Innisbrook Sunday: Tie for Lead on PGA Tour's Last Day

A special thanks to the Copperheads' Rick Odioso for sending us this information.

 Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen, both former Transitions Championship winners who have also won the U.S. Open, forged to the front after three rounds on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort Saturday.  They are tied at 11 under par 202 and will be paired together in Sunday’s final round.

It is the fourth time that Goosen, a winner on the Copperhead in 2003 and 2009, has been paired in the final group.  The other time, besides his victories, was in 2010 when Furyk won.

The final duo cannot concentrate solely on each other.  Seven other players are within three shots of the lead including Luke Donald and Ernie Els at -7.  Donald regains the top spot in the Official World Golf Rankings with a win, while a victory would put Els in the Masters.

Of the other five, Chez Reavie (-8) has one win while Sang-Moon Bae (-10), second round leader Jason Dufner (-10), John Mallinger (-9) and 42-year-old Ken Duke (-9) are looking for their first.

One shot further back at -7 is a cluster of 11 golfers including Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington to put a total of 20 golfers within four shots of the lead.

ROUND TWO NOTES:  Stewart Cink has now made four hole-in-ones in his career, and after Saturday’s ace, two have come on the eighth hole at the Copperhead.  Cink also aced the eighth in 2003…Six of 11 Transitions Championships have been won by players who held at least a share of the lead after the third round, including Furyk in 2010…Defending champion Gary Woodland carded a 68 and is at -6…Even though he has won twice on the Copperhead, the 65 carded by Goosen on Saturday was his lowest score on the course…Goosen is battling a sore back, so much so that he has withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational and will be visiting a specialist during the week…Nine of the 20 golfers within four shots of the lead will earn an automatic berth in the Masters with a win, including Els and Goosen…On St. Patrick’s Day, 33 of the 77 players had significant amounts green in their clothing.

CALLAWAY HOLE IN ONE CHALLENGE:

Nitesh Patel, a 49-year-old pharmacist from Tarpon Springs, was 8 feet and 5 inches away from winning a million dollars Saturday in the Callaway Hole-in-One Million Dollar Challenge. The closest to the pin among 15 contestants, Patel still took home a full set of Callaway golf equipment and a party at Hooters.

Patel is a regular at Innisbrook and said he loves the Copperhead Course.  He hit his qualifying hole-in-one at TPC Tampa Bay in Lutz.

All finalists took home Callaway golf gear, including Transitions adaptive sunwear, and gift certificates to Hooters. Brooke Dalton, 14, was second closest to the pin at 18 feet and 1 inch.

The event was emceed by the Food Network's Chef Irvine, who had earlier in the day provided a well-attended cooking demonstration in the Healthy Sight Village.

SUNDAY PAIRINGS

Jonathan Byrd goes off as a single at 8:05, the first of 39 groupings.  Local favorite John Daly is at 9:46 after a solid 70 on Saturday.  The final group of Goosen and Furyk is at 1:55

You can see all of Sunday’s groupings here.

Headed to the PGA Tour Transitions Championship at Innisbrook Sunday? Here's what you need to know before you go!