Bits from Blaine
Day 3 from TPC Twin Cities
Round recap
For the second year in a row but only the third time in the 25-year history of the 3M Championship, the tournament went to a playoff. And for the third time, the extra session went just one extra hole. Paul Goydos took advantage of a water shot from Gene Sauers in the playoff, and won his fifth PGA Tour Champions event with a birdie on the 18th hole. The two turned in matching 20-under-par scores to lead the pack, two better than Steve Stricker, Kevin Sutherland and Brandt Jobe.
Chip shots
• Defending champion Joe Durant went 53 consecutive holes without a bogey before making a 6 on the final hole.
• Wes Short Jr. matched a tournament back-nine record with a 29, including two eagles.
• Players made 1,105 birdies in the tournament, breaking the record by one.
• Charles Schwab Cup money leader Bernhard Langer made a run when he was 5 under through seven holes, but a bogey on No. 8 and double bogey on No. 9 derailed his chances at a comeback.
Hole of the day
No. 3, 546-yard par-5
No. 18 is traditionally the easiest hole on the course, but it was replaced this tournament by the third hole, which averaged 4.375 for the week. Six players made eagles and there were only seven bogeys.
Quote of the day
"It was kind of like the Space Shuttle taking off from Canaveral for no reason." — Goydos, on his unexpected victory.
Quick Q&A
Up and down with John Harris: the Minneapolis native made the second hole-in-one of the week and 12th all-time in 3M history at the eighth hole Sunday, using a 5-iron from 196 yards. Harris, 65, finished at even par.
Q It must feel nice to get a hole-in-one in front of a pro-Minnesota crowd.
A It was. Just a perfect yardage for me, and I put a good swing on it and got some luck. But I needed some luck at that point. It was a solid shot; I hit a few of those this week and a few bad ones as well. But it was a nice way to get a little momentum going to finish up. This is my 10th hole-in-one and every single one is unexpected.
Q This event invites you back year after year, what does that mean to you?
A I very much enjoy it and appreciate everything 3M has done. I had a lot higher expectations this week. But, that's golf. The score I shot is probably the score I deserved. I was 7 over, and got back to even at one point. My mini goal was to get it to under par and I didn't quite get there.
Q Tiger Woods unseated you as U.S. Amateur champion in 1994. What do you remember about him as a young player?
A I played with Tiger many times. It was obvious he was something special. I didn't think it would happen quite as quickly as it did. But he was mentally strong at such a young age and physically ready. He took a big leap to the next level and got off to a beautiful start.
Brian Stensaas
