The third round of the AT&T National tees of on Saturday. Here's a preview:
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Fred Albers previews Round 3:
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If you need an early barometer of Tiger Woods' game this weekend, monitor his play on the par 3s and the par 5s. He is 3 over par on the short ones and is 1 over on the long ones. Woods can not contend for any championship when he plays the par 5s over par.
Jason Day headed to the practice range following Friday's play. We'll see if he made friends with his driver before returning to his motor home for the night. He hit just five fairways in Round 2 and yet managed to shoot 68 thanks to taking just 27 putts. Day acknowledged he can't hold the lead for 72 holes hitting his driver so poorly and is looking for some sort of adjustment headed into Round 3.
PGA TOUR officials watched, listened and learned at the par-3 17th. The hole surrendered just one birdie the entire opening round so an adjustment was made for Friday--the tee was moved up and the hole cut in a more benign location. The result? The 17th was just the 11th most difficult hole in Round 2. It will be interesting to see how it plays on the weekend. The very difficult back left hole location has yet to be used.
Nothing beats a hot putter. Just ask Justin Rose. He's tied for 35th in greens in regulation but is tied for 6th in putting. He needed just 26 and 29 putts in his two rounds of play. Confidence and a hot flat stick can carry a player a long way towards the winners circle.
INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Bill Masching, head instructor at TOUR Academy New York, analyzes the playing conditions this week:
Justin Rose leads the field going into Round 3 after posting a 6-under 64 on Friday. I always like watching Friday rounds on the PGA TOUR! These guys are grinding it out and firing at pins! It's like a pressure cooker when everyone is trying to make the cut to play on the weekend.
Playing under pressure has a tendency to significantly affect most amateurs. The "white knuckle" syndrome can arise because they grip the club too tight. If you are gripping the club too tightly it becomes difficult to release your hands through impact, and a slice is sure to follow. Remember that if 1 is light and 10 is tight in terms of grip pressure, 3-4 is just right. If the pressure is getting high, try to keep your grip pressure low and your scores will reap the benefits.
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