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It will take a true implosion for Webb Simpson not to win the 2018 Players Championship. No one roots for an implosion, except in the case of maybe a handful of golfers who shall remain nameless. Webb may not float your boat but he’s a worthy 54-hole leader and, from all accounts, one of the best dudes out there on the Tour. He’s a U.S. Open champion so this would not be a career-defining moment, but he has not won on the PGA Tour since 2013 and this event is obviously one of the five or six biggest in the game. It may not be dramatic and Webb may not be your name guy, but this would be a special moment and win.
Simpson will sleep on not just any old 54-hole lead, but a massive 7-shot cushion. He not only went out on Saturday and held the line on his 5-shot lead, but extended it with an absurd 4-under 68. There were lower scores out there, and even Webb’s could have been a few shots lower. But given the circumstances of playing with a 5-shot lead, usually a defensive and pressurized position, it’s an impressive accomplishment to post a 68.
It started right from the first hole, where Simpson stuffed it inside eight feet and then rolled in the opening birdie. At the fourth hole, he put it to 17 inches and it became apparent there would be no grand coming back to the field just because it was now the weekend.
What a shot, @WebbSimpson1!
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2018
He's now ahead by SEVEN @THEPLAYERSChamp.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/rKZeOm9MUu
Despite Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods demonstrating early in the day that low scores were out there, no one on the first page of the leaderboard really made a run to put a scare into Webb. The rounds of 65 from Spieth and Tiger were the lows of the day, even though Woods said he thought someone in the afternoon would beat it. No one from that cluster around 10-under posted something in the mid-60s to get into that 13 to 15-under range to at least make Webb sweat a little bit.
The closest chaser is Danny Lee, who is at 12-under following a third-round 70. The seven-shot margin is the largest on the PGA Tour since Justin Thomas blew out the field at last year’s Sony Open. That included a round of 59.
Webb you are kind of ruining this tournament... pic.twitter.com/OkYlzKRYtX
— data golf (@DataGolf) May 12, 2018
There were a few slip-ups on the back nine, but nothing Webb didn’t mitigate with a nails putt or a timely hole-out. After blasting one over the green at the par-5 11th, it appeared he would have to grind for a birdie on an easier birdie hole. Instead, he just drained it from the sand for the eagle.
WOW!
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2018
The lead is now EIGHT.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/hX8K2dDjt4
The last best hope for the rest of the field having a closer shot came at the infamous 17th hole. That’s where we’ve seen so many Players Championship hopes washed away in the amphitheater of sauced Jacksonville crowd. Simpson put it in the drink there on Friday and made a double bogey that prevented him from setting a new course record. On Saturday, however, he played the slope perfectly and his tee shot nestled in tight for an easy birdie.
17th hole with the lead.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2018
Water everywhere.
Nerves of steel. #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/Q2DkDOv6Xw
The largest ever blown 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour is 6 strokes, per Golf Channel stats ace Justin Ray. So we’d be talking about an historic collapse on Sunday should Webb blow this seven-shot margin. There will be people rooting for that, especially if Tiger starts putting some birdies up on the board a few groups ahead of that final pairing.
Webb has a funky, even ugly-ass swing. It’s the butt of jokes but I’d much rather see some weird, funky swing than an automated one that was refined in a lab and tailored to a bunch of data points since a pro was 15 years old. Embrace the weird and idiosyncratic. He’s also busted his ass figuring out how to putt following a few miserable years after the USGA outlawed the anchoring style he grew up molding for his game.
There are going to be jokes about how Webb is boring, a seven-shot lead is boring, and Webb with a seven-shot lead is a lobotomy. I’d tend to fall into that group viewpoint most of the time, but not this week. Webb is good dude, playing out of his ass, and he hasn’t won on the Tour in almost five years. If he cruises to a victory at the PGA Tour’s biggest event, that’s still pretty cool even if you’re napping on the couch.
