Third-round notebook – Valero Texas Open
* Dustin Johnson turned in an 8-under 62, which is his career-best round in his amateur and professional career. His previous best on TOUR was a 63 at the 2008 Bob Hope Classic (T12). Johnson is making his third appearance in the Valero Texas Open (T15-2008 and MC-2007).* History is not on Dustin Johnson’s side as the last time a player won the Valero Texas Open with a single round over 74 was Arnold Palmer in 1960 (final-round 75). Johnson opened with a 74-65 before his 62 in the third-round.
* Shaun Micheel, going off in the third group of the day, fired a 7-under 63 to match his career-best round. His previous 63 was at the 2000 Invensys Classic in Las Vegas (T5). Micheel’s last top-10 finish was at the 2007 Viking Classic (T5).
* Play was suspended at 11:22 a.m. due to a dangerous weather situation. Play resumed at 4:15 p.m. for a total delay of 4 hours, 53 minutes. Rainfall totaled 2.1 inches. The third-round was suspended at 8:17 p.m. due to darkness with 14 players still on the course. The 14 remaining players will restart on Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m.
* This is the sixth event on the PGA TOUR that has been suspended/delayed so far this season. Last year, 20 events were suspended/delayed.
* Zach Johnson came 2 feet 10 inches from matching the TOUR’s 18 hole scoring record of 59. Johnson shot a blistering 10-under 60 with eight birdies and an eagle in the third-round to get to 15-under for the tournament. The 60 ties Johnson’s career-best round set in the third-round at the 2007 TOUR Championship.
* Johnson, who won here only seven months ago when the event was part of the Fall Series, used a 62 in the third-round last year to move into second-place entering the final-round.
* So far this season the third-round leader/co-leader has won 14 of 19 (74%) times on TOUR. Last year the third-round leader/co-leader only won 22 of 46 events (48%).
* If a player wants to win the Valero Texas Open they better shoot at least one round at 65 or better. Over the last 50 years of the Valero Texas Open, 41 of the 48 champions have turned in at least one round at 65 or lower, including the last 10 consecutive years. Hal Sutton in 1998 was the last Valero Texas Open winner to not post a 65 or better. Prior to Sutton, it was Calvin Peete in 1984 that won without posting a 65 or better.
* Out of the last 30 winners of the Valero Texas Open, only seven players shot one of their rounds in the 70s. Eric Axley in 2006 was only champion in the last 10 years to post a round in the 70s, when he shot a final-round 71.
* Brian Davis currently has the longest par or better scoring streak on TOUR (14 - his third-round is not complete).
* Geoff Ogilvy’s win at the Mercedes-Benz Championship represents the only wire-to-wire winner on TOUR this season. Last season, only K.J. Choi at the Sony Open in Hawaii and Camilo Villegas at the BWM Championship were able to go wire-to-wire. Goydos led the first two rounds and is through 12 holes in the third-round.
* Bob Estes in 1994 is the only player since 1970 to record a wire-to-wire victory at the Valero Texas Open. Over the last 40 years, there has been an average of two wire-to-wire winners per year on the PGA TOUR.
* Scoring averages for the week at the par-70 La Cantera Golf Club:
Front 9 Back 9 Total Cumulative
Thursday 35.346 35.071 70.417 ---
Friday 34.471 35.039 69.510 69.965
Saturday TBA
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