Saturday 1 November 2014

CIMB Classic 2014 Round 3 Notes


Weather: Hot and humid weather with temperatures reaching 90 degrees with W winds 5-10 mph (8-16 kph). Play was suspended at 12:17 pm local time due to threatening conditions and then resumed at 2:45 p.m. 

Due to wet conditions, preferred lies were used during the third round. 
Third-Round Leaderboard 
T1Kevin Na69-68-67 - 204 (-12)
T1Ryan Moore 68-69-67 - 204 (-12) 
T3 Sergio Garcia69-68-68 - 205 (-11)
T3Billy Hurley III 67-67-71 - 205 (-11) 
T5 Gary Woodland 71-70-66 - 207 (-9)
T5Sang-Moon Bae71-68-68 - 207 (-9)
T5Kevin Chappell 69-68-70 - 207 (-9) 
T5Kevin Streelman68-68-71 - 207 (-9)

Kevin Na
Kevin Na, whose first professional victory came in Malaysia at the Asian Tour’s Volvo Masters of Asia just outside Kuala Lumpur, shot a third-round 67 for a share of the lead at the PGA TOUR’s CIMB Classic in Malaysia. Na is looking for his second career victory on the PGA TOUR. 

This is the fourth time that Na has led or shared the lead entering the final round of a PGA TOUR event. He went on to win one of the previous three at the 2011 Shriners Hospital for Children Open in Las Vegas. 

Na was the only player in the field to record a bogey-free round on Saturday. 

On the strength of two runner-up finishes in the 2013-14 season, Kevin Na finished a career-best 24th in the FedExCup standings . Na finished one stroke behind John Senden at the Valspar Championship and lost in a playoff at the Memorial Tournament for his runner-up finishes in 2014. 
Ryan Moore
Defending champion Ryan Moore shot a 5-under-par 67 to share the lead with Kevin Na following the third roud. Moore, who defeated Gary Woodland on the first playoff hole to win the CIMB Classic in 2013, is looking to become the first player in tournament history to defend his title. 

This is the sixth time in Ryan Moore’s career that he has led or shared the lead after 54 holes. He has gone on to win two of those events including last year’s CIMB Classic 

Moore's third-round leads
Tournament/Year Finishing ScoreFinishing Position
 2009 Shell Houston Open76T11
 2010 BMW Championship73T3
 2012 Shriners Hospital Open661
 2013 CIMB Classic701
 2014 Travelers Championship71T5

In 2013, Moore shot a course-record 63 in the opening round. His average score at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club is 68.28 after seven rounds. 

The last player to successfully defend a title on TOUR is Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (2012, 2013). 

In 2013, Moore was tied with Chris Stroud for the third-round lead at the CIMB Classic at 12-under-par, his same score after three rounds this year. 

Sergio Garcia
Eight-time PGA TOUR champion and highest-ranked player in the fiend (No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking) is one stroke behind leaders Kevin Na and Ryan Moore after 54 holes. 

Garcia took penalty drops on holes 14 and 16 but was able to scramble for par on both holes. 

In addition to Garcia’s eight PGA TOUR wins, the Spaniard has an additional 15 international victories including his win at the Qatar Mastrs on the European Tour earlier this year. Despite not winning on the PGA TOUR in the 2013-2014 season, Garcia finished runner-up in three straight starts on TOUR (Travelers Championship, The Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Garcia had 10 top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR in the 2013-14 season, the most top-10s in a season in his 16 seasons on the PGA TOUR. His five top-3 finishes was also a career high on the PGA TOUR. 

Five of Garcia’s eight PGA TOUR victories have come after he trailed following the third round. 

Billy Hurley III
Second-round leader Billy Hurley III is one stroke behind the leaders after a third-round 71. Coming into this week Hurley missed the cut at both the Frys.com Open and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Hurley has a chance this weekend to be the first player in tournament history to make the CIMB Classic their inaugural victory on TOUR.
 
Hurley graduated from the Naval Academy in 2004 as one of the most decorated golfers in school history. He won seven collegiate titles at Navy, was named the 2004 Patriot League Golfer of the Year, garnered 2004 All-America honors and was the recipient of the 2004 Byron Nelson Award which annually honors a graduating senior who excels not only in golf, but also in the classroom and community. He served as a lieutenant aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer from 2007 to 2009 while serving in the Persian Gulf to protect Iraqi oil platforms. 

Miscellaneous Stats 
The third-round leader has won the CIMB Classic in three of four years. Nick Watney has the lone comeback victory in tournament history, coming from four strokes behind with a final-round 61 in 2012. 

In addition to 500 FedExCup points and a two-year PGA TOUR exemption, the CIMB Classic champion receives invitations to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, a winners-only event in January, along with two major championships (Masters Tournament and PGA Championship) and THE PLAYERS. The player would also earn 
exemptions into six additional invitational events and a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR. Gary Woodland is one of four players three strokes off the lead at 9-under-par. Woodland lost in a playoff to Moore at last year’s CIMB Classic after entering the final round one stroke behind the lead. 

Brendon de Jonge, who lost in a playoff at last week’s McGladrey Classic in Sea Island, GA, shot the low round of the day with a 7-under-65 to move to T9. 

During Friday’s second round of the CIMB Classic, Lee Westwood recorded an ace at the 11th hole from 226 yards, using a 20-degree hybrid. As the Official Mortgage Sponsor of the PGA TOUR, Quicken Loans will award one year’s worth of mortgage payments to John Brosnan from Barrington, RI to commemorate the aces. The Quicken Loans’ Hole-In-One Sweepstakes awards one year’s worth of mortgage payments to a randomly selected entrant for every ace during official PGA TOUR events for the remainder of the 2014 calendar year. Fans can enter the sweepstakes by visiting www.pgatour.com/quickenloans

Bogey-free rounds: 
R1 – Rikard Karlberg (65), Billy Hurley III (67), Will Mackenzie (69)
R2 – Lee Westwood (65), Luke Guthrie (67), Kevin Streelman (68)
R3 - Kevin Na (67)

-www.cimbclassic.com

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