Memorial Tournament 2013: Previewing Day 4 Action at Muirfield

Good scoring chances didn’t come easy this weekend at the Memorial Tournament, as soggy course conditions bogged down play. But clear skies and sun are in the forecast for the tournament’s final day. With nine players within four strokes of leader Matt Kuchar (-8), Sunday at Muirfield Village should hold plenty of surprises.

Kevin Chappell and Kyle Stanley enter the final round just two strokes off the pace at six-under, with world No. 4 Justin Rose clinging to the pace at five-under. Masters champion Adam Scott fired off a third-round 69 to pull to four-under and within striking distance of Kuchar and the tournament lead.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of the Memorial Tournament was the implosion of 2012 winner and current world No. 1 Tiger Woods, who nearly missed the cut with a 74 on Friday. Saturday’s round proved even worse for the five-time Memorial Tournament champion, as he turned in the worst nine-hole score of his professional career on the back nine with an eight-over 44, as noted by SportsCenter's Twitter account:

Woods signed a scorecard of 79 for Saturday’s round, dropping to eight-over for the tournament and well out of contention. Despite being the favorite to secure his fifth PGA Tour victory this season with a win at Muirfield, Woods shouldn’t be expected to make much noise on Sunday.

Let’s take a look at the leaderboard entering the final round of action and break down what to watch for as the Memorial Tournament concludes.

Pos.	Player	Scores	Total
1	Matt Kuchar	68-70-70	-8
T2	Kevin Chappell	71-71-68	-6
T2	Kyle Stanley	67-70-73	-6
T4	Justin Rose	70-70-71	-5
T4	Matt Jones	69-72-70	-5
T4	Bill Haas	68-67-76	-5
T7	J.J. Henry	72-72-68	-4
T7	Adam Scott	73-70-69	-4
T7	Charl Schwartzel	65-71-76	-4
T7	Scott Piercy	66-75-71	-4

For the full leaderboard, check out PGA.com.

Course: Muirfield Village Country Club; Dublin, Ohio

First Pairing Tee Time: 10:40 a.m. ET

Television Coverage: Golf Channel (12 p.m. ET), CBS (2:30 p.m. ET)

Streaming: PGATour.com

Final Group (12:40 p.m. ET)

All eyes will be on Kuchar as he attempts to secure his second PGA Tour win of 2013 with a victory on Sunday. On a course that hasn’t exactly yielded consistent scoring this weekend, the 34-year-old has found a way to string together three solid rounds while the rest of the field battled for positioning behind him.

Kuchar fired off a third-round 70 to add two strokes to his lead after turning in rounds of 68 and 70 on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The world No. 9 is one of only three players on the leaderboard’s top 10 to have played all three rounds under par thus far, and another round of 70 or better will give him a very good chance of locking up the victory on Sunday.

But Kuchar’s biggest competition will be following him in the final round, each player just two strokes off the lead.

Chappell and Stanley didn’t exactly mirror each other’s performance Saturday, but each is within striking distance of upending Kuchar’s bid for a second tour victory. Chappell fired off a four-under 68 Saturday to jump up the leaderboard, while Stanley dropped a stroke with a one-over 73 on Day 3.

High scores were the norm on Saturday, though, and Chappell’s ability to make a push on moving day on Muirfield’s soggy track is an excellent sign as he takes to the course on Sunday. He and Scott Piercy were the only two golfers on the leaderboard’s top 10 who recorded just one bogey on Day 3.

Things are tight atop the leaderboard—and there’s plenty to keep an eye on in the final round—but the final group will be the one to watch as the weekend concludes.

 

Day 4 Sleeper: Charl Schwartzel (-4)

2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel enters Sunday’s round just four strokes off the lead after turning in a third-round 76. It wasn’t the kind of round that typically builds much confidence for a run at the top of the leaderboard, but he already had plenty to work with.

The 28-year-old fired off the best opening round of the tournament with a 65 on Thursday, and he followed that performance with a one-under 71 Friday to position himself at the top of the leaderboard.

Despite his four-over performance on Day 3, there’s no reason to believe Schwartzel can’t regain some of those strokes and make a push for a comeback win in the final round. Consistency hasn’t come easy this weekend, and good weather Sunday should open up a lot of scoring opportunities for the world’s No. 15 golfer.

Schwartzel is still searching for his first PGA Tour win of the year, and this may be his best opportunity. With three top-three finishes already in the bag, Schwartzel has shown he’s playing well enough this season to make some noise as the Memorial Tournament comes to a close.