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Golf Roundup: Haas in hunt at Texas; Campbell, Piercy tied
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Published: October 18, 2009
Champions Tour: Dan Forsman remained in position for his second victory of the year, shooting a 1-under 71 yesterday to take a one-stroke lead in the Administaff Small Business Classic at The Woodlands, Texas.
Forsman had a 9-under 135 total on The Woodlands Country Club's Tournament Course. Jay Haas (66), Gene Jones (67) and Mark Wiebe (69) were tied for second, and Tom Watson (68), Bob Tway (70) and John Cook (72) followed at 7 under.
Forsman, who had six straight birdies in his opening 64, started steady yesterday, birdieing Nos. 4, 6 and 9 to reach 11 under and pull three shots ahead. With the wind swirling and greens drying, he faltered on the back nine with three bogeys and only one birdie.
Forsman, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, is in his first full year on the Champions Tour and won his first title in March in his 12th start, but this is the first time he has taken the lead into the final round. He has already won more than $1 million and has 18 top-25 finishes in 20 starts, including seven top-10s.
Haas, six shots back after the first round, had a bogey-free 6-under 66 — the day's low round. He has won his last two events on the tour, the Greater Hickory Classic and Senior Players Championship.
"Today I gave myself more chances," Haas said. "My irons were closer to the hole and I got off to a really good start... It made it a little more comfortable to play."
Jones started the day five shots back. He was 3 under for the day after six holes, including a 22-footer for birdie at No. 3, then birdied Nos. 11 and 12.
He finished with six pars.
Jones has been close several times this year, with three runner-up finishes, the most recent a month ago at Pebble Beach. In 20 starts, he has seven top-10s and 15 top- 25s, pocketing more than $1 million. Last year, his first on the circuit, he finished second in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race, but his first victory has remained elusive.
For years, the course was the home of the PGA Tour's Houston Open.
The last time Forsman held a tournament lead going into the final round was at The Woodlands in 1998. He tied for sixth.
PGA Tour: Chad Campbell made a double bogey on the par-5 16th, then birdied the 18th for a 4-under 67 and a share of the third-round lead with Scott Piercy yesterday in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.
Piercy — a Las Vegas native whose wife, Sara, delivered son Jett on Thursday night — had a 65 to match Campbell, a former UNLV player, at 17-under 196 at TPC Summerlin.
Martin Laird (67) was a stroke back, and 2007 winner George McNeill (63), Jason Bohn (65), Jeff Klauk (66) and Bob Heintz (68) followed at 15 under.
After eagling the par-4 12th and adding birdies on 13 and 15, Campbell dropped two strokes with the double bogey on 16.
Campbell won the last of his four PGA Tour titles in 2007.
Piercy, winless on the PGA Tour, had seven birdies and a bogey. He also topped the leaderboard after three rounds in his last start, but closed with a 73 to tie for 12th at Turning Stone on Oct. 3.
McNeill had eight birdies in his bogey-free round.
Charley Hoffman (64) was in a group at 14 under with first-round leaders Troy Matteson (70) and Tom Pernice Jr. (68).
Rickie Fowler (69), the 2008 college player of the year as a freshman at Oklahoma State, was 13 under along with Kirk Triplett (66), U.S. Presidents Cup player Hunter Mahan (67), Greg Chalmers (67) and former UNLV player Ryan Moore (70).
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