Despite fatigue, Browne to play 3M Championship

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) — Olin Browne is looking forward to a home-cooked meal next week. He has spent 12 weeks on the road playing on the Champions Tour or serving as a television analyst during the U.S. Open and British Open. "I'm tired, but it's a really good tired," Browne said Wednesday at the TPC Twin Cities, site of this week's 3M Championship. Three days earlier, the 52-year-old Browne won the U.S. Senior Open Championship by three shots. "I'm still foggy about what's been happening, I haven't slept a lot," he said. "I came right up here and I'm just trying to catch up." Browne is likely not alone when it comes to the fatigue factor. With three majors in a five-week span, it wouldn't have been surprising for some of the top Champions Tour players to take this week off. Instead, a full field is expected for the tournament. Besides last week's event, The Senior Open Championship was held two weeks ago in England. The players have next week off before the Senior Players Championship. "That wears on you," Browne said. "I'm really, really looking forward to going home next week." Whether it's the course where players have shot low scores in recent years or some of the biggest galleries on tour, the 3M Championship has become a must-play event for the top golfers of the 50-and-over set. For the third straight year, admission is free. "It's a fantastic field again," said Bernhard Langer, who chipped in on 18 to win the event two years ago. Defending champion David Frost established a tournament scoring record with a 25-under 191 total last year, including a final-round 61. Mark Calcavecchia finished five shots back. The average winning score the last six years is minus-18. Scores could be that low again. The course received more than 1.5 inches of rain overnight Saturday, six-tenths of an inch Monday, and another quarter-inch Tuesday. "If there are soft greens out here, look for guys to make a ton of birdies," said Browne, who tied for eighth last year at 15 under. "Guys do go deep here." Most players refuse to predict a winning number. "It's all relative to how you play," said David Eger, ninth in the season-long points race. Fred Couples - returning to competitive golf after missing two months with a back injury - is scheduled to play the tournament for the first time, as is Minnesota native Tom Lehman, who is the course architect along with Arnold Palmer. Lehman is a three-time tour winner in 2011. "You always want to play the best," Langer said. Brad Faxon, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour who turned 50 on Monday, is scheduled to make his Champions Tour debut this weekend. "There's not many places people look forward to turning 50," said Faxon, who has struggled on the PGA Tour the past few years. "This is a fresh start. ... It's kind of a rebirth." Browne hopes the week is another step in ending his up-and-down season. He finished in the top eight in five straight tournaments early in the season, but was better than 23rd just twice in his next nine starts. His iron play was better last week, and he made a tweak when hitting his driver. "It feels great," he said. "It certainly motivates me to continue doing what I'm doing so that I can do that or be able to do that more frequently. ... You get so few opportunities to do something like that, that, to me, the important thing was to embrace the challenge and do the very best I could." How does he keep it going? "I'll let you know on the weekend," he said with a slight smile. "I'm trying to get some rest, I'm having a hard time doing that. My phone is ringing off the hook and I've gotten a lot of emails. I'm trying to respond to all those people. It's really nice that people take the time, and I want to make sure I get back to them."

