This week: Nationwide Tour's Rex Hospital Open, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh, N.C.

First-round score: 1-over-par 72.

Position: Putnam is in a group at 110th, eight strokes behind co-leaders Josh Broadway, Jeff Gallagher and Bradley Iles (64).

Recap: The Tacoma golfer was one of 68 to shoot over-par rounds Thursday. And for a guy known to make lots of birdies, Putnam converted one – on the par-3 14th – on the day.

Tee time Friday: 9:05 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational, Thursday through Sunday, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.

First-round score: 2-under-par 68.

Position: Moore is tied for 24th, five strokes behind co-leaders Woody Austin, Tim Clark and Steve Stricker (66).

Recap: The Puyallup golfer accomplished something Thursday he hadn't done since the first week – register a bogey-free round. His 70 featured birdies at Nos. 2 (8-foot putt) and 11 (3-footer), matching his five-birdie, no-bogey third round of the Bob Hope Classic.

Tee time Friday: 7:02 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour's Rex Hospital Open, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh, N.C.

World ranking: 743rd.

2009 earnings: $12,754 (104th on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: The Tacoma golfer has missed the cut in his past two weeks, including the BMW Charity Pro-Am (6-under 209) on May 17. Putnam needs to get going – his best finish is a tied-for-29th at the Moonah Classic in March. This tournament has been good to him. He placed third in 2007.

Tee time Thursday: 4 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Jon Mills and Brennan Webb.

This week: PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Thursday through Sunday, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.

World ranking: 182nd.

2009 earnings: $445,739 (97th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Moore missed the cut at last week's Byron Nelson Championship (5-over 145), and has a three-tournament stretch of missing two cuts, and finishing alone in 70th at The Players Championship. The Puyallup golfer got into the field this week as an alternate when Brandt Snedeker withdrew (rib injury). Moore has made the cut in both Colonial appearances, including a tied-for-29th in 2007.

Tee time Thursday: 11:32 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Rod Pampling and Nicholas Thompson.

This week: PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, Texas.

Second-round score: 1-under-par 69.

Position: Moore (5-over 145) was in a group at 131st, and missed the cut. Rory Sabbatini leads at 132.

Recap: With only two par-5 holes, this is a course difficult to make up ground on, and Moore found that out Friday even though he shot an under-par score. The Puyallup standout is making birdies – his eight total in two rounds are in the top 30 in the field. But to go along with his five birdies Friday, he made four bogeys.

Next: Moore is the first alternate into next week's Colonial starting Thursday. If he doesn't get in, he will take next week off, then play in one of his favorite events the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Ohio starting June 4.

This week: PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, Texas.

Second-round score: 4-over-par 74.

Position: Kelly (7-over 147) missed the cut, and tied for 143rd. Rory Sabbatini leads at 132.

Recap: A recurring result – some bogeys and not enough birdies to compensate. Kelly, a Tacoma resident, hit his drive into a lake on the right side on his first hole (par-4 10th), and started with a double bogey. He ended up being 6-over for his round after 11 holes, but rallied with final-nine birdies.

Next: It's another couple weeks off, but Kelly should make it into the field at the St. Jude Classic starting June 4 in Tennessee.

This week: PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, Texas.

First-round score: 6-over-par 76.

Position: Moore is tied for 146th, 11 strokes behind co-leaders Ken Duke and James Nitties (65).

Recap: It wasn't a good encore showing for last year's playoff participants – Moore (76) and Adam Scott (71). Both have plenty of work remaining to get back in contention. The Puyallup golfer never got anything going with the driver. He hit one out-of-bounds left on the par-4 15th that led to his first double bogey, and sprayed it right into a pond on the par-4 third that led to a second one. He hit just three of 14 fairways.

Tee time Friday: 6:22 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, Texas.

First-round score: 3-over-par 73.

Position: Kelly is tied for 114th, eight strokes behind co-leaders Ken Duke and James Nitties (65).

Recap: Only one-third of the field shot under-par rounds, and Kelly got off to a rough start with bogeys on three of his first four holes. He settled down after that to play even-par the rest of the way, making his final birdie on the par-5 16th hitting a wedge from 20 yards out to tap-in distance.

Tee time Friday: 6:50 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

It was try-to-go-low day Wednesday, something that is sweet music the ears of Sumner's Brian Thornton.

