took to social media to explain his absence at Royal St Georges. U.S. guidelines differ from the UK and while Watson desperately wanted to take his place in the field, the Floridian first and foremost had the health and safety of others on his mind. Taking his place in a 12th Open Championship would prove near impossible under the UK’s strict entrance guidelines. “I am disappointed to announce I will not compete at the Open Championship next week due to having direct exposure to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19. While I am vaccinated and have passed the required pre travel Covid test, not enough time has passed for me to comfortably join the charter flight and risk exposure to the other players and personnel on board,” Watson said. “I appreciate the R&A’s guidance and help navigating UK policy for such situations. Like many of you, I look forward to watching the Open Championship on TV. Since I will be watching from the comfort of my couch I would not mind seeing the field have to deal with a little rain and strong winds! Best of luck to all the players. I look forward to returning to the Open Championship next year.” Americans Harold Varner III and Brendan Steele join the Open Championship field with fellow Americans John Catlin and Adam Long now the first and second alternates.

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