Weir leads Villegas by one heading into final

Mike Weir birdied the 18th to grab a one-shot lead over Camilo Villegas heading into Monday’s final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship. It will mark the second time this week that Weir and Villegas have competed for a championship.

On Tuesday, the pair competed in the inaugural Notah Begay III Foundation Challege at Turning Stone Resort’s Atunyoute Golf Club, which is outside of Syracuse, N.Y. Villegas won the tournament, earning $220,000 in skins, while Weir was shut out.

“I was kind of mad about that, not getting a skin,” Weir said.

Perhaps competing in Begay’s skins competition was a prerequisite for doing well in the Deutsche Bank, because Singh, who won $180,000 in skins, is tied with Sergio Garia for third at 14-under.

Ben Crane, Ernie Els and Jim Furyk are four back.

I don’t know why, but I really like Els tomorrow. Weir looks solid, but I think he might burn out after being near the top for three days in a row. Villegas would be a good story, but you never know with him. Garcia missed a bunch of putts by mere inches, which tells me that the golf Gods are rooting against him. Singh is my second pick, and I think it would be epic if there was a Els-Singh duel down the stretch. The Big Easy vs. The Big Fijian.

The third round of a PGA tournament is called moving day, but not everybody moves up. Anthony Kim shot a 3-over 74 to plummet from tied for ninth to tied for 31st, while Ben Curtis went from tied for third to tied for 21st.

OK, I have a story to write on Labor Day deadline, so I have to run. I plan on picking up Garcia and Singh at the ninth hole and bouncing back between them and Weir and Villegas. But I’ll check back in before I head out ot the course.

Weir, Villegas and Garcia near the top

Mike Weir still has two holes to play, but right now the leader board looks like this: Weir is in the lead at 17-under, followed by Camilo Villegas at 16 and Sergio Garcia at 14.

I doubt it’s going to happen, but if for some reason Weir implodes over his last two holes, that would set up a Villegas-Garcia final twosome, which might inject some life into this tournament. Lurking at 13-under are Ben Crane and a trio of big names: Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh. Els got about emotional as the Big Easy is going to get on the 18th green, puntuating a long putt with a fist pump.

A lot’s going on right now so I’ll check back after everyone’s turned their cards in. One quick note: the pros said the course played much tougher today because of the wind and greens.

Another record-setting day at TPC?

I’m back at the Deutsche Bank after another trip to the Boston Golf Club in Hingham to talk to some local junior golfers. I think everybody is taking Route 3 to the Cape today. Yikes!

As for the golf here at TPC Boston, Tim Clark is clinging to a 4-shot lead over Steve Marino and Mike Weir. Marino is 4-under for the day, while Weir is one. (Interesting Steve Marino local connection: Marino played a practice round with Old Sandwich GC assistant pro Eric Dugas at the PGA Championship.) The biggest mover of the day is Ben Crane, who fired an 8-under-par 63 to go from 5-under and near the cut line to 13-under and currently a tie for fourth. Also charging hard are Camilo Villegas (13-under through six) and D.J. Trahan (12-under through nine). But there’s still a lot of golf to play.

As I said yesterday, I’m curious to see if the course plays any tougher. The scoreboard tells me no, but it’s hot and sunny, which means the greens should run a little faster. I’m going to watch some golf and see what the crowd’s like. I’ll check back in in a little while.

Clark leads after 36

It’s hard to call a 9-under-par 62 disappointing, but Tim Clark’s in today’s second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, which gave him a one-stroke lead over Mike Weir, might have been. The 32-year-old South African was 10-under through 13 holes and 11-under through 16, before bogeying the eighth and ninth (his 17th and 18th). An 11-under round would have broken Mike Weir and Vijay Singh’s competitive course record, and 12-under would have given him a 59.

For his part, Clark didn’t express any disappointment.

“I’m certainly not disappointed, because I’ve only played 36 holes and there’s a lot more golf to play,” Clark said. “I’m disappointed about the 59, but at the end of the day I’m still playing the second round of the tournament and I have t keep going if I want to win.”

Ben Curtis and Vijay Singh stand two behind Clark, while Jim Furyk, Kevin Streelman, Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els are three back.

