Tune in at 2:00 PM ET for final round coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship. Ryan Kelly will be liveblogging for your enjoyment.
Hello and welcome to ScoreMobile's ongoing coverage of the PGA Tour. Today we present the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second leg in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.
Louis Oosthuizen -- the 2010 Open Champion and runner-up at this year's Masters -- surged into the 54-hole lead on the strength of a scintillating front nine yesterday where he set the course record for 9 holes with a 29. He ended up carding an 8-under par round of 63 -- his lowest round on the PGA Tour -- and slept on a three shot lead.
He is trailed closest by the reigning PGA Champion and world number one Rory McIlroy, while Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson are within shouting distance, at 6 shots off the pace.
It's worth noting that Oosthuizen broke the 54-hole scoring record held jointly by Mike Weir and Jason Day.
It's also worth noting that neither of them ended up going on to win the tournament.
Oosthuizen was sublime with his putter on the front 9 yesterday, as he made 156-feet, 3-inches worth of putts in his third round.
That accounts for more than half of his three round total of 301-feet, 1-inch.
Our final group is off at 1:50 PM ET while the penultimate pairing of Woods and Johnson is off at 1:40 PM ET.
Par 4 1st - Dustin Johnson is first to play from the opening tee and elects to use an iron at the shortish 4. And it works, as he draws it towards the left side and is in the fairway. Tiger, then using a fairway wood, aims at the left side and cuts it back into the middle, hopping past DJ's ball.
Par 4 1st - Johnson lands his approach on the green and is just short and right of the flag, about 15-20-feet away. Tiger then, from 99 yards, lands his ball inside that of his playing partner and will have about 10-12-feet for birdie. He could get a tell on the line from Johnson's putt as well.
Exact distances: DJ's is from 23'2" and Tiger's 16'8". DJ never hit his putt firm enough and it comes up short. Tiger then followed suit and did the same thing. Solid but semi disappointing pars for both players to open.
Par 4 1st - Oosthuizen with fairway wood off the tee and he flights it right-to-left down the middle of the short grass. McIlroy, also with fairway wood, starts his line too far right and can't bend it back into the fairway. He's in the primary rough, but is at least short of a fairway bunker.
Par 5 2nd - Dustin Johnson rips driver at the par 5 that is playing longer today and should have a chance to go with his second after finding the fairway. Tiger then works the ball left-to-right and is also in the fairway.
@Jack Nicklaus Duly noted.
Par 4 1st - Oosthuizen is first to play, from just inside 100 yards, and he blocks it well right of the hole. McIlroy, while playing out of the rough, did have a better angle to the hole cut short and left. He ends up closer than Oosthuizen, but both will have pretty long birdie putts.
@Jack Nicklaus Pretty much perfect. Warm, no humidity and they aren't projecting any inclement weather.
Par 5 2nd - Tiger has 234 yards and with the ball beneath his feet, he tries to carve it back to the hole on the right side, but it doesn't cut and he's in the back bunker. Johnson, from 213 yards, tugs his left and ends up in the very same bunker.
Par 4 1st - Oosthuizen never gave his birdie putt enough gas and he'll have about 4-feet left for his par. McIlroy takes a more aggressive approach, and while it gets to the hole, it spills off left of it.
Par 5 2nd - Noticing the ridge just after the hole -- earlier today Lee Westwood chipped just on from a similar line and rolled into the hazard -- Tiger decides to not take a line at the flag and will have a long birdie putt. Johnson takes the other approach, with a super aggressive line and generates a lot of spin to stop it about 8-feet away.
@Ian Gollert Nope. Lowest round in the clubhouse or on the course is Padraig Harrington at -4.
Par 5 2nd - Tiger read his long putt well, but knowing a miss would leave a quick putt back for par, he comes up a couple feet short and then cleans up his par. He's probably disappointed not to make birdie, but he avoided a potential disaster.
Par 5 2nd - Dustin Johnson after a wonderful up-and-down makes his birdie and gets to -14. Back on the tee, Oosthuizen found a fairway bunker and he was forced to layup, which he does successfully. McIlroy smashed his tee ball and has only 201 yards to the flag. He hoists it high in the air and is about pin-high left of the flag on the fringe.
@John B Sure he does. He's only 6 back and won here a few years ago with a final round 63.
Par 3 3rd - Johnson fresh off his birdie, tries to get to the hole cut on the right side and misses well right of the green. He'll have a tough time to save par. Tiger aims to the left and tries to carve it back to the right, which he does, landing it on the front portion and ending up pin-high 12-feet or so left of the flag.
Par 5 2nd - Oosthuizen, worrying about going long, lands his ball on the ridge just in front of the flag and spins it back down into the middle. He'll have a long birdie putt and getting the speed correct will be crucial.
Par 5 2nd - From just about 60-feet, McIlroy lags up to about 2 or 3-feet and should be able to make birdie.
Par 3 3rd - Johnson with a wonderful shot, playing a big flop shot out of the rough where he had to land it on the fringe and let it feed towards the hole. Tiger, from just inside 9-feet, either mis-read the break or just hit it through it and settles for par.
Par 5 2nd - Oosthuizen rolls his birdie putt from about 40-feet past the hole and had a ticklish putt for par back down the hill, but he converts it. McIlroy then sinks his short birdie to pull within 2 of the lead.
Par 3 3rd - McIlroy using a 5-iron tries to play a high cut and it lands a couple feet just short of the hole and releases about 10-feet past. It almost hopped into the hole after the first bounce. Oosthuizen, also with a 5-iron, took a more conservative line towards the heart of the green and will have 35-40-feet for his birdie.
Par 4 4th - After a brief wait at the driveable par 4, Johnson takes fairway wood and misses to the right. Tiger, also with fairway wood, was on a line right towards the mouth of the green, but found the front green-side bunker.
Par 3 3rd - Oosthuizen's ball actually rolled back a bit off a ridge and left him a putt inside 20-feet for birdie, but he missed. McIlroy then pulls to within one, sneaking his birdie putt in the side door to get to -18.
That was really a great read from Rory. It looked like it was going to stay left the hole way, but in the final foot or so started to creep back towards the hole and had perfect speed to get there.
Par 4 4th - Tiger had to land his shot from the bunker on the downslope, but is still able to generate a little spin and will have about 10-feet for birdie. Johnson pitched onto the green and it released a bit too much and he'll have about 12-feet for birdie from the fringe.
Par 4 4th - Johnson's birdie bid didn't quite break to the left as much as he expected and he'll settle for a par. Tiger reads his right-to-left putt perfectly and pours it in the middle of the hole. He re-joins Johnson on joint third at -14.
Par 4 4th - McIlroy's 3-wood was on a good line, but works right-to-left a little too much and finds the green-side bunker protecting the flag. He should be far enough that he can spin it to the flag. Oosthuizen went with driver and carried it far enough to reach the green, but since it was a little right, it landed on a downslope and kicked into the primary rough.
Par 4 5th - Tiger over works a cut off the tee and loses it right. It looks like he has a decent lie though as it ends up in an area where the gallery has been.
I cringe when tv commentators attempt and fail to pronounce Louis Oosthuizen's name. Wuss-taze-in.by Willmcbeath via twitter 9/3/2012 6:00:42 PM
After that laser approach on the third, it's safe to assume Rory McIlroy brought his A-game to the course today.by jonathanrwall via twitter 9/3/2012 6:20:02 PM
Gonna be surprised if Oosthuizen holds off rory todayby NebGilum via twitter 9/3/2012 6:35:00 PM
