Levin's lead 6 before record crowd at Phoenix Open
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Spencer Levin remained in control Saturday at the Phoenix Open in front of the largest crowd in tournament history at Scottsdale, Ariz., shooting a 3-under 68 to take a six-stroke lead into the final round.
A crowd of 173,210 in perfect conditions at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course broke the record of 170,802 set in the third round in 2008.
"It was fun for sure, but I was trying to focus, too," Levin said about the huge crowd and party atmosphere. "You don't get that too often, all those people cheering."
Levin, five strokes ahead Saturday morning after the completion of the second round, had four birdies and a bogey to reach 17 under. A bogey on the par-5 15th was his first since the opening hole of the tournament.
"I felt like I played solid," Levin said. "I felt like I was in control of my ball most of the day, and yeah, I'm pleased. I've never had a big lead like that starting the day, and I thought I played well. Overall, I'm pleased about it."
Webb Simpson was 11 under after a 68. At No. 6 in the world, he's the highest-ranked player in the field.
Levin, 27, remembered for a hole in one and a 13th-place tie in the '04 U.S. Open at Shinnecock while still in school at New Mexico, is winless on the PGA Tour. He came close in '11, losing a playoff to Johnson Wagner in the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
Bubba Watson was seven strokes behind Levin after a 67.
"He's playing so good, you don't expect him to come back in the field," Watson said. "You're going to have to go chase him down."
Tour rookie John Huh also was 10 under after a 69.
• Qatar Masters: Paul Lawrie recovered from a penalty for dropping his ball on a marker to shoot a 5-under 67 and take a one-shot lead over Nicolas Colsaerts after the second round in Doha. Lawrie took advantage of calmer conditions to make six birdies for an 8-under 136 total. The tournament was disrupted by wind and shortened to 54 holes. Lawrie birdied the 16th to move into a tie with Colsaerts and then added another on 18 to take the outright lead. Playing in front of Lawrie, Colsaerts (68) also birdied the 18th after a bunker shot that rolled within a foot of the pin to briefly take the lead. Peter Hanson of Sweden (69) and Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina (67) are two shots back.
• Australian Ladies Masters: Reigning U.S. Open champion So Yeon Ryu shot a 3-under 69 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round at Gold Coast. Ryu, who shot an extraordinary 11-under 61 in the second round, had a 54-hole total of 20-under 196. Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands shot 68 and was alone in second, followed by Kim Ha-neul (64) of South Korea and Diana Luna (66) of Italy.
First Published February 5, 2012 12:00 am