Handicapping this tournament is difficult, with so many players posting so many birdies. Weir looked good for the second day in a row, but so did Curtis, Singh, Garcia, Els and Anthony Kim. The wildcard, at least in my opinion, is Streelman. The Tour rookie has a pair of top 10s in his last two tournaments and looks as confident as anybody out there.

Sunday’s forecast is 82 degrees and sunny, so maybe that will toughen up the course. Cloud and rain kept the greens soft until the very end of the day, when sunshine firmed them up.

I’m heading to the youth tournament at the Boston Golf Club in Hingham that’s going on in conjunction with the Deutsche Bank in the morning, but I’ll check back in before the leaders tee off to report what’s happening.

Clark passes Weir for first

Tim Clark just made his second eagle in four holes on the par-4 fourth (his 13th) to go to 10-under for the day and 15-under for the tournament and pass Mike Weir for the lead. Clark started the day at 5-under for the tournament, but made five birdies on the front, a birdie on the first, an eagle on the second, a par on the third and then another eagle on the fourth, which is a drivable par-4.

For the second day in a row, TPC Boston is indefensible, with the cut line hovering around 3-under and threatening to go lower. As I’ve said in other posts, the main culprit is the weather. There’s been very little direct sunlight, which means the greens are as soft as they were for Wednesday’s pro-am. When pros see soft greens, they start firing at every pin, which is what they’re doing. I just got back from following Padraig Harrington, Hunter Mahan and Jerry Kelly, and on the 18th hole, Kelly and Mahan both hit woods into the green and they stopped to within 15 feet of pin, something that wouldn’t have happened if the greens were a little crispy.

Speaking of Harrington, it looks as though he won’t make the cut unless he gets it going on the back nine. On the 17th, he hit an approach shot to within five feet, but missed the putt. Then on the 18th, he landed his second shot on the right-front rough, then chipped his ball about 10 feet past the hole. I can’t tell if he’s tired or frustrated, but whatever he is he’s not playing well.

Humorous aside No. 1: As I was standing on the 17th green, next to a hospitality tent, Jerry Kelly’s caddie walked up next to me and traded a father and son Kelly’s glove for a couple Dunkin’ Donuts gift certificates. As the caddie was walking away, he turned back and said, “This is the best thing that’s happened to me all week.”

Humorous aside No. 2: As Padraig Harrington was walking down the 17th fairway, an older women with an Irish accent yelled to him some words of encouragement. As I was walking past her, I heard her tell the man standing next to him, “My sister is married to that guy’s brother.”

Day 2 in full swing

All but a few of the afternoon tee times have went off here at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, and not much as changed since Friday. First-round leader Mike Weir gave up a few strokes on the back nine (his front) but made three birdies on the back to finish with a 3-under-par 68 and the clubhouse lead at 13-under. Jim Furyk is two back at 11-under, while John Merrick, Anthony Kim and Heath Slocum are three back.

Of the players that are on the course now, Tim Clark is looking good at 3-under through five, but other than that, it’s too early to tell.

With the cut line projected at 2-under, several players are in danger of missing it, including Adam Scott, Ian Poulter and Kenny Perry. One player who looks like he’ll miss it for sure is Padraig Harrington. If he does, Harrington will likely not make the top 70 and thus not qualify for next week’s BMW Championship, which is pretty ridiculous considering he won the British Open and PGA Championship.

Other than that, the weather is overcast with a little bit of rain, which is bad for fans but good for player, who love the clouds because they keep the greens soft. Like I said yesterday, I’m interested to see how the turnout is sans Tiger Woods. I’ve heard it’s a little light and you can walk up and buy a ticket. I’ll report back in a little while.

Weir holds on to first-round lead

Most athletes grow playoff beards to improve their play. Mike Weir, however, shaved his off to do the trick.

Weir, who tied Vijay Singh’s competitive course record with a 10-under-par 61 in Friday’s first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, to take a 3-stroke lead over Singh, John Merrick, Briney Baird and Heath Slocum, had grown a beard for two weeks, and was sporting it in last week’s The Barclays. But his family flew into town on Tuesday, and that was the end of that.