And his 6-under-par 66 was good enough to grab a victory at the 83rd Washington Open Invitational on the golf course he teaches at, Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent.

Thornton, a teaching professional at Meridian Valley, finished at 6-under 210, which was one stroke better than Tom Sovay (66), the head pro at Harbour Point Golf Club in Mukilteo, at 211.

Midway through the final round, it was Chris Griffin, the former assistant pro at Tacoma Country and Golf Club, who had a two-shot cushion. But late bogeys on the final-nine par-5s (holes Nos. 1 through 9) led to a 73, and dropped him into a third-place finish at 213 along with Willapa Harbor's Louie Runge (74) and Sahalee amateur Erik Hanson (70).

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This week: PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas.

World ranking: 177th.

2009 earnings: $445,739 (90th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: In line for at least a top-20 finish, the Puyallup golfer shot his worst round on the PGA Tour – an 84 – in the final round of The Players Championship on May 10 to finished 70th (10-over 298). He's coming off a week-long break, and returns to the tournament where he came closest to notching his first career victory, losing to Adam Scott in a 2008 playoff and extending his streak to four consecutive seasons with a runner-up finish. Moore has made the cut in five of his past six appearances, with a pair of top-20 finishes (tied for 11th at Houston Open and tied for 19th at Transitions).

Tee time Thursday: 11:07 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Alex Cejka and Tom Pernice, Jr.

This week: PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas.

World ranking: 1,213th.

2009 earnings: $11,178 (229th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Getting in a playing rhythm is crucial for the players, and for the first time since February, Kelly will play in back-to-back weeks. The Tacoma resident missed the cut at last week's Valero Texas Open (2-over 142), but shot his first even-par score or better (second-round 70) since the second event of the year, at the Bob Hope Classic in late January. He ranks 16th on the tour in par-3 birdie conversion (16.22 percent).

Tee time Thursday: 11:35 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Kris Blanks and Wil Collins.

The last time Birk Nelson was making waves in the Northwest's golf scene, he was an All-American at Oregon State battling Tiger Woods for the Pacific-10 Conference championship in the mid-1990s.

Well, he's resurfaced at the 83rd Washington Open Invitational in Kent.

Nelson, now the head pro at Diamond Woods Golf Club in Oregon, fired the day's best round – a 4-under-par 68 – at Meridian Valley Country Club, and takes a one stroke lead into today's final round.

At 6-under 138, he leads former University of Washington standout Derek Berg, an amateur who led after his opening 67. Berg shot 72 on Wednesday under a light drizzle and colder temperatures, and is at 139, as is Willapa Harbor Golf Club pro Louie Runge.

Defending champion Brian Nosler, of Portland, sits two strokes back at 140 after his second-round 69. So is Tacoma's Chris Griffin, who has taken a leave of absence from Tacoma Country and Golf Club to try and qualify for the Canadian Tour.

Nelson knows all about tour golf. Twice a Pac-10 tournament runner-up, he's played on the Nationwide Tour, the Canadian Tour and Gateway Tour, and has been a professional for 13 years.

He's won big tournaments before, capturing the 1995 Pacific Coast Amateur after his junior season at Oregon State.

Berg leads a host of amateurs in contention, trying to become the first to win the Washington Open since Kent's Josh Immordino won at Canterwood Golf and Country Club in 2006.

Also lurking are Bellevue's Michael Haack (141) in seventh place, and former Mariners pitcher Erik Hanson (143), a member at Sahalee Country Club, alone in eighth.

The lead group will tee off today at 11:30 a.m. off the 10th tee.

PGA TOUR's Byron Nelson Championship

Site: Irving, Texas.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas (7,166 yards, par 70).

Purse: $6.5 million. Winner’s share: $1,152,000.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10-11:30 a.m., 6:30-8:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Australia’s Adam Scott won the last of six PGA Tour titles, topping Puyallup's Ryan Moore with a 48-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff.

Last week: Zach Johnson successfully defended his Texas Open title, beating James Driscoll in San Antonio with a 10-foot birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Johnson, the FedEx Cup points leader, also won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Notes: Phil Mickelson, the 1996 winner, is coming off a 55th-place tie in The Players Championship. He won this year at Riviera and Doral. … Scott has dropped from third to 32 in the world ranking in the last year. … Scott Verplank won his hometown event in 2007. … Nelson died in September 2006 at 94. He won a record 11 consecutive events in 1945. … England’s Ian Poulter is skipping the European tour’s Wentworth stop to play in the event. … Moore and Tacoma's Troy Kelly are in the field. … The Colonial is next week in Fort Worth, followed by the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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This week: Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, The Carolina CC and Bright's Creek GC, North and South Carolina.

