Round 4: Travelers Championship (PGATOUR.com)

June 28, 2009

CBS IS ON THE AIR (3:01 p.m.)—Jim Nantz has just opened the broadcast with shots of Lucas Glover (he's 2 under today) and Kenny Perry.

PGATOUR.COM Instant AccessTravelers Championship PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report has all the news and notes from the Travelers Championship, and we'll be providing updates from TPC River Highlands all day long for each round, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.) PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | Live Scoring | PGA TOUR Network | Facebook | Twitter | FanZone

LIVE@ COVERAGE IN FULL SWING (2:58 p.m.)—This tournament promises to go down to the final shot, and our exclusive video stream has been at the 15th and 17th holes all week to document the action.

The pin on the driveable 15th hole is in almost the same spot—back left—as Thursday.

To watch LIVE@, .

WATSON FINISHES BOGEY, PAR (2:50 p.m.)—Bubba Watson's spirited run at the course record ended when he missed the 17th green and failed to get up-and-down, but he's still in the clubhouse at 13 under. Will it be good enough to remain in the top 10? The way guys are scoring so far, it might not hold up.

But a 63 is a 63 any way you look at it. This was the third time this year Bubba's shot 63 or better—he shot a 63 and a 62 (his career low) at the The 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer in January.

Here is a look at Watson's scorecard:

THE GREATEST PITCHER ON EARTH? (2:40 p.m.)—Sandy Koufax played in the pro-am at the Travelers Championship on Wednesday, but it's another great pitcher, Paul Goydos, who has a shot at winning today.

Goydos is one of the best on TOUR with a wedge from 50 yards in, and he just showed us why. As our Brian Wacker (see below), Goydos clipped a tree on the par-4 third hole and had to pitch out, leaving him 40 yards to the green.

Goydos expertly clipped a pitch to three feet to keep a share of the lead with Kenny Perry at 16 under. It's no wonder: Goydos is 14th on TOUR when he has to scramble for par from more than 30 yards out, and when the distance is between 50 and 75 yards, he's especially deadly. That is the main reason he's so good on short par-4s and long par-5s.

Here is a look at Goydos' stats from 50 to 75 yards this year:

PGA TOUR leaders from 50 to 75 yards Rank Rank last week Player Rounds Avg. Distance 1 1 Rick Price 34 5' 4" 2 2 Luke Donald 47 8' 8" 3 3 Jason Gore 40 9' 0" 4 4 Paul Goydos 41 9' 3" 5 5 Kent Jones 41 9' 5" 6 6 Aron Price 50 9' 7" 7 7 Matt Weibring 33 9' 10" T8 T8 Padraig Harrington 38 10' 5" T8 T8 John Rollins 56 10' 5" T8 T8 Nick Watney 50 10' 5"

TWITTER UPDATE (2:30 p.m.)—We gave our Brian Wacker just enough time to grab a bite to eat before sending him back out on the course to follow Paul Goydos and Kenny Perry, where . Some of his early tidbits:

"Goydos' tee shot on 3 was so far left it hit a tree and got knocked down short of the fairway and he couldn't reach the green."

"The breeze has picked up considerably and could play a role on one of the shortest courses on TOUR. Not for Perry though; birdie to tie lead."

"Lots of love for Kenny Perry as he makes his way down 2 and good conversation between he and Goydos, talking economy and other things."

WATSON NEEDS ONE MORE BIRDIE TO TIE COURSE RECORD (2:22 p.m.)—Bubba Watson just hit it to 12 feet on the par-3 16th and made the putt for his eighth birdie of the day, giving him an outside chance to shoot 60 and break the course record of 61, which is held by four players.

THAT'S ONE WAY TO GET A COUPLE SHOTS BACK (2:10 p.m.)—John Merrick's day didn't start too well—he bogeyed the first hole to fall back to 12 under, four shots behind Paul Goydos.

Merrick then holed his pitch shot on the short par-4 second hole from 62 yards out. The eagle moves back to 14 under and in a tie for third with David Toms and Ben Curtis. Curtis birdied his first two holes today.

THE LEADERS HIT THE COURSE; FOLLOW WITH SHOT TRACKER (2:01 p.m.)—The final group of Paul Goydos and Kenny Perry are on the first hole at TPC River Highlands.

Follow this group all day with Shot Tracker by .