“It was not quite hockey player-ish,” said Weir, who’s Canadian and appears with Wayne Gretzky in a funny FedEx Cup commercial about playoff beards. “My girls hadn’t seen me in a while (when they flew in Tuesday) and they didn’t want to give me a kiss or anything. Once they said that I knew it had to be gone. So I gave them each a razor, lubed up my beard and they started hacking away.”

Weir put the finishing touches on the shave himself, to avoid being mortally wounded.

Saturday’s second round should be exciting, with six players within four shots. I don’t know why, but this season feels like the year of the underdog, with players like rookie Kevin Streelman in the hunt last week, and seldom-mentioned players JMerrick and Eric Axley near the top of this week’s leaderboard.

The only real surprise in terms of players who might not make the cut is Padraig Harrington, who is currently tied for 114th at 4-over. Kenny Perry was also above par at 1-over.

I’m going to be interested to see if TPC Boston plays any tougher tomorrow, because it didn’t put up much of a fight today. Mother nature didn’t help by providing a windless day with very little sun to dry out the greens. But the pros at it up, firing at every pin and making it look easy out of the rough.

That’s all for today. I’ll report back on Saturday after the morning group has turned in their cards, then a few more times as the day goes on.

Weir ties course record

Mike Weir just birdied the 18th for a 10-under-par 61, which tied Vijay Singh’s competitive course record and take a three-stroke lead over Singh and John Merrick.

Weir cooled off a bit on the back nine after making birdie on seven of his first 10 holes. But he birdied the 13th and 15th to give himself a shot at the record on the 18th. After landing his second shot on the fringe, approximately 30 feet from the hole, Weir came tantalizingly close to making eagle for the record. But the putt slid left, leaving him a three-foot comebacker.

A couple of players are still in contention to tie for second, including Chad Campbell and Briney Baird. I’ll check back in after Weir’s interview and all the scores are in.

Round 1 is underway

The pros are finally playing some golf out here at TPC Boston, and they’re throwing up some pretty low scores.

Vijay Singh is the clubhouse leader after firing a 7-under-par 64, but he’s currently tied with Mike Weir, who’s 7-under through 11. I wanted to follow Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim’s group, so I walked backward starting at the 9th. I passed Weir’s group on the seventh and had to do a double-take when I saw that he was 5-under. The best part is he’s doing it with birdies. Weir birdied the first, second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and 10th, which is amazing if you think about it.

I always like to pick a group on the first day and follow it around, even if it’s not the lead group. Mickelson’s fun to watch for obvious reason, but I think Kim’s the most exciting player on Tour right now. He’s a charismatic guy and he absolutely stripes the ball. I watched them on six through nine, but there weren’t any fireworks. Mickelson stuck a 6-iron to within five feet on the par-3 8th, but missed a downhill putt. Then Kim just missed a 15-footer for birdie on the par-4 9th.

For those who thought the absence of Tiger Woods might hurt attendance, I think they were correct. The galleries seem a little thin this year. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s Friday afternoon. Tomorrow will be the true test.

OK, I’m off to watch a little more golf at the 18th. I’ll check back in to report on Weir’s round.

Mickelson holds court

Phil Mickelson just left the interview room after about 10 minutes. He wasn’t as entertaining as last year, which tells me he’s a little more focused this time around.  Mickelson, who played his Pro-Am round with Patriots owner Bob Kraft, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Deutsche Bank Americas CEO Seth Waugh, didn’t break any news, but rather held court on a number of topics, including the Ryder Cup (He likes the U.S.’s team), the LPGA’s decision to force foreign players to learn English (He thinks the LPGA has plenty of charismatic players), and grooves on pitching wedges (it won’t matter if the USGA keeps growing the rough longer than an abandoned property’s front lawn).

Although Vijay Singh traditionally plays well at the Deutsche Bank, and Sergio Garcia has looked strong, Mickelson has to be considered a favorite. Although Mickelson-haters focused on how he blew a final-round lead at the WGC and never really threated at the PGA Championship, he shot three rounds in the 60s at the WGC, and was a few lip-outs away from competing at the PGA.

That’s should do it for today. I’m going to head to the practice range to see if anything’s going on over there, and then be back tomorrow for first-round action, which begins at 7:25 a.m.