McIlroy 'leaning toward' becoming a PGA Tour member again in 2012

AKRON, Ohio — Rory McIlroy, your United States Open champion, may be coming to America. McIlroy, 22, did a surprising about-face Wednesday before the Bridgestone Invitational, saying he is "leaning toward" taking up PGA Tour membership again. He dropped his PGA Tour membership after last season, in part because he was required to play 15 events. Send Gary Van Sickle a question for his weekly mailbag He sounds like he's serious, too. He's going to check out some Florida real estate after he plays in next week's PGA Championship. First, he'll stay at the home of former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, also from Northern Ireland. McDowell lives at Lake Nona, a swank development near the Orlando airport. McIlroy also said he was going to look at West Palm Beach and Jupiter. Andy Pazder, a PGA Tour executive vice president and chief of Tour operations, said there are no restrictions to prevent McIlroy from rejoining the Tour for 2012. McIlroy simply has to inform the Tour of his decision within 30 days of the final tournament, the Children's Miracle Network event at Disney World in late October. "Yeah, I'm definitely looking at coming back and playing a full schedule here," McIlroy said. "I'm leaning towards taking my card up. I feel as if I play my best golf over here, and I'm very comfortable in this country." Asked what made him rethink playing in the U.S., McIlroy joked, "Probably the Open." After finishing seven over and tied for 25th at the windswept British Open at Royal St. George's, a frustrated McIlroy expressed his preference for American playing conditions. He echoed those sentiments on Wednesday. "I thought about it and feel as if my game really suits the courses over here," McIlroy said. "I love Quail Hollow, Memorial, Akron. You have the Match Play, Honda, Doral, the Masters. Most of my favorite events seem to be on this side of the pond. I'd like to give it a go again and obviously last more than one year and really see how it goes." Long-time Memorial Tournament observers will get a chuckle out of McIlroy's looking forward to the Memorial, which has been plagued by rain and storms. McIlroy is not enthusiastic about the FedEx Cup race and schedule, with the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship back to back and the FedEx Cup playoffs starting two weeks later. "That was pretty tough," McIlroy said. "It's hard to keep it going for that length of time. It's something you just have to accept." Last May, McIlroy was notably absent from The Players, the Tour's flagship event. Asked about returning, McIlroy said, "I haven't thought about that but most likely, yeah, I probably will." The return of McIlroy would come at a key time as the PGA Tour prepares to negotiate a new round of contracts with its television partners. The current six-year deal expires after next season. "Rory is an immense talent," Pazder said. "To win the Open by eight, he captivated a lot of U.S. fans and people around the world. To have him on our Tour is very significant, if it works out." An additional factor may be his love life. McIlroy got back together briefly with his long-time girlfriend earlier this summer but then broke up again and is reportedly dating pro tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, ranked No. 1 in the world. So what do you do if you live in a small town in Northern Ireland (Holywood) and you famously break up with a local girl who had been living with you and you don't want to run into her around town? Move to another continent. Earlier this year, McIlroy's manager, Chubby Chandler, had insisted that McIlroy wouldn't consider PGA Tour membership until the Tour cut its minimum tournament requirement from 15. "If they want Rory, the number will have to be reduced," Chandler said. Perhaps not. On Wednesday, it sounded as if McIlroy has already made up his mind. Tweet