Third-round score: 2-under-par 70 at Carolina CC.

Position: Putnam (6-under 209) finished tied for 70th, and one cut from making the cut. Michael Sim leads at 195.

Recap: The Tacoma golfer must be kicking himself. Needing to make up two strokes over the final two holes, he went flag-hunting on the par-4 17th, and landed in the rough leading to a bogey. On the par-5 18th, he came back to make an eagle-3.

Next: The Rex Hospital Open starting May 28 at TPC Wakefield Plantation in North Carolina.

This week: PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club, San Antonio.

Second-round score: Even-par 70.

Position: Kelly (2-over 142) finished tied for 104th, 14 strokes behind leader Paul Goydos (128).

Recap: Even though the Tacoma resident missed playing the weekend for a sixth consecutive time (five missed cuts, one withdraw), at least Kelly's scores are finishing closer to par. The highlight of his round was his third shot on the 656-yard, par-5 first hole. After landing his tee shot in trouble, he had 375 yards into a green at the end of a downhill fairway. He amazingly drilled a 3-wood just short of it, but made bogey. He later almost knocked a wedge approach from 90 yards out into the hole, and had a tap-in birdie at the par-4 seventh.

Next: HP Byron Nelson Championship starting Thursday at TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas.

This week: Nationwide Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, The Carolina CC and Bright’s Creek GC, North and South Carolina

Second-round score: 2-over-par 73 at Thornblade Club.

Position: Putnam (4-under 139) is tied for 64th, nine strokes behind Seattle’s Jeff Gove (130), the leader.

Recap: Most golfers shot up the leaderboard with good scores; the Tacoma native fell back. It was equally frustrating because his playing partner (and good friend) Bubba Dickerson shot a 64 on the same course. The day after Putnam missed one fairway in the first round, he was 6-of-14 on Friday, leading to his scoring issues.

Tee time Saturday: 5:55 a.m. PDT off Carolina CC’s first tee.

This week: PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club, San Antonio.

First-round score: 2-over-par 72.

Position: Kelly is tied for 107th, nine strokes behind co-leaders Paul Goydos and Justin Leonard (62).

Recap: The Tacoma resident is trying to shed some rust off his game, and most of his four bogeys came on holes where he hit the fairway off the tee – including the par-4 18th where his approach shot sailed into a greenside bunker. Kelly hasn’t produced an under-par round since the Bob Hope Classic in late January, but his ball-striking is coming around. He did shoot a 65 in the pro-am round Wednesday.

Tee time Friday: 11:45 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: Nationwide Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, The Carolina Club and Bright Creek Golf Club, North and South Carolina.

First-round score: 6-under-par 66 at Bright Creek.

Position: Putnam is tied for ninth, three strokes behind co-leaders Chris Anderson and Michael Clark II (63).

Recap: The Tacoma golfer had his best opening round of 2009, and first round in the 60s since the final round (69) of the Stonebrae Classic in early April. And it was as a stress-free round as could be, hitting 13 of 14 fairways, and all the greens in regulation. Putnam finished with a flourish, going eagle-birdie on Nos. 17 and 18.

Tee time Friday: 6:45 a.m. PDT off Thornblade’s 10th tee.

As rain dripped in a steady downpour Wednesday afternoon, Auburn's Josh Immordino waited by the Pacific Northwest Golf Assocation trailer, checking out the scores coming in.

Immordino had fired a 3-under-par 69 earlier in the day when it was a tad warmer, and more importantly, still pretty dry.

Over and over, he remarked he was sure glad he didn't have to worry about what the players in the afternoon were facing: An almost impossible course to score on.

A U.S. Open is supposed to be the sternest test in golf. Applaud the PNGA for keeping in line when it set up The Home course in Dupont for the local qualifying tournament for 120 players on Wednesday.

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Rain, rain – put it this way.

Sticking around made for a long, long day of U.S Open local qualifying at The Home Course in Dupont.

The fortunate golfers of the 120-man field Wednesday were the ones who went out in the early wave of tee times when the conditions were calm.

