Rory McIlroy will be looking to become the ‘lucky’ 13th time back-to-back season Major Champion since 1950.
This was the information contained in post third round notes issued by organisers of the 94th PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.
Third-Round Notes – Sunday, August 12, 2012
Weather: Mostly cloudy with later afternoon thunderstorms. The temperature reached 89 degrees. Winds SSW 15-20 mph.
On Saturday, the third round was suspended at 4:50 p.m. due to a dangerous weather situation with 26 players still on the course. The third round resumed at 7:43 a.m. on Sunday. Final round tee times ran from 11:44 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. with players going off two tees in threesomes.
On Friday, play was suspended due to darkness at 8:16 p.m. EST with one player (Joost Luiten) still on the course. The second round resumed at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. Third round tee times began on time at 8:40 a.m. in twosomes off No. 1.
This is the 15th event suspended/delayed this season on the PGA TOUR.
This is the eighth straight event on TOUR that has had a suspension/delay (Travelers Championship, AT&T National, The Greenbrier Classic, John Deere Classic, True South Classic, RBC Canadian Open, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship).
Third Round Leaderboard
Rory McIlroy 209 (-7)
Carl Pettersson 212 (-4)
Trevor Immelman 213 (-3)
Bo Van Pelt 213 (-3)
Adam Scott 213 (-3)
Bo Van Pelt is the only American in the top 5 of the leaderboard. There are only four American’s in the top 15 after the third round.
Rory McIlroy
He has now led four PGA TOUR events heading into the final round. He held a four-stroke lead after 54 holes at the 2011 Masters before eventually finishing T15 following a final-round 80. Two months later he was eight strokes ahead after 54 holes at the 2011 U.S. Open and went on to an eight-stroke win. This year he led the Honda Classic by two strokes and won by two over Tiger Woods and Tom Gillis.
This is McIlroy’s first lead after any round in a PGA Championship.
McIlroy has led going into the final round in three of his last eight majors (2011 Masters, 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship).
McIlroy is looking for his second win on TOUR this season (The Honda Classic).
If McIlroy goes on to win this week he would be younger than Tiger Woods when he won his second major championship.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Wood lining up a putt during Saturday's third round. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
1997 Masters 21 years, 3 months, 14 days
1999 PGA 23 years, 7 months, 15 days
Rory McIlroy
2011 U.S. Open 22 years, 1 month, 15 days
2012 PGA/TBA 23 years, 3 months, 8 days
Since 1950, 12 different players have won major championships in back-to-back seasons:
Peter Thomson (1955-56)
Arnold Palmer (1960-61-62)
Gary Player (1961-62)
Jack Nicklaus (1962-63, 1965-66-67, 1970-71-72-73)
Lee Trevino (1971-72)
Tom Watson (1980-81-82-83)
Seve Ballesteros (1979-80, 1983-84)
Curtis Strange (1988-89)
Nick Faldo (1989-90)
Tiger Woods (1999-2000-01-02, 2005-06-07-08)
Phil Mickelson (2004-05-06)
Padraig Harrington (2007-08)
At 7,676 yards, The Ocean Course, home of this year’s PGA Championship, is the longest stroke play course in a major. Rory McIlroy is the last player to win on a major championship course over 7570 yards. Tiger Woods has won on two of the previous four longest stroke play events in majors. Below is the list:
Year Course Yardage Tournament Winner
2012 The Ocean Course 7676 PGA Championship TBD
2009 Hazeltine National GC 7674 PGA Championship Y.E. Yang
2008 Torrey Pines (South Course) 7643 U.S. Open Championship Tiger Woods
2011 Congressional Country Club 7574 U.S. Open Rory McIlroy
2006 Medinah Country Club 7561 PGA Championship Tiger Woods
Players under the age of 30 with three or more victories on the PGA TOUR: Dustin Johnson (6), Anthony Kim (3), Rory McIlroy (3), Webb Simpson (3), Keegan Bradley (3).
Carl Pettersson
Pettersson’s win at the 2012 RBC Heritage tied him with Jesper Parnevik for most wins (5) on the PGA TOUR by a Swedish player.
Two of Pettersson’s last three wins have been in South Carolina (2012 RBC Heritage) and North Carolina (2008 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro).
Pettersson won earlier this year in South Carolina at the RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island. Kiawah Island is 110 miles from Hilton Head Island if you were driving, but only 53 miles in a direct line.
Pettersson stayed with former North Carolina State University roommate Tim Clark in a condo on Hilton Head Island at the RBC Heritage.
Pettersson is No. 16 in the FedExCup standings. Since the FedExCup started in 2007, Pettersson has only advanced to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola one time in 2008. He finished 21st in the FedExCup standings in 2008.
Pettersson held the first and second-round lead this week. Pettersson shared the first-round lead at the 2002 British Open, but finished T43. The only other player from Sweden to lead a major after the first round is Robert Karlsson at the 2008 PGA Championship (finished T20).
The last Swedish player to lead a major coming into this week was Peter Hanson after the third-round at the 2012 Masters (finished T3).
Other notable leads by Swedish players include, Henrik Stenson leading the 2006 PGA Championship after the second round (finished T14). Jesper Parnevik led the 1997 British Open after the third round, but finished T2.
Sweden has never produced a major championship winner. The best finish ever in a major by a Swede is Jesper Parnevik (2nd at the 1994 British Open and T2 and the 1997 British Open) and Niclas Fasth (second in the 2001 British Open).
Pettersson’s only two top 10s in a major are T6 at the 2008 U.S. Open and T8 at the 2006 British Open.
Tiger Woods
Woods has never come-from-behind to win a major championship.
Of Woods’ 74 career wins 23 have been come-from-behind when trailing after 54 holes.
Woods’ largest 54-hole comeback is five shots at the 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational and at the 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Woods has not broken par in a weekend round at a major championship in 2012.
