Ben

Crane

Crane held a slim advantage to start the day, one shot clear of a five-pack of players, but things got wobbly from the jump as he bogeyed two of his first three holes. The veteran steadied his round until a crucial stretch in the middle of the back nine, as Crane played Nos. 13-17 in 4 over with four bogeys and a par. It added up to a 2-over 73, 11 shots higher than his second-round effort that tied a career low. With the other leaders around him still finding birdies in bunches, Crane dropped into a tie for ninth at 12 under and now trails by six heading into the final round.

The 46-year-old is quite literally off the OWGR map, having last earned any points three years ago when he finished T-18 at this event. But that mattered little during a 9-under 62 that included an eagle on the par-4 sixth amid a stretch of seven holes that he played in 7 under. He has played sparingly on past champion status in recent years, and this is his first Tour start since a missed cut at the 3M Open in July. Crane heads into the weekend at 14 under, one shot clear of five players, as he looks to rekindle his career with a late-stage victory. Crane has five career wins to his credit, but none since the now-defunct FedEx St. Jude Classic back in 2014.

This one sounds really painful. Crane was playing this week on a sponsor’s invite and opened his week with a 1-under 71 at the Stadium Course. He accomplished that score despite losing 1.7 strokes on approach, landing 8 greens along the way. Playing through injuries is nothing new for the Oregon native as this will go in the books as his 16th career mid-tournament WD in 424 starts on the PGA TOUR. Recovery from a torn labrum often takes two to six months but it could be much longer if surgery is involved.

Crane pieced together four birdies and just one bogey in round one. He continued to keep the squares off his card today as he opened with nine straight pars and swallowed just one bogey on his homeward nine. That opening nine could have gone much lower had the putter cooperated, taking 17 putts on the outward nine including a three-jack par at the 7th. Crane warmed up on his way into the house with three straight one-putt birdies at 10 thru 12 and added birdies at 15 and 17, as well. The 43-year-old finished 200th in the FedExCup standings so this alternate-field event is a good time for him to pick up some much-needed FEC Points, given the lack of opportunities he’ll have this season.

The straight shooter arrived with a 7-for-8 record at this event, with a two finishes of T11 or better. He did miss the cut last year, though. This time around he arrived with a 7-for-14 record on the season, sitting at 197th in the FedExCup standings. Crane also withdrew before the Zurich Classic and John Deere Classic this year so this appears to be a nagging injury. Crane has 13 career podium finishes in 418 starts, but none since his 2014 victory at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Crane is just 7-for-14 on the season, ranking 192nd in the FedExCup standings. The five-time TOUR winner did not cite an injury but that’s usually the culprit in a last-minute WD like this. In his place, Robert Allenby will get a crack at TPC Deere Run. Allenby is 1-for-2 this season with a T49 at the Puerto Rico Open and missed cut at the Corales.

The 43-year-old arrives 7-for-13 on the season with one top 25, a T8 at the opposite-field Puerto Rico Open back in February. His last three starts show: T72/MDF at the Byron Nelson, T64 at the Charles Schwab, and T44 at the RBC Canadian Open in his most recent action four weeks ago, where he was T16 after 36 holes (69-65-71-72). The Nashville resident owns five TOUR wins in 417 events, most recently the 2014 FedEx St. Jude (wire-to-wire) 117 starts ago. He ranks a lofty 22nd this season in SG: Putting (.449) but 194th in SG: Tee-to-Green (-1.019).

Crane is a long-time visitor of the Zurich Classic. This would have been his 14th appearance at the event (4-for-13 with one top 25). Playing on conditional status, Crane is just 4-for-9 this season with just one top 30. Crane’s experience may have been a big help to his teammate Wyndham Clark who is making his tournament debut this week. Instead, it will be D.J. Trahan who will fill in for Crane. Trahan is 1-for-6 at this event with a T9 in 2005 being the highlight. It will be his first time playing in the team format.

The 42-year-old improves to 3-for-7 on the season, records his first top 40, and ends a streak of three straight missed cuts dating to a T46 at the RSM last fall, which was tied for his previous best. The top 10 is his 48th in 411 events, first since a T8 at the 2018 Fort Worth Invitational last May. The Oregon alum recorded rounds of 68-69-71-70 and wraps the week with 17 birdies versus seven bogeys, four against two in R4.

The 42-year-old, playing this season on conditional status, found eight (of 14) fairways and 10 greens in regulation. He squared two bogey-4s at holes 8 and 11, outpaced by five birdies at 2, 4, 5, 10 and 13. The Oregon alum registered 1.500 putts per GIR with 25 total putts. This is his first time in the top 10 thru 36 holes since the 2018 Fort Worth Invitational last May, where he was T6 and eventually finished T8. The Nashville resident will play out of the third-to-last twosome in R3.