Lee

Janzen

Janzen is 3-for-3 at Trump International with a T13 in 2009. His fantasy value is long gone but the 47-year-old will surprise us every now and then. He hit 15 greens and circled five birdies today, finishing two strokes adrift of the clubhouse lead.

Janzen was even par through 10 holes today before racing in with six birdies to zoom up the leaderboard. The set included conversions of 12'9" and 14'6" at the 11th and 18th holes, respectively. He’s enjoyed a solid week of scoring, holing 13 birdies against just one bogey and one double.

Janzen has had moderate success playing out of the Past Champion category, making five of seven cuts. He has yet to crack a top 25, with his best finish a T29 at the RBC Heritage. His 62.2 percent GIR clip is less than impressive and is holding him back.

He bolted up the charts on Sunday to grab his third Top 10 of 2004.

Janzen has split time between the PGA TOUR and the Web.com Tour this season, with his most recent two starts coming on the junior circuit. His last start in a PGA TOUR event resulted in a T49 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Similarly, he posted a T45 in the 2011 John Deere Classic.

Janzen circled six birdies while suffering two bogeys in his navigation of TPC Deere Run. His ball-striking was spot on, splitting 13 (of 14) fairways and landing 15 GIR. As it stands, he is in position to secure his first top 10 of 2012 ahead of his trip to the True South Classic.

Janzen started the week as the third alternate. He gained entry when Jeff Overton withdrew. This is a critical finale for the eight-time PGA TOUR winner, but he sits 175th in earnings, so he has nothing to lose. He’ll need to focus on finishing inside the top four to crack the top 150 on the money list. In 19 previous appearances at Disney World, his best finish is a T6 in 1992.

Janzen shot 6-under-par 33-33=66 and eventually advanced in a playoff with Drew Kittleson (32-34=66). Rich Beem and Ted Purdy, both of whom also shot 66, were eliminated in extra holes. John Riegger was the medalist after crafting an 8-under 32-32=64 that featured an eagle and seven birdies; he also had one bogey. Marty Jertson spun a bogey-free, 7-under 34-31=65 to qualify; he carded one eagle and five birdies. Among the notables that failed to crack the field at TPC Summerlin on Thursday were Craig Barlow (67); one of last year’s victims to Jonathan Byrd’s ace in the playoff, Cameron Percy (68); Michael Letzig (68); Frank Lickliter II (68); Steve Allan (68); Bob May (69); Brad Adamonis (69); Jeff Quinney (70); Chris Smith (70); Kirk Triplett (71); Eric Axley (71); Bud Cauley (71); Sam Saunders (72); Esteban Toledo (73); and Brett Quigley (74). The Desert Hawk and Coyote Run nines were used for the qualifier. The Timberlake field is now complete at 132.

Janzen started the week as the third alternate. He gained entry this morning when Jonas Blixt withdrew. The veteran is 2-for-6 on Past Champion status this season, but hasn’t cracked a top 60. His last top-65 finish at the Nelson was back in 2003 (T14) when Cottonwood Valley was still co-hosting. He’s competed in 12 previous editions dating back to 1990.