Verplank makes splash at Colonial
Scott Verplank has set himself up for the chance at a rare Texas two-step on the PGA Tour.
Playing through periodic rain showers, Verplank had five birdies in 13 holes yesterday in Fort Worth before the third round of the soaked Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial was suspended due to darkness and more rain.
Verplank got to 9 under par for a share of the lead with Rory Sabbatini, Pat Perez, Kevin Na, Arron Oberholser, and Ben Curtis. Sabbatini had seven birdies and a bogey through 12 holes.
Last month in nearby Irving, Verplank had an emotional victory at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship -- the Texan's first Tour win since 2001. The only person to win the Nelson and Colonial in the same year was Ben Hogan in 1946, the first Colonial.
Oberholser, Curtis, and Tim Clark were the last players to tee off -- at 5:50 p.m. They have 12 holes to play today before the fourth round can begin.
The second round was finally completed and the 36-hole cut made yesterday when 24 players managed to finish after the scheduled resumption was delayed 5 1/2 hours by more rain.
None of the 70 players who made the cut completed their third rounds; every golfer had at least three holes to play.
For the first time in the history of Colonial, the cut was under par, coming in at 1-under 139.
LPGA -- Paula Creamer is back in the spot she covets -- atop the leaderboard. Creamer, 20, birdied her two final holes for a 6-under 66 to tie Beth Bader and Young Kim for the third-round lead at the
Creamer, who began the day three shots behind Bader, completed a bogey-free round with a nice par save at No. 16, then chipped to about a foot at No. 17 and finished with a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
Bader (69), who began the day with a one-shot lead over Kim (68), fell behind by two shots at the turn. She tied Kim at 16 under with a birdie at No. 13, and the two parred the final five holes to finish at 16-under 200 -- one shot ahead of Mi Hyun Kim (66).
Champions -- Eduardo Romero missed a chance to take a big lead into the final round of the Senior PGA Championship, bogeying the final two holes en route to a two-stroke advantage over Denis Watson (69) and Nick Price (70) at Kiawah Island, S.C.
Still, at 7 under, Romero remains poised for a second straight major on the Champions Tour -- he captured The Tradition in his rookie season last summer.
Romero was 9 under and four shots ahead after a birdie on the par-3 14th, but hit into a bunker on No. 17, leading to one bogey. Then he missed a 7-foot par putt on No. 18.
European -- Paul Broadhurst and Ross Fisher each birdied the last three holes to share the third-round lead at 10-under 206 in the BMW PGA Championship at Virginia Water, England.
Ernie Els, who helped redesign the course, shot a 72 that included two eagles, four birdies, a triple bogey, a double bogey, and three bogeys.
"It was wacky," he said. "Ridiculous."
Nationwide -- Paul Claxton, Jaco Van Zyl, and Providence's Patrick Sheehan were tied at 13-under 203 going into the final round of the Prince George's County Open in Mitchellville, Md.
