We have a bunched-up leaderboard and a few good storylines heading into the final round at Torrey Pines.
The Farmers Insurance Open, one of the premier events on the West Coast swing, lost some momentum earlier in the week when Tiger Woods had to withdraw with yet another injury and Phil Mickelson's ugly putting left him on the wrong side of the cut line. It was the first time ever that those two missed the weekend in back-to-back events that both played, perhaps yet another early-season signal that a new era is officially here. After both left last week's Phoenix Open early, it was Brooks Koepka, an up-and-coming 24-year-old, that overpowered TPC Scottsdale on the way to his first career PGA Tour victory.
A comparable young talent could win again this week amid another bunched-up leaderboard at Torrey Pines. Harris English, who held the 36-hole lead, will enter the final round 9-under, now sitting on a co-lead with J.B. Holmes. English already has two PGA Tour wins and has long been considered a top American prospect. His game has been inconsistent at times, which is not unexpected in a young player's first few years on Tour. But a victory at Torrey against a pretty deep field would be the biggest title of his career and potentially set up a huge year for the 25-year-old Georgian. Much like Koepka last week, English hammers the ball off the tee. Another young bomber winning at a place that Tiger has owned after Woods bailed with more back trouble would seem fitting.
English will go out with Holmes and Lucas Glover in the final tee time of the day, 1:20 p.m. ET. Holmes is another player who demolishes the ball off the tee. After a few years of serious injury and brain surgery interrupted a promising career, Holmes reinserted himself into regular PGA Tour contention last season, which included a remarkable win at Quail Hollow. Another victory at Torrey would add to Holmes' impressive comeback at another one of the Tour's most distinguished venues.
While Holmes and English share the lead, it's not exactly a two-man race with one round to play. There are 10 players within two shots on a clustered leaderboard. The most prominent chasers are Jason Day, at 7-under, and Jimmy Walker, at 8-under. Even though he's one back, Walker should probably be the favorite to win Sunday night on the South Course. He's arguably been the most consistent player on the PGA Tour over the past year, and he's off to yet another blistering start this season. He won three times before mid-February in 2014, a career year, and now he's in contention for the third time in three starts this season. At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, it appeared he would walk away with an easy multi-shot win but gave it away down the stretch and lost in a playoff. The next week, however, he defended his title at the Sony Open. Now he's back on the West Coast swing, where he won last year, and just a shot off the lead.
The consistency and form of Walker and the talent of Day have to make the leaders most anxious. But the South Course can shake up a leaderboard pretty quickly, so expect plenty of movement throughout the afternoon. CBS will have the conclusion, which, barring no more fog delays, should come just before 6 p.m. ET Here's the full tee sheet for Sunday's final round (all times ET):
Off No.1:
| Tee Time | Players | ||
| 11:20 a.m. | Andrew Svoboda | Scott Pinckney | James Hahn |
| 11:30 a.m. | Rickie Fowler | Chris Kirk | Cameron Percy |
| 11:40 a.m. | Martin Laird | Shane Lowry | Carl Pettersson |
| 11:50 a.m. | Brendon de Jonge | Jamie Donaldson | Michael Thompson |
| 12:00 p.m. | J.J. Henry | Greg Owen | Charles Howell III |
| 12:10 p.m. | Colt Knost | Brandt Snedeker | Freddie Jacobson |
| 12:20 p.m. | Sang-Moon Bae | Carlos Ortiz | Adam Hadwin |
| 12:30 p.m. | Marc Leishman | Tony Finau | Brian Harman |
| 12:40 p.m. | Scott Stallings | John Peterson | Ian Poulter |
| 12:50 p.m. | Andres Gonzales | Jason Day | Jhonattan Vegas |
| 1:00 p.m. | Nick Watney | Alex Prugh | Bill Haas |
| 1:10 p.m. | Jimmy Walker | Spencer Levin | Chad Campbell |
| 1:20 p.m. | J.B. Holmes | Harris English | Lucas Glover |
Off No. 10:
| Tee Time | Players | ||
| 11:20 a.m. | Zac Blair | Nicholas Thompson | Danny Lee |
| 11:30 a.m. | Brooks Koepka | Scott Piercy | Luke Guthrie |
| 11:40 a.m. | Keegan Bradley | Brendan Steele | Jim Herman |
| 11:50 a.m. | Camilo Villegas | Daniel Miernicki | Gary Woodland |
| 12:00 p.m. | Whee Kim | David Toms | Daniel Berger |
| 12:10 p.m. | Chad Collins | Angel Cabrera | Steve Wheatcroft |
| 12:20 p.m. | John Huh | John Senden | Martin Flores |
| 12:30 p.m. | Jonas Blixt | K.J. Choi | Roger Sloan |
| 12:40 p.m. | Pat Perez | Cameron Tringale | Andres Romero |
| 12:50 p.m. | Mark Hubbard | Sean O'Hair | Brian Stuard |
| 1:00 p.m. | Retief Goosen | Kyle Stanley | Robert Garrigus |
| 1:10 p.m. | Matt Every | Zack Sucher | |
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1C7Zp1E
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