Clarke says Tiger a 'good kid' beneath the layers

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Darren Clarke was one of the more popular winners of the British Open because of his zest for living and the way he relates to the common man, not to mention how he coped so publicly with the death of his wife, Heather, from breast cancer just one month before the 2006 Ryder Cup. It was suggested to him Tuesday that it was easy to root for Clarke, followed by this question: Why should someone root for Tiger Woods? "Good question," Clarke said, pausing briefly. "Because beneath it all, beneath all the stuff that's happened, self-inflicted or otherwise, he's essentially a really good kid - a man - beneath everything. Sometimes his media image has been portrayed in a very poor, poor way, some of that, again, from some of the stuff that he's been through. But underneath it all, he has been a tremendous friend to me. "And there's a real good side to Tiger Woods that nobody ever fortunately gets a chance to see. That's why." They will be paired together for the first two rounds of the Bridgestone Invitational, where Woods is a seven-time winner and Clarke won in 2004. Clarke said he doesn't mind competing against a friend, at least until a title is on the line. "I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I've got the opportunity to play with Tiger in his first tournament back. I think it's brilliant. Hopefully, I'm able to give him a little bit of stick and make him laugh a little bit the first couple of days." It's that humor that made them such close friends. They first played together at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in the 1996 British Open, Woods' final major before turning pro. They hit it off immediately and have remained friends, even after Clarke took him down in the final of the Match Play Championship at La Costa in 2000, when both worked under Butch Harmon. Woods sent him a series of text messages after Clarke won the British Open last month, although neither would say the content. It likely included a few words that couldn't be printed. How could two players who seem so opposite be such good friends? "He sort of got my sense of humor and I got his," Clarke said. "I give him a little stick and what have you. I don't think anybody gives him that much stick. He's been a very, very good friend to me over a very long period of time. I've got no idea why, but we just get on very well." DALY AND COMMISSIONERS: John Daly ran into his share of trouble early in his career when Deane Beman was the PGA Tour commissioner, getting suspended in 1993 for picking up his ball before finishing the 12th hole at Kapalua. Even so, Daly said he didn't rejoice when Beman retired and was succeeded by Tim Finchem. "I never really liked Deane, but one thing about him, I respected him. He was approachable," Daly said Tuesday from the Reno-Tahoe Open. "I can't talk to Finchem. Maybe it's the TV contract and his job is more frustrating than Deane's was because the money is so big. But I've never gotten to know Finchem the way I got to know Deane. I got to know Deane's family and we got to being friends." Daly said Beman constantly got on him for quitting, such as getting disqualified for not signing his card after shooting high scores. "Finchem's plate is so full, and he's got a lot of other players to deal with, I'm just not as high on his priority list," said Daly, who has not had a full-exempt card the past five years. "But Tim did call me to say he was proud of me for what I was doing, with the weight loss and not drinking. That was a shock. I wouldn't have expected him to do that." CADDIE FOR HIRE: Tiger Woods still hasn't settled on a permanent caddie, using longtime friend Bryon Bell for the Bridgestone Invitational. That's not to say he hasn't had a few offers. "How many? I hear there's been a few," Woods said. "People who are not caddies out here? A ton. So yeah, we've gotten a lot of interesting ones. But as far as a timetable ... right now I'm trying to play this week with Bry, and hopefully next week, as well, and maybe get myself in the playoffs." PGA champion Martin Kaymer has been through a few caddies already, recently firing Craig Connelly and picking up Christian Donald. He said it takes about two or three weeks for a caddie to figure out a player's game. "I know a lot of people, a lot of friends of mine would love to caddie for Tiger," Kaymer said. "If he needs someone, I think I can find him someone." CLOSED ON TUESDAY: Tiger Woods didn't have much of a crowd following him when he played nine holes Tuesday morning at Firestone. There were eight writers, six photographers, three Nike employees, his coach and spokesman, agent and two security officers. But no fans. There was a reason for that. The Bridgestone Invitational staff decided months ago to close the course to the public on Tuesday. It discovered in recent years that with a small field, and a limited number of players on the course on Tuesday, that fans milled around the clubhouse without much to see. Tournament director Don Padgett III said by closing the course to the public on Tuesday, the money saved by not running shuttles, hiring the extra security and running concession stands could slightly add to the charity donation at the end of the week. The tour also closed Doral on Tuesday of the Cadillac Championship. WALKER CUP: The U.S. team at the Walker Cup will have two players who have won on the Nationwide Tour this year. Russell Henley and Harris English, who both played at the University of Georgia, were among four of 10 players selected to the American team that will play Great Britain & Ireland at Royal Aberdeen on Sept. 10-11. The other two selected were U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein and UCLA freshman Patrick Cantlay, the low amateur at the U.S. Open who has had four top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour this summer. The other six players will be selected later this summer. DIVOTS: A year ago, there were 46 players who had all four rounds in the 60s at The Greenbrier Classic. This year there were none. ... U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy and British Open champion Darren Clarke have been given honorary lifetime membership on the European Tour. ... The Women's British Open will return to Royal Birkdale in 2014. ... U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy and British Open champion Darren Clarke will join Lee Westwood in the Thailand Golf Championship, a new Asian Tour event with a $1 million purse to be played Dec. 15-18, one week after the Dubai World Championship. STAT OF THE WEEK: Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Bubba Watson are the only Americans from the last Ryder Cup to have won a tournament this year. FINAL WORD: "I genuinely hope he gets his game back up to the level that it was before. Because it was awesome." - Darren Clarke on Tiger Woods.

