Scenarios, Schenarios! Tiger (And Gore) Turning Back Clock

With Jason Gore vaulting into the Wydham Championship lead on the back of a Saturday 62, we've moved the retro vibe to circa 2005 from Friday's 1999 feel when Davis Love was hanging around (and still is).

With a final hole three putt Tiger Woods took him out of the final pairing with old SoCal buddy Gore, who gets the formidable Jonas Blixt instead.

Bob Harig at ESPN.com on Woods' Saturday 68 where the putting let him down, but the "stinger" made a high profile return to PGA Tour golf.

"It was a grind today,'' Woods said. "Like yesterday, kept leaving myself above the hole seemed like on every hole. I had to putt so defensively because of it. I couldn't get on the run that Jason and Jonas did. I just didn't put myself in the right spots.''

And that's where he looked like the old Tiger. Sweating profusely. Annoyed. Knowing an opportunity had been missed.

Woods at times appeared to be hurting, but never when taking a swing, which was powerful and forceful throughout. If there is an issue, Woods would only say that "I'm stiff,'' a day after joking that "I'm old.''

Gore talked after the round about his disdain for those who treated Woods like a 20-handicapper (though his Index was about 10 in February if he had completed rounds to turn in). And Woods talked about how he missed out on a Sunday pairing with Gore.

Brentley Romine at Golfweek.com writes:

A 2-under 68 leaves Woods at 13 under, just two back of Gore, against whom he used to play junior and amateur golf when the two were growing up in California.

"We go back 30 years," Woods said. "We're great friends and from junior golf into college and into the pro ranks. He's always been a great friend, and it's going to be fun for us to battle like this because we haven't done it basically since college."

Ryan Reiterman at GolfChannel.com focuses on Woods’ putter cooling off Saturday, with 31 putts and a three putt on 18.

And John Strege noted this comment from CBS announcer Peter Kostis.

“I think this golf course has a lot do with Tiger being in a good way this week,” CBS’ Peter Kostis said. “It’s a golf course that doesn’t require power, only drive it maybe five times. It allows him to keep his tension and rhythm under control.”

Yet when Woods pulled driver on Saturday, he quickly collected his tee, a sure sign that he was in control. “I feel like I'm swinging well enough right now that I want to hit driver more often, ironically enough,” he had said on Friday.

Oh yes, and there are FedExCup ramifications for both, in case you were wondering. There's a chart up above and Helen Ross hopefully gets double overtime pay for updating us on the scenarios.

Artist & Scientist: DeChambeau Looks To Make US Am History

Derek Bard faces Bryson DeChambeau in Sunday's U.S. Amateur final at Olympia Fields, but all eyes will be on the SMU senior DeChambeau.

Not only are all of his club shafts the same length, but throw in the Hogan cap, the intensity, the painful slowness and the electric game, and you have the makings of a future star.

Jeff Babineau at Golfweek.com writes:

Watching DeChambeau this week has been like seeing the electronic rabbit make its way around the inside rail at the greyhound track. He stays tantalizingly close and at times appears catchable, then shows a different gear than the rest and pulls away.

Ryan Lavner wrote before Saturday's play about Bryson's approach, noting the weird mix of artistry and science to DeChambeau's game.

No, he doesn’t intimidate with big drives, flashy iron play or sublime putting. But his methodical approach to the game and hole-to-hole consistency can exasperate opponents and force them into mistakes.

Lavner also notes that DeChambeau has a chance to join Nicklaus, Woods, Mickelson and Moore as the only winners of the NCAA individual title and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.

DeChambeau, a 21-year-old senior at SMU, could join Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore as the only players to win the NCAA Championship and U.S. Amateur in the same year.

Dave Shedloski sets up the final with this "tale of the tape" of the finalists. Jessica Marksbury interviews them after their Saturday wins (and likely Masters berths).

And if you were still unsure about Bryson being a bit different, John Strege found this tweet confirming this is one different young man. He signs his name backwards, if he feels like it.

Here is Tracy Wilcox's Golfweek.com photo gallery from Saturday. It wins 7&6 over the USGA's gallery that has way too many photos of rules officials, lameduck presidents and other non-competitors.

Final day coverage is on Fox from 3-6 ET. Not only should the golf be fun, but Greg Norman's struggle to act interested in golfers other than himself will surely prove exciting!