Verizon Heritage leader Brian Gay watches his tee shot sail down the fairway on the sixth hole Saturday at Harbour Town Golf Links. Photo by Jonathan Dyer | The Island Packet
By BRANDON PARKER
bparker@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5536
The last time Brian Gay held the lead after 54 holes of golf, he never really got comfortable in the driver's seat.
Granted, this discomfort bred Gay's first career PGA Tour win, and thanks to a cautious style at this weekend's Verizon Heritage, he again finds himself in the lead car entering today's final round at Harbour Town Golf Links.
"I don't know how I'll feel (Sunday) yet," Gay said after firing a third-round 67, "but I think from being in this position last year, I think it can only help going out and playing solid today."
For the second time in three days, Gay played bogey-free golf, connecting on four birdies and hitting just one shot off the fairway to keep the 77 other contenders at bay. Tim Wilkinson sits three shots back at 10 under, followed by Lee Janzen and Todd Hamilton, who shot 69 and 71, respectively.
Gay's lead rarely appeared in jeopardy Saturday, and when it did, accurate approach shots gave him several birdie opportunities.
On the par-5 fifth hole, Gay landed his second shot on the fringe before two-putting for birdie, followed by a 12-foot birdie putt on the ensuing hole to reach 11 under.
"I've struck the ball really well," Gay said. "I don't think I've hit it in the trees for three days and ... (I've) just stayed out trouble and put the ball in the right position."
Avoiding trouble will again prove vital for Gay, what with the likes of Janzen, Hamilton, Davis Love III and Tom Lehman lurking within seven strokes. All four of these contenders have at least one major championship to their name and 35 combined PGA Tour wins. On the other hand, Gay and Wilkinson boast one PGA Tour victory between them.
Wilkinson's memories of his one and only time playing in a final pairing on the tour aren't fond ones. A final-round 78 at last year's Sony Open in Hawaii doomed the lefty to 25th place in just his third PGA event.
But after solid putting and four straight birdies on the front nine at Harbour Town drove Wilkinson five spots up the leaderboard on Saturday, this time around, the two-year pro isn't too concerned about a similar collapse.
"You've just got to do as well as you can and really just focus on your own game," Wilkinson said.
"But I think if I just focus on my game and hit shots, it sounds simple, but that's what you try to do out there."
Yet despite the relatively minor experience between Wilkinson and Gay, veterans like Janzen know that their names alone aren't enough to overcome this duo's efficiency.
Through three rounds, Gay has missed only five of Harbour Town's narrow fairways while Wilkinson has needed just 70 putts to maneuver on the course's tiny greens.
"Well, anything can happen. Brian Gay is a fine player," said Janzen, who was in the field when Gay won last year in Mexico. "He doesn't get in trouble off the tee and he's a really good putter. I imagine if he continues to play that kind of steady golf, it will take a great round to catch him."
Harbour Town won't make it easy. Winds are expected to pick up today in the 15-20 mph range, making for a potentially treacherous back nine where many have faltered on the Heritage's final day.
Whether today will produce another cautionary round from Gay remains to be seen. But it's safe to say that joining the likes of Arnold Palmer and Payne Stewart as Heritage victors could very well shift Gay's PGA Tour career into second gear.
"I don't know if (a win at the Heritage) would be sweeter; the first one was pretty nice," Gay said. "Who else is playing doesn't really matter. I think it will be validation of winning last year. I did it once and I'll do it again."
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