Here’s your board at the 54-hole mark:
2018 Players Championship Leaderboard
Place | Player | Score | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place | Player | Score | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
1 | Webb Simpson | -19 | 66 | 63 | 68 |
2 | Danny Lee | -12 | 68 | 66 | 70 |
3 | Dustin Johnson | -10 | 66 | 71 | 69 |
T4 | Jason Dufner | -9 | 72 | 69 | 66 |
T4 | Jimmy Walker | -9 | 69 | 68 | 70 |
T4 | Xander Schauffele | -9 | 68 | 68 | 71 |
T4 | Jason Day | -9 | 69 | 67 | 71 |
T4 | Charl Schwartzel | -9 | 68 | 66 | 73 |
T9 | Jordan Spieth | -8 | 75 | 68 | 65 |
T9 | Tiger Woods | -8 | 72 | 71 | 65 |
T9 | Tommy Fleetwood | -8 | 69 | 71 | 68 |
T9 | Ian Poulter | -8 | 70 | 69 | 69 |
T9 | Harold Varner, III | -8 | 71 | 67 | 70 |
T9 | Matt Kuchar | -8 | 66 | 71 | 71 |
T9 | Patrick Cantlay | -8 | 66 | 68 | 74 |
T16 | Marc Leishman | -7 | 71 | 71 | 67 |
T16 | Rafael Cabrera Bello | -7 | 71 | 71 | 67 |
T16 | Richy Werenski | -7 | 70 | 71 | 68 |
T16 | Grayson Murray | -7 | 72 | 68 | 69 |
T16 | Jhonattan Vegas | -7 | 67 | 72 | 70 |
T16 | Rory Sabbatini | -7 | 67 | 71 | 71 |
T16 | Henrik Stenson | -7 | 68 | 70 | 71 |
T16 | Adam Scott | -7 | 69 | 68 | 72 |
T16 | Steve Stricker | -7 | 67 | 69 | 73 |
T16 | Charles Howell III | -7 | 68 | 67 | 74 |
T26 | Scott Brown | -6 | 70 | 71 | 69 |
T26 | Ryan Palmer | -6 | 74 | 67 | 69 |
T26 | Byeong Hun An | -6 | 71 | 70 | 69 |
T26 | Patrick Reed | -6 | 72 | 68 | 70 |
T26 | Keegan Bradley | -6 | 69 | 69 | 72 |
T26 | Bryson DeChambeau | -6 | 70 | 67 | 73 |
T26 | Chesson Hadley | -6 | 66 | 69 | 75 |
T33 | Justin Thomas | -5 | 73 | 70 | 68 |
T33 | Mackenzie Hughes | -5 | 76 | 67 | 68 |
T33 | Chez Reavie | -5 | 71 | 71 | 69 |
T33 | Jamie Lovemark | -5 | 76 | 67 | 68 |
T33 | Chris Kirk | -5 | 70 | 71 | 70 |
T33 | Adam Hadwin | -5 | 72 | 68 | 71 |
T33 | Cody Gribble | -5 | 68 | 71 | 72 |
T33 | Brice Garnett | -5 | 69 | 69 | 73 |
T33 | Billy Horschel | -5 | 68 | 70 | 73 |
T42 | J.J. Henry | -4 | 72 | 71 | 69 |
T42 | Shane Lowry | -4 | 75 | 68 | 69 |
T42 | Tyrone van Aswegen | -4 | 74 | 68 | 70 |
T42 | Matthew Fitzpatrick | -4 | 72 | 70 | 70 |
T42 | Jason Kokrak | -4 | 72 | 69 | 71 |
T42 | Ted Potter Jr. | -4 | 70 | 70 | 72 |
T42 | Chris Stroud | -4 | 70 | 70 | 72 |
T42 | Emiliano Grillo | -4 | 69 | 71 | 72 |
T42 | Kevin Na | -4 | 69 | 71 | 72 |
T42 | Beau Hossler | -4 | 70 | 69 | 73 |
T42 | Bubba Watson | -4 | 68 | 71 | 73 |
T42 | Sergio Garcia | -4 | 68 | 69 | 75 |
T42 | Alex Noren | -4 | 66 | 69 | 77 |
T55 | Martin Laird | -3 | 72 | 71 | 70 |
T55 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -3 | 71 | 71 | 71 |
T55 | Austin Cook | -3 | 72 | 70 | 71 |
T55 | Andrew Landry | -3 | 67 | 75 | 71 |
T55 | Tony Finau | -3 | 70 | 72 | 71 |
T55 | Justin Rose | -3 | 68 | 72 | 73 |
T55 | Branden Grace | -3 | 69 | 71 | 73 |
T55 | Si Woo Kim | -3 | 67 | 72 | 74 |
T63 | Nick Watney | -2 | 70 | 72 | 72 |
T63 | Daniel Berger | -2 | 74 | 68 | 72 |
T63 | Kevin Tway | -2 | 70 | 72 | 72 |
T63 | Ryan Moore | -2 | 71 | 70 | 73 |
T63 | Brooks Koepka | -2 | 70 | 70 | 74 |
T63 | C.T. Pan | -2 | 68 | 70 | 76 |
69 | Jon Rahm | -1 | 68 | 70 | 77 |
T70 | Ross Fisher | E | 70 | 73 | 73 |
T70 | Brandon Harkins | E | 75 | 68 | 73 |