Wi retains lead as heavyweights descend
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | Round Three | 12 Feb 2012
Second round leader, Charlie Wi, played the more difficult Spyglass Hill Golf Club’s layout on day three of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am Championship but with an impressive round of 69 he retained his three shot lead.
Wi leads over Ken Duke but just four and six shots behind him respectively are multiple Pebble Beach winners, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
Both Wi and Duke are chasing their first PGA Tour victory and will need to pull out all stops in order to hold off their more credentialed chasers when the event returns to Pebble Beach for the final round tomorrow.
It should be remembered however that Wi has won nine events in Asia earlier in his career and has been four times runner-up in his PGA Tour career. Clearly, though, tomorrow represents one of his best opportunities to break through.
Tied with Mickelson at 9 under are Kevin Na, Brendon Todd and two time winner of this event Dustin Johnson. Their chances will be determined by just how Wi handles the prospect of winning his first PGA Tour event.
If the Korean born but US raised 40 year old comes back to the field at all then the door opens for those perhaps as far as 8 under and currently seven from the lead.
Aaron Baddeley and Geoff Ogilvy lead the Australians in 12th position eight shots from the lead although only five shots out of second position.
The 54 hole cut fell at even par although twelve of those who made the cut will not get the opportunity to advance their cause tomorrow as they fell victim to the MDF rule which provides them with a cheque but not a place in the finla round field.
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