The Loop

Stats: Everything seems 60-something

June 18, 2011

Six notable third-round stats from Golf World contributing writer Brett Avery, who compiles the Rank and File statistical sections for the magazine's major championship coverage. For more numbers throughout each round, follow him on Twitter (@BWAvery):

--It's difficult to find places where Rory McIlroy has not excelled this week, but look to the second, third, seventh, 13th and 15th holes. They are the only five where he has not gained a stroke--all pars.

--More McIlroy: By shooting 14-under 199, he broke Jim Furyk's 54-hole Open record of 200 from the 2003 at Olympia Fields. It is tied for the fifth-lowest such total in major-championship history, matching the 199s by Nick Faldo in the 1990 and '92 British Opens. The only better totals: David Toms, 196 (2001 PGA); Ernie Els, 197 (1995 PGA); Tom Lehman (1996 British) and Phil Mickelson (2001 PGA), 198. The only player not to win in that paragraph was Mickelson.

--Although the lowest score ever posted in a major championship is 63, Fredrik Jacobson and Lee Westwood found a way to shoot 59 in the third round. Combining Jacobson's 66 and Westwood's 65 makes for a better-ball score of 12-under 59. Jacobson birdied the first, sixth and eighth through 11th; Westwood birdied the seventh, eighth, 13th through 15th and eagled the 16th.

--More Jacobson: He went 16 holes without a bogey, from his 14th hole of the second round (the course's fifth hole) through the 13th hole of his third round. In that stretch he made two 2s, six 6s and eight 4s. Ten birdies, no bogeys. And one indication that the rough is not Open-style penal is that he has hit only 22 of 42 fairways (and 35 of 54 greens).

--Three players of the 14 who comprised the top 10 and ties through 54 holes went around Congressional without a bogey in the third round: Jason Day (65/T3), Kyung-Tae Kim (69/solo ninth) and Bo Van Pelt (68/T10).

--The scoring average was 71.917, the closest to par this week. [The yardage of 7,413 was announced by the USGA in its daily course setup memo.] The damage: two 65s, two 66s, five 68s, nine 69s, eight 70s. That's 26 rounds below par, breaking the third-round Open record of 24 from Medinah in 1990. The Blue Course's average for the week: 73.298.