Justin

Leonard

The 49-year-old Leonard, who turns 50 this June and will be eligible for events on the PGA Tour Champions, will make his 22nd start at the Nelson but his first in the event since 2014. He’s made 17 cuts in the tournament with two top 10s – finishing T-6 in 2001 and T-9 in 2003. For his career, Leonard finished in the top 10 on the PGA Tour money list five times, most recently in 2008 (10th), when he won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in a playoff over Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby for his last Tour victory. In his last Tour start at the Texas Open, Leonard made the cut and finished T-58. The Dallas native, who played college golf at Texas, moved with his family to Aspen, Colo., in 2016.

He was selected to the President’s Cup Team by U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus on Monday, which is probably giving him added confidence. He was trying to make the team on his own, but missing the cut at the International and the PGA Championship dashed those hopes.

Leonard had to do something in those two events to get himself on the President’s Cup team, and basically didn’t even show up, missing both cuts. With his two wins and strong play this year, he may have shut it down early.

He skipped a trip to the British Open to be home for the birth of his son and then pulled out at the last minute in Milwaukee last week. He is scheduled to play the International next week, and we’re guessing he shows up for that one. He hasn’t posted a top-20 finish since early February, so this might hurt more if he were playing well.

Leonard fell a stroke off the lead after he bogeyed the opening hole, but a two-foot birdie at the fourth and a chip-in birdie at the fifth gave him the lead by a stroke. The sixth hole featured a two-stroke swing after Leonard bogeyed it and playing partner Henrik Stenson chipped in for birdie. Leonard then made a comeback with chip-ins of his own at the eighth and ninth holes to make the turn with a one-stroke advantage. On the back nine, birdies by Leonard at the 10th and 12th holes opened a two-stroke lead, but it evaporated after he three-putted for bogey at the 13th and failed to get up and down for par from a greenside bunker at the par-3 15th. Should Leonard go on to win, it would be his 13th career on the PGA TOUR and first since the 2008 St. Jude.

Leonard has cashed seven times, but his only top 10 came way back at the Farmers. He missed the cut in the 2011 trip around the TPC Louisiana, but is coming off a T35 at the Valero Texas Open. His 171st all-around ranking and 160th ball-striking clip don’t paint the picture of him being a likely contender this week.

Leonard started off the day on fire, circling birdies on each of his first four holes. He then added four more birdies to just two bogeys as he completed his loop around Sedgefield Country Club. The former British Open champ will try and nab his second top 10 in as many starts in Sunday’s finale, and just his third of the season.

The 12-time PGA TOUR winner has made the cut in nine of his 16 outings, but his T8 at the Farmers Insurance Open remains his lone top 25 of 2012. In fact, Leonard last cracked the top 70 back in April at the Valero Texas Open. He ranks 176th in all-around ranking, 168th in ball-striking and 180th in total putting.

Leonard had a quiet day on the card, circling four birdies and squaring a lone bogey. He hit an impressive 13 (of 14) fairways and needed just 25 putts to make his way around Montreux. For years a fixture in the majors, Leonard is not qualified to compete in the PGA Championship.

The former Ryder Cup star circled six birdies and suffered a lone bogey in his navigation of Montreux Golf & Country Club. His only top 25 of the year was a T8 in Janurary’s Farmers Insurance Open, so a big week is much needed. He has averaged 24.7 putts in his first three rounds.