PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A weather delay of four and a half hours sabotaged the third round of the Players Championship yesterday, but it didn’t rob the tournament of what figures to be a dramatic Sunday shootout at TPC Sawgrass.
When storms surged through the area, play was suspended at 1 p.m. and not resumed until 5:30, allowing the leaders to play just five holes before dark.
Third-round play was scheduled to resume at 7:45 a.m. today with the final round to follow.
And, judging by the stacked leaderboard, with 17 players within four shots of the lead held by Graeme McDowell and Nick Watney (both 11-under), the final round should be wide open.
Steve Stricker and David Toms are one shot back at 10-under. Lucas Glover and K.J. Choi are 9-under, and five players, includ ing Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer and Rory Sabbatini, are 8-under.
The end of the day was a bi zarre scene as some players tried to complete the third round before the horn sounded to suspend play so they would not have to come back early in the morning.
Ian Poulter sprinted from the 17th tee, quickly putted out ahead of playing partner Dustin Johnson and then sprinted to the 18th tee to hit his tee shot before the horn sounded. Players are permitted to finish any hole they started before the horn goes off.
Phil Mickelson, who was playing in the group ahead of Poulter, told Poulter on the 16th hole he could catch up if he wanted to. Poulter took him up on the offer, and he and Johnson played 18 as a foursome with Mickelson and his playing partner, Martin Laird.
“That saved us a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call,” Poulter said. “A little 300-yard sprint was well worth four hours in bed.”
Though most of the players atop the leaderboard were devouring the soft course after the rain delay, Toms, who entered the third round with the lead, was one of only two players in the top 16 who failed to shoot under par before play was called.
Toms parred all five of his holes, missing five putts from inside 11 feet.
Mickelson, with a late flurry, played himself into the conversation with a 69 that has him at 5-under par.
“I’ve got to go low,” Mickelson said. “I’ve got to shoot 8 or 9-under, but I’m going to try to make a run.”