Arnold Palmer reflects on his game, the Tour and his friendship with Jack

So, how's your game these days? I don't play very often, but I still enjoy it. My game is not so good. How far do you think you could hit the ball if you were in your prime and had today's equipment? I don't know. I know one thing—right now I hit it so far, and so hard, I can hear it land [laughs]. What's the best swing tip you ever received? I've never worried too much about the swing. I've worried more about the things my father taught me when I was growing up. I remember he put my hands on the golf club when I was a young boy and showed me exactly how he wanted me to hold it. He gave me a stern look and said, "Now, don't you ever change that." I tried not to. Which of today's players most reminds you of yourself? A lot of people through the years have compared Phil Mickelson to my style a little bit. I see a few guys coming along who are somewhat similar, but I can't find someone that makes me say, "Hey, boy, that's the way I used to play." I've always wondered, what's the proper way to make an Arnold Palmer drink? ( motions to a nearby table ) There are cans of it all over the world. But I want to make mine from scratch. First you get some good tea — some tea that you like, and then you get some good lemonade. I use about three-quarters tea and one-quarter lemonade. Then sweeten it to your likes. Besides the drinks, you're heavily involved in a number of outside projects, including two charities for prostate cancer, which you have battled and survived. What advancements have been made? There are a lot of advancements being made constantly. A lot guys, like I was when I had prostate cancer, are afraid to even say the word 'cancer.' You've gotta get over that and start doing something about it. I will always thank my doctor for making me take a PSA and detecting it early. That's one of the reasons I'm here talking to you right now. Any advice for guys? The most important single thing I can say is to get checked up. Do it annually. Everybody asks, 'What age should you start?' I can't find an age. I've run into people who are 30 years old who've had prostate cancer, and I've run into people who are 85 years old who've had it. Take a physical, annually. Make checking prostate part of it. And you can also go to myprostatecancerroadmap.com. Every man should be checking it out. How's your health today? I feel great. When I get a little older, and get a little more experience I'll get even better. But I feel fine. Recently we've seen some young Americans with loads of talent, like Dustin Johnson and Nick Watney, fail to close out victories on Sunday in majors. You won seven majors in your career. How were you able to close them out? I think it's just hard work, and concentration. I think one of the problems these young players have is they lose their concentration in the heat of the battle. For me, good concentration was the key to getting over the hump. They players you mention, I think they will get there, it's just a matter of time until they do. In your prime you were the game's most popular player and drew huge crowds and media interest. Was concentration something you struggled with? Well, certainly I've lost tournaments that I've had every right to win. Part of the reason was that I lost my concentration. That was one of the lessons I learned early in my career. But the more times you're there, the better your concentration, the more times you're going to come out a winner -- particularly in major tournaments. How did being a fan favorite help you in competition? Well, I enjoy the crowds, and I enjoyed playing to them. I suppose that was one thing that helped me as much as anything. People say I looked into the crowds -- well, I did. I looked at everybody in the crowd. But it still goes back to concentration. One time after a round my mother said to me, "Did you see me over there, Arnie?" And I had looked right at her, but I didn't remember seeing her. That's concentration. That's what you have to keep to get by those obstacles that jump up in your way. Which of your titles is the most special? I actually go back to my amateur championships. I think they really gave me a springboard to my career. When you think about it, I was pretty old when I won the U.S. Amateur. I was 24, and turned pro when I was 25. These young people today have been playing competitive golf long before that. The Amateur gave me the impetus and the confidence I needed to go out and play. It was something I felt, and something I referred to a lot, particularly in my early years on Tour. How close are you and Jack today? We're very close. We talk about golf, or fishing, or just the things we do now. We both still design golf courses, and we're both still very competitive. That keeps our friendship intact. What's your favorite memory with Jack? I like to think of the times when he put a green jacket on me, or when I put one on him. Those are always nice things to remember [laughs]. We also played a lot of games on the course. We'd both bring amateur friends, and we'd go at it. But we've had a lot of fun outside of golf, too. Jack fishes a lot, so that's good. And I fly a lot, and I had a lot to do with Jack getting into that. Now we both have our own airplanes and do our own thing. Do you still fly? I just gave up flying—I had over 20,000 hours, and I thought maybe I'd just [not fly and] poke around a bit. But I miss it. I may start back up again. Do you and Jack still play games out on the course? When you play the Masters Par 3 Contest, are there stakes? We always have a little game going at the Par 3. But just a little one. Like a $5 Nassau? [Smiles] Yeah, that's it. Will Tiger break Jack's record? It's going to be difficult, but the opportunity is there. The biggest challenge will be his attitude—his positive thinking. He has to get that back. I don't think there's any question about his physical ability as long as he's healthy. He just has to tie that ability back in to the mental aspect. I think he'll do it. He'll be back. I hear you have an iPad. Why aren't you on Twitter? I do have an iPad, but I don't think I'm going to do Twitter. I'm already learning too much from my iPad. Like what? [Laughs] Oh, I'm not going to reveal that. Do you still spend time in your workshop? Yep, I still enjoy that. When I have a problem, and I can't get it on the iPad, I go back to the shop and work it out back there fixing golf clubs. I'm making you PGA Tour commissioner for a day. What do you change? First would be speed of play, but the most important thing is to slow down the ball. I'm very concerned about preserving our great golf courses. The Oakmonts, the Winged Foots, the courses that were great in the years gone by. I'd like to keep them great without making so many changes to the golf courses themselves. You've just come in from a long day on the course. What are you drinking? Ketel One on the rocks [laughs]. Wait, what happened to the "Arnold Palmer"? I have one of those before I start. Tweet

