Historic and Colorful Day at AT&T National

NEWTOWN SQUARE–As Saturday closed at the AT&T National in Newtown Square, two men sat atop of the leaderboard after dramatic and historic rounds.

Tied at 9-under par, Nick Watney and Rickie Fowler surged past the field to parlay passable opening rounds with stellar third rounds.

Shooting at 62—capped by an eagle on 16 and six birdies on the back nine—Watney captured the one-day course record at Aronimink Golf Club, which originally opened in 1896. 

Despite Watney's record-setting performance, the crowd's enthusiasm focused on the colorful 22-year-old from California. Decked out in a florescent aqua ensemble, Fowler nabbed the gallery's attention on his way to a share of the lead. He shot a 64 and could have owned the lead solely if not for a bogie on 17, which dampened his solid back nine.

The day was marked by solid performances by players deep in the field. After the cut Friday, 46 players strode the sunny Newtown Square fairways Saturday. Despite notable PGA players like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson opting against playing the National and veteran Vijay Singh withdrawing due to back pain, others were more than willing to soak up the spotlight.

In addition to Fowler and Watney, who climbed nine and 20 spots respectively on the leaderboard, Steve Marino and Weeb Simpson made remarkable climbs. With an early start, Marino birdied half the holes and tied the course record with a 63. By day's end, he was tied in fourth with Simpson and Australian Adam Scott. 

Climbing 17 positions himself, Simpson shot a 64 and saved his day with a remarkable recovery on 16. On the par 5, he scorched his second shot on the edge of the sand bordering the green. His stellar chip landed feet from the hole and allowed him to earn a birdie and continue his ascension.  

2007 AT&T National champ K.J. Choi started Saturday with the lead and did yeoman's work to finish in third. Despite charges from all comers, Choi finished the day with a business-like 69 and is prime position for a Sunday charge at 8-under.

Sunday will be rushed a bit, as the tournament crew hopes to finish the National before the rains come. Players will concurrently tee off on the first and 10th holes between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Different from today's pairings, they will head out in groups of three to ideally finish by 4:30 p.m. and avoid the rain.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story spelled Aronimink Golf Club incorrectly.