Steve Stricker was not happy with his Friday round. “I think that round [Friday] was a real wake-up call.” He was only able to grab one birdie and four bogeys enroute to his three over 73. “[Friday] I played horribly, I just didn’t do anything well,” he mentioned after his Saturday round. “Hit some really bad shots…kind of pull hooks with a short iron. I drove the ball really nicely, I put it in play a lot. But…the pull hooks cost me bogeys.”
How can the Charles Schwab Cup leader account for that eight shot swing on Saturday, where seven birdies and two bogeys have him eyeing his seventh major victory on the PGA TOUR Champions and his fifth win of the season?
“For the most part, I’ve played really solid, hit a lot of good drives off the tee. [Y]ou have to hit it in the fairway to be able to attack some of these pins. Hit a lot of greens, which I haven’t been doing.”
Stricker and the Saturday recap
Steve Stricker’s 65 placed him in a tie for first with Harrison Frazar as the final round of the Kaulig Companies Championship heads into the Sunday round. Stewart Cink sits alone in third with an even par 70, while KJ Choi and The Big Easy, Ernie Els, are two back at five under par.
If Stricker can see this through he will become the first player to nab three majors in a year since 2017 and Bernhard Langer’s feat.
Al Kornspan
Movie Night!
Frazar’s Friday night was not worrying about co-leading the tournament for three straight days. It was a time to catch a movie with his wife. “We saw the new Mission Impossible. It’s always good to get out of the hotel room and have something to occupy your mind.”
He admitted he was a bit nervous thirty minutes before tee time. “You know you just deal with it. It beats the alternative!”
Frazar’s Saturday was a solid even par story. He would like that same thought process for Sunday that he carried with him yesterday.
I feel like I need to have the same mindset I had today, be a little bit more confident off the tees, try to get a little bit more aggressive with the iron shots. I felt like today I hit a lot of good shots off the tee to hit the right spots, just it’s hard to hit these things. So just try to keep going, try to make a few more birdies.
The three-wood has been his mainstay off the tees these past three days. “[I]t makes the fairways easier to hit. I tried to force it up a few times (with the driver) Friday, didn’t go very well. I’m really hitting the 3-wood well, so might as well just wear it out.”
If Frazar wins, it will be because of putts like this on 13 yesterday.
Back on top 1⃣
Harrison Frazar sinks a birdie at 14 to retake the lead @KauligChamp. pic.twitter.com/GfXTMCTMEU
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 15, 2023
Weather a factor?
Rain hit the course on Saturday evening and into the night. When asked how that might affect the Sunday action, each golfer had a thought. “Obviously, if it softens things up – the course is playing really good now. It’s firm, the greens are bouncing out, it’s in great shape,” added Stricker.
“Hopefully it makes the fairways easier to hit,” shared Frazar.
The weather calls for clouds with a high around 80 degrees. Rain isn’t expected until well after the tournament ends. The winds have been a bit strong this weekend, coming from the south instead of the usual Southwest or even westerly as they were Thursday. Expect a western breeze at 15 mph today.
Stricker hit 12 fairways and 14 GIR on the day, by far the best of any golfers on the course. But he and Frazar better keep an eye on who’s behind them.
Lurking…
Stewart and Lisa Cink (Al Kornspan)
Cink, the rookie on the tour, has won at Firestone before (2004 WGC-NEC Invitational). Even bogeying three of his last six holes yesterday, Els is a force. He was cruising at three under for the day until he found the rough at 13 and bogeyed. After a par at 14, he dumped his tee on the par 3 15th in the greenside bunker and couldn’t get up and down. Then on the 16th, which is playing the easiest of all the holes this tournament, he couldn’t find the fairway and carded his last bogey.
KJ Choi hasn’t won on the PGA TOUR Champions since 2021, but he and David Toms, himself seeking his third win on the year, are within striking distance, too.
Smooth from KJ Choi.
https://twitter.com/KauligChamp/status/1680234221942591488
Tee Times
Sunday should be amazing golf. The last trio teeing at 11:15 am will be Stricker, Frazar and Cink. Just ahead of them will be Choi, Els, and Scott Parel at 11:05.
Groups will be going off 10 and 1 again. But the last two will be finishing on 18.
Volunteers
Can’t run a tournament without them.
Thanks to our amazing tournament volunteers! We couldn’t do it without you! 🙏🏼 #KauligChamp pic.twitter.com/Ry8wN9igrz
— Kaulig Companies Championship (@KauligChamp) July 15, 2023
Tickets are still available. Click here for them.
Some shots from our Al Kornspan.
Al Kornspan
Cink for birdie. (By Al Kornspan)
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