Webb Simpson shot 66 in Saturday’s third group. His round, which included seven birdies, had him inside the top 10 when he walked off the golf course. More importantly, it gave some hope to those pursuing Rory McIlroy.
Simpson wasn’t the only player to shoot under par early Saturday. His playing partner, Bill Haas, shot 68.
“The golf course is just soft. The greens are great, they’re quick. ... I think the pins are tough today, in a way where you could short-side yourself five, six or seven times today, and have no chance to get up-and-down,” Simpson said. “I think you’ll see some pretty good scores like mine, and some pretty high scores.”
McIlroy, despite a six-shot lead, could be caught. We’ve seen players have large disparities in scoring from round to round. Robert Karlsson shot 79-67 to make the cut. Marcel Siem shot 79-66, making the cut after his first shot of the tournament bounced off a spectator and bounced into the pond fronting the 10th green. Bo Van Pelt and Kevin Chappell both shot 76-67.
“I think it’s just one of those golf courses, unlike Winged Foot, or Oakmont or Bethpage, where if you hit good tee shots and give yourself chances in the fairway, you’re going to have a few wedges in,” Simpson said. “The greens are so big and undulating that you can get it into the right tier and it will get close to the hole. Places like Oakmont and Winged Foot, you’re hitting more 4- and 5-irons into the greens all day.”
Simpson had two bogeys Saturday, including on the 13th, when his ball moved on the green after he’d addressed it. “I think we’ve been through this too many times, haven’t we,” said Simpson, who suffered a similar penalty in the final round of his playoff loss to Bubba Watson at the Zurich Classic. “It was unfortunate, but I think it really made me committed to finishing strong.”
His strong finish gives some hope to Saturday’s challengers.
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