Co-medalists Michael Haack, of Bellevue; Josh Immordino, of Auburn; and Zach Wanderscheid, of Goldendale, all who posted 3-under-par 69s, were out on the course by 9 a.m., and had finished most of their rounds under still skies.

It was only the remaining two-thirds of the field that had to not only deal with a long course playing 7,385 yards, but a steady downpour.

Of that unlucky group, only Yakima's Brock Mackenzie, the University of Washington graduate and member of the Canadian Tour, fired an under-par round – a 70.

Everett's Jake Koppenberg, who also played in the morning, was fifth after a 71. Michael Fields, Dan Whitaker and Kevin Penner (72s) won the final spots in five-men-for-three-berths playoff. All made par on the first extra hole.

"Playing early was a huge advantage. We got rained on the last couple holes," said Koppenberg, a senior at Western Washington University. "It was cold, but I'll take cold over the rain any day."

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This week: PGA Tour's Valero Texas Open, Thursday through Sunday, The Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club, San Antonio.

World ranking: 1,201st.

2009 earnings: $11,178 (225th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Kelly had an early-season breakdown with his swing, is in the process of hiring a new sports psychologist, and could be in line to make a few starts in a row heading into the U.S. Open. The Tacoma golfer's last appearance was at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (3-over 147) in late April where he missed the cut.

Tee time Thursday: 6:45 a.m. PDT with Matt Jones and Bryce Molder.

This week: Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am, Thursday through Sunday, Thornblade Club, The Carolina CC and Bright's Creek GC in North and South Carolina

World ranking: 728th.

2009 earnings: $12,754 (93rd on the Nationwide Tour).

Last tournament: The Tacoma golfer had a run of four consecutive made cuts end at the South Georgia Classic (3-over-147) on April 26. Putnam's all-around ranking on tour of 41st indicates a breakthrough to his first top-25 finish should be shortly on the horizon.

Tee time Thursday: 5:15 a.m. PDT off Bright Creek's first tee with Bubba Dickerson.

U.S. OPEN LOCAL QUALIFYING
Wednesday at The Home Course, Dupont

Time Player City/State
7:30 am
Zach Wanderscheid, Goldendale
Darek Franklin, Vancouver
Barry Walters, Yakima

7:40 am
Chad Valley, Seattle
Scott Shiroma, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Chris Schuchart, Redmond

7:50 am
Keith Crimp, Ellensburg
Julian Peters, Bellingham
Brandan Price, Vancouver, BC

8 am
Jake Koppenberg, Everett
Thomas Sovay, Mukilteo
Jerry Johnson, Ocean Shores

8:10 am
Jared Jeffries, Ellensburg
John Peterson, Seattle
Chris Ming, Edgewood

8:20 am
Yung Gu (Justin) Shin, Maple Ridge, BC
Nathan Dick, Pendleton, Ore.
Brandon Critchfield, Kirkland

8:30 am
Michael Haack, Bellevue
Arthur Kim, Tigard, Ore.
Mike Fields, Bellingham

8:40 am
Sean Packer, Lake Tapps
Bryan Jan, San Antonio, Texas
Clint Ables, Pendleton, Ore.

8:50 am
Kevin Kirakossian, Tualatin, Ore.
Andrew Gihm, Seattle
Sergej Dronov, Vancouver, BC

9 am
Chris Utting, Surrey, BC
Jose Cortez, Sammamish
Josh Immordino, Auburn

9:10 am
Nick Ellis, Wenatchee
Alexander Michalowski, Burnaby, BC
Mike Schoner, Moses Lake

9:20 am
Matt Kerr, Vancouver, BC
Tony Robydek, Tacoma
Brad Rickel, Spokane

9:30 am
Dan Endacott, Surrey, BC
Paul Mitzel, Mercer Island
Jeffrey Shaw, Seattle

9:40 am
Scott Stevens, Gig Harbor
Kyle Hurt, Bainbridge Island
David Elaimy, Seattle

9:50 am
Derek Berg, Kenmore
Chad Gorney, Bothell
Shane Prante, Gig Harbor

10 am
Brandon Moore, Tacoma
Kevin Kemak, Gig Harbor
Corey Steger, North Vancouver, BC

10:10 am
Cameron Mackenzie, Vancouver, BC
Nick Sherwood, Albany, Ore.
Eric Briggs, Federal Way

10:20 am
Travis Johnsen, Wilsonville, Ore.
Ryan Dahl, Richland
Michael Ostergaard, Marysville