Yani Tseng wins Women's British Open by 4 strokes

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) — Yani Tseng won the Women's British Open for the second straight year, beating Brittany Lang by four strokes Sunday and becoming the youngest woman to capture a fifth major title. The 22-year-old top-ranked Taiwanese shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272. She trailed third-round leader Caroline Masson of Germany by two strokes entering the final round. Masson closed with a 78 to finish tied for fifth. "It's very special to win here at Carnoustie where so many great players have made history," said Tseng, who also won the LPGA Championship last month. "I was a little nervous before the start, but then I hit a good tee shot and I felt good. I feel that, having been in this position in a major a few times before, I am getting more mature and can handle the pressure better." Lang shot a 67 to finish at 276, one ahead of Sweden's Sophie Gustafson, who had a final round 68. South Korea's Amy Yang had a 67 and was fourth. Lang was tied for sixth entering the final day, eight behind Masson. She picked up just one stroke by the turn but the American bagged four birdies at Nos. 11, 12, 14 and 17. "I played great today," Lang said. "I made some really big par putts early on and from then on played fairly flawless golf. Tseng dropped a shot at the first hole with three putts, missing a 3-footer for par. She birdied the third with a pitching wedge to 2 feet and the long sixth with a chip to 5 feet to be out in 35. Playing alongside Masson, who was out in 39, Tseng had taken a firm grip by the turn. She was just short of the green off the tee at the par-4 11th and took two putts for a birdie, but then dropped a shot at two straight holes. She hit an 8-iron over the back of the green at 12 and then hit the pin off the tee on the short 13th but her ball stopped at the edge of a bunker. She stood in the sand to play her second shot. Tseng birdied the long 14th and finished with two birdies, holing from 20 feet on the 17th and hitting a majestic 9-iron to 3 feet at the last. "It's so great making history on this golf course and I feel wonderful right now," Tseng said. "It feels really good and I hope to keep winning. Next year there are another four majors and I will try and organize and keep working hard." Masson also ended with two birdies but had fallen into the pack, dropping four shots in the first three holes on the way home. She finished at 9 under alongside home favorite Catriona Matthew, the 2009 champion, who had a double-bogey 6 on the final hole after pulling her second shot to the green out of bounds. "She will learn from her mistakes and every great player goes through that," Tseng told the Press Association. "It's not a big deal. You try your best and I've lost lots of times too." Sweden's Anna Nordqvist tied for seventh at 280 with South Koreans Sun Young Yoo, Na Yeon Choi and Inbee Pak. American Stacy Lewis moved up the leaderboard with a 4-under 68, going from a share of 22nd overnight to a share of 11th at 281. Sweden's Maria Hjorth was at 282 after a 68 and Americans Katie Futcher and Cristie Kerr were in a group a stroke further back. Futcher equaled the best round of the week with a 64, including an eagle at the long 14th, followed by three birdies. Kerr had four birdies for a 68 to finish at 5 under. Paula Creamer dropped five strokes in the first five holes to be out in 40, then dropped three more on the back nine for a 79. Brittany Lincicome shot 73 to finish at 287 as did first-round leader Meena Lee, who closed with a 74 after opening with a 65 Thursday.