BUBBA STILL REELING OFF BIRDIES (1:39 p.m)—With the leaders minutes away from teeing off, Bubba Watson has packed on two more birdies to get to 7 under for the day and 13 under for the week.

Bubba actually had a good eagle try on the short par-5 13th—he had 188 yards to the flag and stuffed his approach shot to 18 feet, but his putt slipped just by the cup.

BUBBA OFF TO HOT START (1:05 p.m.)—One of the players making a move from the morning tee times is Bubba Watson, who lost ground with a third-round 70 that included 34 putts.

Watson has hit every green so far in the final round, and his five birdies have pushed him into a tie for ninth at 11 under.

Watson has quietly enjoyed a solid year in 2009. He is 39th in FedExCup points and is in solid position to qualify for all four events of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

To follow Watson with Shot Tracker, .

SOME QUIPS FROM GOYDOS (12:45 p.m.)—Paul Goydos has about the best dry wit of anyone on earth. Some of his gems this week at TPC River Highlands:

On playing against Kenny Perry and David Toms: "They have a lot of experience winning. I have a lot of experience playing."

On how easy the course has been playing this week: "If Kenny or David or anybody else goes out and shoots 59 or something, there's not a whole lot I can do about that except try to shoot 59 myself."

On how he likes being in the last group: "You know, you're the last people to finish. So you know where you finished right when you get done. You don't have to worry about waiting around."

On his foot slipping on the 14th hole on Saturday: "I actually had my foot slip on my tee shot. I don't know if they got that on the TV or not, but I almost fell down."

On TPC River Highlands: "I like these par 70 courses, let's start with that. It's easier to shoot in the 60s."

AND NOW, INFO ABOUT OUR FINAL GROUP TODAY (12:30 p.m.)—The overnight leader, Paul Goydos, is one of the shortest hitters on TOUR. Kenny Perry, the Kentuckian who has made a living for 20 years by hitting the ball right to left, is one of the longest hitters.

Goydos has thrived on TOUR with his mid-iron and wedge ability. Perry has overpowered courses with his driver while hoping his putter knocks in enough 10-footers to go low.

The two really couldn't be any different, but yet, very much the same. Both are family men who share a quick wit. Both saw their games disappear for awhile before recent successes. Goydos' win at the Sony Open in 2007 was his first victory in nine years; Perry stunned the golf community last summer when he broke through with three victories in five starts.

Note we posted yesterday in this space: You might remember the last time Goydos and Perry played together in the final group. It was a little over a year ago at the 2008 THE PLAYERS Championship—the one that Goydos lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia. Perry shot an 81 that day and finished tied for 15th.

Tale of the Tape: Goydos vs. Perry Contrasts abound between the games of Paul Goydos and Kenny Perry: Category Goydos Perry Age 45 48 Height 5-9 6-2 Home state California Kentucky Career victories 2 13 Driving distance 274.0 yards 291.3 yards FedExCup points 68th 8th Final Round Scoring Average 71.0 70.86

OUR TWEETER FOLLOWING GARCIA, BEEM (12:20 p.m.) — Our Brian Wacker of Rich Beem and Sergio Garcia. Some highlights from his Tweets:

"Garcia, playing the 14th, just flashed a "5" – either for 5 holes to go or his 5-hour flight to London, where he'll go to Wimbledon."

"Garcia just bombed his tee shot down the left side of No. 10, hittng it to the last tree on the left, easily 50 yards past Beem."

"First Sergio, now his caddie … bathroom break No. 2 for this group."

"There's been a chill in the air all morning and clouds are lingering. Ditto for Sergio and some loose shots—he's bunkered off 7 green."

Groups We're Watching Tee time Players 2 p.m. ET, No. 1 Paul Goydos and Kenny PerryGoydos is gunning for his first win since '07, and Perry has a shot at his second trophy of '09. 1:20 p.m. ET, No. 1 Hunter Mahan, Anthony KimMahan hasn't finished worse than second here the last three years, and Kim's game has finally reappeared. 12:40 p.m. ET, No. 1 Lucas Glover, Zach JohnsonThe U.S. Open champ shot a second 65 on Saturday, and Zach Johnson is always worth keeping an eye on. Live Essentials PGATOUR.COM's The Live Report has all the news and notes from the Travelers Championship, and we'll be providing updates from TPC River Highlands all day long for each round, so check back often. (All timestamps are Eastern Time.) PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | Live Scoring | PGA TOUR Network | Facebook | Twitter | FanZone