Final Round: Northern Trust Open

Again, internet issues prevented me from finishing my third round entry. It is however, fixed now so no more interruptions.

2:20 pm- The final round of the Northern Trust Open has begun, and this tournament is Steve Stricker's to lose, as he currently holds a three shot lead. Luke Donald and Andres Romero hold second place at -11 and Kevin Stadler at -10. A slew of players at -9 are also within striking distance.

Phil Mickelson cooled off in his third round and is essentially out of the tournament, with the way Stricker is playing. Anthony Kim also shot himself out of contention with a pair of double bogeys (ouch) on 3 and 5.

The players chasing Steve Stricker will need to catch him, as he is not the type of player that will back up.

3:10 pm- Steve Stricker is now facing a bit of pressure, with Luke Donald only two shots behind and four others four shots off the pace. He doesn't seem too fazed however, as he sticks his second shot to about five feet on 7.

3:57 pm- Dustin Johnson has now surged up the leaderboard with four birdies in his last five holes. He's now only three shots behind Stricker, who is at -16.

4:07 pm- So Luke Donald dumps his third shot on the par-5 11th into a greenside bunker, short-siding himself. No problem. He dunks his bunker shot in, and now Stricker has two players 3 strokes behind him. I've always admired Donald's game, with his smooth swing, impeccable ball striking and great short game. He was one of the best putters last year and had the best sand save percentage. I'm surprised he hasn't won more tournaments.

4:10 pm- Boy, Stricker just keeps it coming. Following Luke Donald's hole out, he pours in a birdie putt of his own, pushing him to -17 and a four shot cushion over Donald and Dustin.

4:24 pm- Well, just when you think Stricker is pulling away a bit from the field again, he goes and hits his second shot way left on 12.

4:31 pm- Stricker maintains his four shot lead despite a bogey as Donald cards a bogey as well on 12.

4:42 pm- Paul Goydos chips in on the final hole, good for a 65 and fifth place in the tournament.

4:53 pm- With J.B. Holmes and Luke Donald both finding the left bunker on 13, Stricker is not taking any chances, playing for the center of the green.

Classy is a word to describe Phil Mickelson. With a final round 73, he could have done what many players would have done and stomped off the course. However, he was signing autographs after his round, all smiles. What a great person.

5:19 pm- Yet another great up and down for Steve Stricker. He now has a three shot lead with only three holes to play.

5:21 pm- Donald knows he's running out of holes, so he's aiming at every pin. With his tee shot on the par 3 16th snuggled up within five feet and the accessible par 5 17th coming up, he is not completely out of the race yet.

5:28 pm- Luke misses his point blank birdie and Stricker two-putts for par. If Stricker can grab a birdie at the 17th (which is playing on average half a stroke under par today), I'd say the tournament is his.

5:46 pm- Well, Luke gains another stroke on Stricker going into the final hole, and nothing is guaranteed on the difficult 18th. We'll see how it plays out.