Quigley is misfiring at Buick
The caddie apparently wasn't the only problem.
A day after firing caddie Tim Mork, Rhode Islander Brett Quigley dropped from a tie for first to a tie for 32d yesterday at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich. Quigley, who started the day tied with Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry, shot a 3-over-par 75. At 7-under 209, he's six shots behind Tom Pernice Jr.
"It was just time," Quigley said of his mid-tournament decision.
Pernice shot a 6-under 66 in the third round to put his name atop a shuffled leaderboard.
Jesper Parnevik (64), Scott Verplank (69), and Brian Bateman (69) were a shot back entering the final round.
Former Buick Open champions Furyk (71), Perry (71), and Woody Austin (69) were in a group of five players two strokes behind Pernice.
After playing the first 12 holes even par, Pernice closed strong with an eagle at No. 13 and four straight birdies before finishing with a par.
Quigley's play might have rubbed off on his playing partner, Furyk, who bogeyed two straight holes on the front nine by pulling a 4-footer and lipping out from 9 feet.
Furyk missed a 4-footer at 18 to bogey, finishing at 1 under for the day. His streak of rounds in the 60s at the Buick Open ended at eight, equaling Tiger Woods's tournament record, but he extended his run of sub-par rounds to 36 at Warwick Hills.
Quigley's collapse began right away.
He bogeyed the first three holes and four of five. At No. 9, his drive went behind trees and his third shot plugged in a bunker, setting up a double bogey. He made the turn at 5 over for the day and seven shots behind the leaders.
"After the three bogeys, I knew I had to press," he said. "I'm not entirely discouraged, though, because after a disastrous front nine, I was able to play really well on the back. Obviously, I'm going to need 9 or 10 under tomorrow, but at least I have some hope."
Quigley, who hasn't won on the PGA Tour, had the second-round lead last year at the Buick Open before a third-round 71 contributed to him finishing tied for seventh.
Woods and Vijay Singh (sore elbow) are not playing the Buick Open for the first time since 2001 after combining to win four of the previous five.
Champions -- Lonnie Nielsen had a stretch of five birdies in seven holes on the back nine and his 7-under 64 gave him a record-tying three-stroke lead over Tom McKnight after two rounds of the Commerce Bank Championship in East Meadow, N.Y.
Nielsen, who didn't win in his five years on the PGA Tour or in his five seasons on the Champions Tour, had a 12-under 130 total after 36 holes on the 7,011-yard Red Course at Eisenhower Park.
The three-shot lead matches the tournament record set by Bruce Fleisher in 1999 and 2000, and equaled by Jay Sigel in 2001.
European -- Soren Hansen of Denmark shot a 5-under 66 to lead by one stroke after the third round of the French Open in Versailles.
Hansen, who had an eagle at the third hole after almost chipping in, is at 7-under 206. Simon Khan (70) was second, followed by Colin Montgomerie (71).