Woods to end three-month layoff at Firestone

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods returns to golf under a new set of circumstances. He no longer has the caddie he employed for the last 12 years, having fired Steve Williams a month ago. He no longer is among the top 20 in the world, his lowest ranking since Allen Iverson was an NBA rookie. And he might not even be eligible to play on the PGA Tour after a couple of weeks. After missing two majors during an 11-week break to make sure his left leg was fully healed, Woods announced Thursday evening on Twitter and on his website that he would return next week at the Bridgestone Invitational. "Feeling fit and ready to tee it up at Firestone next week. Excited to get back out there!" he tweeted. By missing three months - but only four tournaments he would typically play - Woods has gone from No. 81 to No. 133 in the FedEx Cup standings. Only the top 125 players qualify for the opening round of the playoffs at The Barclays, likely leaving him only the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship next week to make up ground. Otherwise, he would have at least five weeks off without being able to play on the PGA Tour. This was the third-longest layoff of his career, and there is as much uncertainty as ever about his future. He has gone more than 20 months without winning, and was last seen in golf shoes on May 12 at The Players Championship when he hobbled off the course after a 6-over 42 on the front nine and withdrew. He already has had four surgeries on his left knee, and the left Achilles' gave him just as much trouble. He hurt both of them during the third round of the Masters, although the injuries were described as "minor" when he first mentioned the pain in May. Along with his health, there has been change off the golf course. Woods left IMG when the contract of longtime agent Mark Steinberg was not renewed. The only endorsement deal for Woods since he returned from a devastating sex scandal was with a Japanese company to promote a heat rub. Then came the firing of Williams, who caddied for Adam Scott at the U.S. Open, then angered his boss by working for the Australian again at the AT&T National without seeking permission. The Golf Channel reported Thursday night that Bryon Bell, a childhood friend and president of Tiger Woods Design, would caddie for him at the Bridgestone Invitational. Bell has caddied for Woods three times - a win at the 1999 Buick Invitational, a tie for second at the Buick Invitational when Woods gave him a chance to help defend, and a tie for second in 2003 at the Disney Classic when Woods gave Williams the week off for a car race in New Zealand. Steinberg declined to confirm Bell would be on the bag, saying in a text message that "no long term been discussed yet as he just decided tonight he was fit and ready to go next week." Bell would bring a level of familiarity to Woods, although Bell was implicated during Woods' sex scandal as allegedly arranging travel for one of his mistresses. Woods has plunged to No. 21 in the world - his lowest ranking since Jan. 26, 1997 - and he could not get back to No. 1 even if he were to win his next three tournaments. During his absence, Luke Donald rose to No. 1 in the ranking and 22-year-old Rory McIlroy shattered his scoring record in the U.S. Open at Congressional. Woods had said in July, when he appeared at the AT&T National because it benefits his foundation, that he learned his lesson and would not play again until he was fully healed. Swing coach Sean Foley said he has talked with Woods twice in the last few weeks, although he has not been with him on the practice range. Woods said on his website that he only recently began practicing. At least he is returning to a friendly course - Woods has won seven times at Firestone, matching the most he has won on any course as a pro. However, he was at his low point on the course in the Bridgestone Invitational last year when he finished 78th in an 80-man field with the worst 72-hole score of his career. Before that, Woods had never finished out of the top five. Woods missed the second half of the 2008 season following reconstructive knee surgery, then sat out five months after crashing his car into a fire hydrant on Thanksgiving night in 2009, changing his career on and off the golf course. His image tarnished, he lost four major corporate endorsements and still has not found an endorsement for his bag. He was divorced in August 2010 and shares custody of his two young children. On the course, Woods has lost the aura he built while becoming the sport's most dominant figure in the last 40 years. He remains stuck on 14 majors - the last one was in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines - and he nearly missed the cut the last time the PGA Championship was played at Atlanta Athletic Club in 2001.