10:30 am
John Kelly, Bothell
Logan Toskey, Woodinville
Patrick Degenhardt, Longview

10:40 am
Hans Reimers, Albany, Ore.
Nolan Sand, Hoquiam
David Anderson, Bellevue

10:50 am
Charlie Hughes, Maple Ridge, BC
Alex Hansung Kang, Tigard, Ore.
Keith Coleman, Mukilteo

11 am
Ryan Gilmour, Corvallis, Ore.
Erik Hanson, Kirkland
Brock Mackenzie, Yakima

11:10 am
Broc Johnson, Auburn
Mark Dashkewytch, Stony Plain, AB
Matt Epstein, Monroe

11:20 am
James Feutz, University Place.
Craig Larson, Tacoma
Derek Siesser, Maple Valley

11:30 am
Daniel Lee, Kenmore
David Talcott, Tacoma
Marc Hughes, Cheney

11:40 am
Austin Hurt, Bainbridge Island
Joel Dahmen, Clarkston
Jeff Coston, Blaine

11:50 am
Chris Polski, Eugene, Ore.
Thomas Jun, Federal Way
John Shin, Burnaby, BC

Noon
Geoffrey Butt, Vancouver, BC
Derek Barron, Puyallup
Manuel Orozco, Pasco

12:10 pm
Kevin Penner, Sammamish
Brian Thornton, Sumner
John Robertson, Olympia

12:20 pm
Eric Grimberg, Portland
Brett Webster, Abbotsford, BC
Sid Jones, Pendleton, Ore.

12:30 pm
Charles Pattan, Duponot
Shelby Dreher, Victoria, BC
Taylor Ferris, Tacoma

12:40 pm
Dan Whitaker, Cle Elum
Brian Nosler, Portland
Lindsay Bernakevitch, Richmond, BC

12:50 pm
Jarrett Foote, Woodinville
Sandy Vaughan, Seattle
Richard Blakely, Puyallup

1 pm
Brian Phillips, Snoqualmie
Carl Jonson, Bainbridge Island
Jason Kunde, Gearhart, Ore.

1:10 pm
Chris Olmstead, Puyallup
John D Norton, Palm Desert, Calif.
Grant Lancaster, Langley

1:20 pm
John Eisentrout, Olympia
TJ Bordeaux, Tacoma
Colin Gilliam, Vancouver, BC

1:30 pm
Matt Bunn, Spokane
Shawn Thornton, Sammamish
Ryan Benzel, Bothell

1:40 pm
James Roxburgh, Vancouver, BC
Brad Douglas, Redmond
Johnny Matthysse, Fall City

1:50 pm
Tom Lewis, Olympia
Rob French, Redmond
Brandon Markiw, Vancouver, BC

2:00 pm
Patrick Boag, Yakima
Josh Harvey, Richland
Scott Taylor, Monroe

Tacoma's Andrew Yun shot a 4-under-par 68 at Tucson Country Club, and survived a three-man playoff to grab the final berth from U.S. Open qualifying in Arizona.

Ryan Dillon, of Desert Hills, Ariz., was medalist after shooting 64.

Yun, who will be attending Stanford next fall, beat out Grant Cesarek, of Tucson., and Thomas Kalinowski, of Scottsdale.

Sectional qualifying starts June 8.

PGA TOUR's Texas Open

Site: San Antonio.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: LaCantera Golf Club, Resort Course (7,153 yards, par 70).

Purse: $6.1 million. Winner’s share: $1,098,000.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, noon-3 p.m., 5:30-8:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.).

Last year: Zach Johnson followed a third-round 62 with a 64 for a two-stroke victory over Charlie Wi, Mark Wilson and Tim Wilkinson in the October event.

Last week: Sweden’s Henrik Stenson won The Players Championship, closing with a 6-under 66 for a four-stroke victory over Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter. Tiger Woods shot a 73 in the final round to finish eighth, seven strokes back.

Notes: The tournament, played in San Antonio since 1922, was last held in the spring in 1969. Next year, the event will move to the Greg Norman-designed AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. … Johnson won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. … Tommy Armour III broke the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record in 2003, finishing at 26-under 254. He shot 64-62-63-66. … Tacoma's Troy Kelly is entered in this week's field. … Mike Souchak won the 1955 event at Brackenridge Park at 27-under 257. … Former University of Texas star Justin Leonard won in 2000, ’01 and ’07. … Bart Bryant won the 2004 event for his first PGA Tour title, shooting a course-record 60 in the third round. … The tour will remain in Texas the next two weeks for the Byron Nelson Championship and Colonial.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

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This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Final-round score: 12-over-par 84.

