Canada's Corey Conners in tough tussle with Tiger in pursuit of 1st PGA tour victory
Rookie holds a 1-shot lead over Woods at Valspar Championship
Canadian rookie Corey Conners kept the lead in the Valspar Championship and had a clear view of what he faces in the final round.
Tiger Woods was right in front of him Saturday, and Conners could hear the roars all afternoon.
Conners, who ran off birdies in the early stretches of both sides at Innisbrook, saved par from the bunker on the 17th and kept his cool when his ball moved slightly on the 18th green to finish off a par for a 3-under 68.
In the ❤️<a href="https://twitter.com/coreconn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@coreconn</a> gets to -10.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QuickHits?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QuickHits</a> <a href="https://t.co/NNRAgIbWLY">pic.twitter.com/NNRAgIbWLY</a>
—@PGATOURNow comes the hard part.
Woods hot on Conners' heels
He had a one-shot lead over Woods, Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose as he goes after his first PGA Tour victory before a crowd rarely seen this side of a major. Thousands bordered on a delirium for just about every shot Woods hit, especially when he chipped in for birdie behind the ninth green, holed a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 10 and gave himself birdie chances inside 8 feet on the next two holes.
Sound 🆙 for <a href="https://twitter.com/TigerWoods?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TigerWoods</a>' chip-in on No. 9. 🐅 <a href="https://t.co/Mj6mIHiVii">pic.twitter.com/Mj6mIHiVii</a>
—@PGATOURWoods missed them both to slow his momentum. He dropped only one shot and finished with four straight pars in his round of 67. It was his fifth straight round at par or better, his longest stretch in the same season since September 2013.
"Loud. Very, very loud," Woods said about the gallery. "I played myself right there in contention. It will be a fun Sunday."
Nervous moment for Conners
Conners, in only his 17th start on the PGA Tour as a pro, was at 9-under 204.
He finished with a two-putt par from 20 feet and one nervous moment. As he was taking a few practice strokes for his 3-foot par putt, the ball moved ever so slightly without him touching it with his putter. He marked it and called over an official to confirm there is no longer a penalty for a ball moving even after a player has addressed if it was clear he didn't cause the ball to move.
He will be paired in the final group with Rose, who holed a wedge for eagle from 120 yards on the par-5 11th and followed with two more birdies for a 66.
DUNK!<br><br>Justin Rose holes out for eagle! 🦅<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QuickHits?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QuickHits</a> <a href="https://t.co/RnAJh5umpC">pic.twitter.com/RnAJh5umpC</a>
—@PGATOURFor the second straight day, Woods and his thousands upon thousands of fans will be ahead of him.
So he at least knows what to expect.
"I kind of knew what was going on without even having to see it," Conners said. "But it will be cool. It's fun seeing him out there today, and I'm sure he'll be battling hard tomorrow. But hopefully, I can play my game and have a good day."
Remarkable returns
Snedeker, coming off a sternum injury that knocked him out of golf for the second half of last year, was equally impressive as the guy in his group everyone came to see. He twice matched birdies with Woods with 12-foot putts, and after falling two shots behind and the crowd getting louder by the hole for Woods, Snedeker battled back with a pair of birdies for a 67.
He will play with Woods again in the final round.
Woods has never been so close to winning since his last victory in the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone in 2013. It has been a remarkable return from his fourth back surgery, especially since he wasn't cleared to start hitting balls until five months ago.
In his sights are a shot at his 80th career victory on the PGA Tour and more momentum and madness as the Masters approaches.