Daniel Chopra stands atop the leaderboard after the third round of the Buick Open at Warwick Hills. Hitting only 3 of 14 fairways, Mr. Chopra still hit 13 of 18 greens today. “I have a good imagination and can hit trundlers and cuts and hooks and find ways to get it on the green,” he said. “As long as you give me a swing and some kind of a gap, I’m pretty good at finding it." I’d call that an understatement given those numbers. “This golf course allows you to do that. It relaxes me a little bit off the tee so that I can go ahead and hit it. If I miss, I can use my skill to recover.”
Apparently the caddies are searching for a nickname for the 34 year old Swede. Todd Hamilton’s caddie came up with "Rambo" because he’s deadly from the trees. I think I like Wild Thing better, given the spray shots he launches from the tee. I’m sure he’ll settle for Champ at the end of the day tomorrow.
Mr Chopra leads a threesome of Dudley Hart, Woody Austin, and Bubba Watson by those two shots. Second round leader Bo Van Pelt, after a smooth 73 is another shot back with Kenny Perry whose name has popped up atop a lot of leaderboards this season.
Mr. Hart missed the last seven months of 2007 when a softball sized tumor was discovered in his wife’s lung. Surgery removed the tumor and half the lung and fortunately the tumor was benign. Mr Hart returned to the tour this year on a medical exemption and has earned enough cash to retain his playing status. Playing golf must seem somewhat less serious these days.
Mr. Watson had his best finish at the 2007 Houston Open where he tied for second. He finished sixth at the Travelers Classic for his best finish this year. Mr. Watson has shown a tendency to crack when put in position to win (hasn’t happened often, but he folds much like a cheap suit, with a lot of wrinkles) .
Mr. Perry has had a number of chances to win this year but has been plagued by some nasty little gremlins with the ability to deposit his ball in places qualifying as places. Remember the ball off the tree into the water? But now that he’s got his win under his belt, if his putter works tomorrow he could take another trophy and a guaranteed invite to the Ryder Cup.
Speaking of Ryder Cup, should Mr. Chopra maintain his place atop the field at the end of tomorrow, he too will have a chance to make the Ryder Cup team. Two wins in one season on the PGA Tour will do that for a player. So he’s got some extra motivation.
We’ll just have to watch to see who wins. I have difficulty picking a winner on a course where everyone can make birdies by the bunch. Hottest putter gets the trophy.