The Quicken Loans National (QLNational) third round has come to a close, and yet again, a new leader is on the board. For the third time in three days, a new face has become the leader after a round; with Troy Merritt and Kevin Chappell tied for first at 14-under par, the tournament is really up for grabs. Although the lead is set at 14-under, a very impressive number after only 54-holes, there are still 10 other players within 4 shots of the lead, led by familiar names such as Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, and Bill Hass, it will certainly be a race to the finish.
Round 3 was much of the same as rounds 1 & 2, scores were low and the course played very easy to the majority of the field; if you weren’t 3 under of better after this round, the field simply lapped you. Winning the day with the lowest score thus far in the tournament is Troy Merritt who shot 10-under par. With 6-birdies and 1-bogey on the front nine, the thoughts of 59 definitely began to sneak their way into the minds of all the spectators. Merritt “cooled” on the back with only 5 birdies; shooting 61, Merritt proved the field that the course was in perfect conditions after last night’s slight rain shower and “threw darts” at the pins all day.
The other story on most people’s mind is would be regarding Tiger Woods. After two straight days under 70, Tiger’s game seemed to revert back to its current status of underperforming and underwhelming. Shooting a 3-over, 75, and further distancing himself from the leaders, Tiger would need to shoot roughly 12-14 under tomorrow to even be in contention with the field as it currently stands; simply put, this will not be the tournament Tiger begins his winning streak and return to the top with.
Tiger’s unimpressive third round performance is what most people had expected in rounds 1 and 2. However, after a horrible third round, and the inability to string together 54 solid holes, the question remains, is Tiger’s body physically capable of making it through a full 72 hole tournament? Although Tiger has declared himself 100% fit and capable to play golf, are there still lingering and nagging effects from his multiple knee and back surgeries?
Aside from Tiger, the common theme of new, young players continues heading into tomorrow’s 4th round at the QLNational. Stories to watch out for are:
Can Ollie Schniederjans win his first tournament?
Only 4 strokes off the leader’s, Ollie has time and again proven that he is the real deal. Being in the top 25 of the leaderboard is proving to be a very comfortable result for the young rookie. Having a penchant for making several birdies in a row, can we see Schniederjans go low tomorrow to compete?
Will Rickie Fowler continue his rollercoaster 2015 season?
Fowler seems to be playing well in pairs. In his last 7 starts, Fowler has won the Scottish Open, The Players Championship, and missed 3 cuts. Fowler’s game has been going through a bit of a makeover since partnering with Butch Harmon and he seemed to be reaping the rewards; a hot putter going into the 4th round at any tournament, let alone one in which you are 1 shot off the lead, is an extremely important part to closing out a win. Look to Fowler for continuing to putt lights out and make a back 9 push to win or make a playoff.
Is Justin Rose capable of defending his 2014 Title?
3-shots off the lead and playing extremely consistently, Rose is in ample position to add another win to his 2015 season and further close the gap in the FedEx Cup prior to the playoffs in 4 weeks. Rose will need to be extremely consistent and accurate with his iron game to make a play at the QLNational Championship.
Make sure to tune in tomorrow as the Quicken Loans National closes, further narrowing the gap between the “regular season” and the FedEx Cup Playoffs. With the WGC-Cadillac Championship coming up next week, followed by the PGA Championship, the next few weeks will certainly keep golf exciting and worth watching. Players are not only playing for status within the FedEx Cup, but to also cement their positions on the Presidents Cup teams, all of these factors will ensure that each tournament remaining will be full of A+ fields and exciting finished.