Simpson, de Jonge share lead at Greenbrier Classic

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — Brendon de Jonge rode a wave of Hokie fever to a share of the second-round lead at the Greenbrier Classic. De Jonge shot a 3-under-par 67 Friday and was tied with Webb Simpson at 7 under midway through the tournament. Among those failing to advance to weekend play were Phil Mickelson, whose streak of making 17 straight cuts ended, and defending champion Stuart Appleby. Both finished 3 over, missing the cut by two strokes. With shouts of encouragement all around him, de Jonge, a former Virginia Tech golfer, is flourishing for the second straight year at The Greenbrier resort, less than two hours from his college stomping grounds. "It's a little bit of adrenaline," de Jonge said. "Keeps you going. It's always a little pick-me-up if you're struggling a little bit. It's fun. It's nice to hear 'Go Hokies' on every tee." De Jonge has played the Old White TPC course many times and he finished third in last year's inaugural tournament at 17 under. It was one of three third-place finishes in 2010 that helped him earn a career-best $2.2 million. The native of Zimbabwe is the tour leader in birdies, yet admits he needs to work on eliminating the bogeys. His only one Friday was a three-putt on No. 11. "I think the biggest thing is just getting out of my own way," de Jonge said. "It's very, very difficult to win out here. It's difficult to win anywhere. Staying in your own routine, I guess, is the best way to put it." Simpson couldn't get any momentum going until he made three birdies on the back nine and shot 68. The former Wake Forest golfer is playing less than five hours from his old campus. He grew up in North Carolina and moved to Charlotte earlier this year. His own cheering section will get a bit bigger on Saturday. "I told my wife today I'm going to go out and be in the lead, so you've got to come for the weekend," Simpson said. Both Simpson and de Jonge are chasing their first career victories. The tournament champion will earn a spot in next week's Bridgestone Invitational. Like last year, when Appleby came from a seven-stroke deficit and shot 59 in the final round to win, it's anyone's tournament. Thirty-five players were within five shots of the lead entering the third round. Simpson and de Jonge were the only two of the top 10 from the first round to break par in the second. The cut was three shots higher than last year. First-round leader Trevor Immelman made just two birdies, shot 70 and was at 6 under. Looking for his first win since the 2008 Masters and less than two years removed from wrist surgery, Immelman isn't thinking about how far he has come if he can advance to Bridgestone. "It would be fantastic," he said. "And I'd love to be there. But (it's) the furthest thing from my mind." Tied at 5 under were Scott Stallings (65), Michael Letzig (66), Gary Woodland (70), Brian Davis (64) and Derek Lamely (70). Lamely was tied for the lead before a stretch of three bogeys and a double-bogey over seven holes. Canadian Chris Baryla made five birdies in an eight-hole stretch in his morning round to rocket to the top of the leaderboard at 8 under, then made triple-bogey on the par-4 sixth. He shot 69 and was in a group of six at 4 under. Australian Steven Bowditch moved to 6 under after an early birdie, but had a double-bogey and three bogeys on his final four holes to fall to even par. NOTES: Brett Wetterich eagled the par-4 first hole to help him advance to the weekend at even par. ... Garrett Willis had six birdies in his round but made the cut on the line after needing three shots to get out of a fairway bunker on the par-4 11th and making an 8. ... Chris Kirk, who had his tour-best streak of 10 straight below-par rounds snapped with a 71 on Thursday, started another one with a 69 Friday. ... Michael Sim withdrew before the second round with a shoulder injury. Michael Putnam withdrew during the round with an injured wrist.