Stricker still 5 clear at Kapalua

Golf Betting Lines

01/08/2012 - Kapalua, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker needed a late rally to keep his comfortable lead on Sunday.

The 44-year-old Wisconsin native birdied the final four holes to keep his five-stroke lead after three rounds of the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Stricker carded a four-under 69 to end 54 holes at 19-under-par 200.

He will go for his 12th PGA Tour title on Monday at Kapalua. Stricker has won five of the last six times he has owned at least a piece of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

Defending champion Jonathan Byrd and Scotland's Martin Laird both shot six- under 67 Sunday to move into a share of second at minus-14. They were joined there by Webb Simpson, who posted a four-under 69 in round three.

Bryce Molder (67) and Kevin Na (71) are tied for fifth at 11-under-par 208.

Stricker led by five entering the round, but got off to a slow start with six consecutive pars. He posted his first birdie on the seventh as he drained a 20-footer.

However, he gave that stroke right back with a three-putt bogey on the par- three eighth.

Stricker was still three clear at that point, but as he parred the next six holes Simpson inched within one of the lead.

Much like he did in the first two rounds, Stricker caught fire down the stretch. He two-putted for birdie on the par-five 15th. Stricker spun his short approach off the front edge on 16.

No worries, though. He chipped in for birdie to push his lead back to three strokes.

Stricker stuffed his approach within four feet at 17 and poured that birdie putt in. At the 18th, he came up just short with his second, but rolled an eagle effort within two feet. Stricker kicked that in for birdie to finish his second straight round with a five-stroke cushion.

"It was a struggle today. Not a lot of good things happened," admitted Stricker in a televised interview. "I stayed patient, I really did. I kind of stole one with the chip in on 16.

"When you're leading a golf tournament, it is so hard to keep the momentum. I had such a good day [Saturday], and when you're not making birdies, you feel like you're letting things slip away. And that's what I was feeling like. Fortunately, I had a good finish."

Stricker has played the 15th through 18th at 11-under with nine birdies, an eagle and two pars.

Byrd stumbled to bogeys on the second and third to tumble nine strokes back at the time. He got those strokes right back with a birdie on the fourth and an eagle on No. 5.

After three straight pars, Byrd birdied five of seven holes from the ninth to soar to 14-under. He parred the last three to share second.

"I had a rough start. I made two poor bogeys starting out. I hit a good wedge on four near that accessible pin, then eagled five," Byrd explained on television. "I hadn't played the par-fives real well, so making that eagle got me back in it feeling like I was playing good again."

Laird had four birdies on the front nine before faltering to his only bogey on No. 11. He erased that mistake with a birdie at 12. Back-to-back birdies from the 15th moved Laird to minus-14. He parred the last two.

"It was tough to make some putts out here. The greens are grainy with lots of slopes, so it takes a few holes to get used to the reads," Laird said in a TV interview. "That was kind of the case today."

Simpson had one birdie through seven holes. He carded three birdies in a five- hole span from the eighth to get to 14-under. Simpson was just one back, but the 16th proved to be a tough turning point.

Like Stricker, Simpson spun his approach off the green. Simpson failed to get it up and down, and his bogey dropped him four back. He did two-putt for birdie at the last to get back to minus-14.

It may have only been a four-under 69 for Simpson, but it was pretty impressive as he put a new driver in his bag moments before the round started. Simpson cracked the face of his old driver on the practice range, but was able to get a new one before his round began.

Harrison Frazar had the low round of the day with his seven-under 66. He jumped three spots into seventh place at 10-under-par 209.

NOTES: Stricker is 7-of-13 in his PGA Tour career with at least a piece of the 54-hole lead...Americans own 18 of the top 21 spots on the leaderboard...The event has a scheduled Monday finish with the tee times pushed up two hours so that the round ends prior to the start of college football's national championship game.