» Golf » Ben Curtis Could Run Away With Booz Allen Title After a Strong Saturday
Ben Curtis Could Run Away With Booz Allen Title After a Strong Saturday
Story by: Erin zollars
Posted June 24, 2006
Photos by: Sol tucker
Potomac, MD--
If there was something that Ben Curtis did wrong today at Avenel, it was tough for any of us to see it today in what looked like just another stellar round for the man today dressed in Redskins burgundy and gold.
While this tournament has lacked some huge galleries to see Curtis and his perfect work of the course, Curtis has led from the opening day with rounds of 62, 65 and 67, his 19-under score of 213 breaking the tournament record through 54 holes. On Sunday, his biggest decision could be whether to sit on his lead by settling for pars or sticking with the aggressive iron play that helped build his lead.
Curtis will enter tomorrow's final round with a five-stroke lead entering with his best chance yet to prove that his 2003 victory as a rookie at Royal St. George's was the real Curtis, not the one that has been missing for the past three years.So with Curtis running away with what might be the final PGA event in Washington, D.C history, who is poised to possibly catch him on Sunday.... Brett Quigley.
Quigley, who's golf resume at Avenel this weekend includes 15 birdies and an eagle over three days, with only three bogeys. This weekend he has shown the best signs of any of he players in the field to be able to challenge Curtis. Quigley has fared well in the final rounds over the past several months, with six top-25 finishes including three in the top five despite a very sore knee.
"I like playing with Ben, knowing what I have to do tomorrow," he said. "I know I have to make a bunch of birdies, but I think it will be better for me watching him and getting a feel for how he's playing and how he's swinging. . . . He's got a big lead. He'll try to start off, if I were him, trying to make birdies, but who knows how it goes out there. I don't know who's got more heat on him," said Quigley.
The biggest comeback victory on the final day in tournament history was by Bill Glasson, who came from six strokes down to win in 1985. The average score Saturday on the par-71 course was 69.767, the lowest third-round average on the course since 1991.