Position: Moore (10-over 298) finished 70th, 22 strokes behind winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden (276).

Recap: For the third time in 103 PGA Tour starts, Moore shot a round of 80 or higher. And this 84 – charged by a front-nine 46 – was his highest by four strokes, causing him to drop 42 spots on the leaderboard to finish in last place of the golfers who made the final-day cut. His biggest adventure came on the par-4 fourth, hitting his approach in a pond, and visiting two greenside bunkers thereafter en route to a quadruple bogey. And his stay-on-land streak at the par-3 17th and its island green was snapped at 11-for-11 when his tee shot just missed right, landing in the lake, leading to the last of his four double bogeys.

Next: Byron Nelson Championship starting May 21 at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Third-round score: 3-over-par 75.

Position: Moore (2-under 214) is tied for 31st, nine strokes behind leader Alex Cjeka of Germany (205).

Recap: By far, Saturday was the most difficult scoring round of the week, primarily because the course has dried out, and the greens were running close to 13 feet on the stimpmeter. Moore was holding steady at 1-over for his round when he came to the par-3 13th. His approach shot out of a greenside bunker sailed over the green, and led to a double bogey. He did rebound with a birdie on the par-5 16th when he barely missed the green in two shots.

17th at TPC Sawgrass: Moore is now 11-for-11 for his career hitting the famous par-3 island green. His sidewinding 9-foot birdie putt slid by on the right side, and he tapped in for par.

Tee time Sunday: To be determined.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Second-round score: 4-under-par 68.

Position: Moore (5-under 139) is tied for 13th, six strokes behind leader Alex Cejka of Germany (133).

Recap: Under blistering heat and unpredictable wind gusts, the Puyallup product put together his finest round at TPC Sawgrass. And it really started on the par-3 17th island green where he made a 12-foot putt for birdie as a springboard into his final nine holes. Moore made an eagle on the par-5 second, landing his approach from 230 yards out on the green, and sinking a 30-footer. He reached 5-under on his round with a final birdie on the fourth hole, but gave it back with a finishing bogey.

Tee time Friday: 10:15 a.m. PDT with Jonathan Byrd.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

First-round score: 1-under-par 71.

Position: Moore is tied for 39th, six strokes behind leader Ben Crane (65).

Recap: It was a solid start for not only the Puyallup golfer, but the entire contingent of Moore's skins game from 2008 (besides Crane's 65, Bubba Watson had a 67 and Aaron Baddeley a 71). Scoring will never be easier than it was Thursday, and Moore was one of 56 golfers under-par. It was the UNLV All-American's best opening round at TPC Sawgrass, and second-best overall since his second-round 69 in 2007.

Island green at par-3 17th: The hole was playing 137 yards. Moore's pitching wedge stayed below the hole 15 feet away, and he made a par.

Tee time Friday: 9:20 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee.

This week: PGA Tour's The Players Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

World ranking: 163rd.

2009 earnings: $426,739 (81st on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Moore made a late bogey, and missed the cut at last week's Quail Hollow Championship (1-over 145), starting the run of playing difficult courses that place a premium on ball-striking precision. In other words, par will mean something over the next six weeks, and right up to the U.S. Open (which Moore still has to qualify for). The Puyallup golfer is 2-of-2 in making cuts at what is commonly accepted as the sport's "fifth major," including a tied-for-27th a year ago. As far as what to expect from Moore on the famous island-green, par-3 17th, Moore has never splashed his ball in the water in eight career rounds, and is 17th on tour in par-3 birdie conversion (16.2 percent).

Tee time Thursday: 4:20 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Rocco Mediate and Dean Wilson.

PGA TOUR's The Players Championship

Site: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Sawgrass, Players Stadium Course (7,215 yards, par 72).

Purse: TBA ($9.5 million in 2008). Winner’s share: TBA ($1.71 million in 2008).

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 6-9 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.).

Last year: Sergio Garcia won his seventh PGA Tour title, making a clutch par putt to force a playoff and hitting the island green 17th on the first extra hole to beat Paul Goydos. After Goydos hit into the water in the playoff, Garcia hit to 4 feet.

Last week: Sean O’Hair won the Quail Hollow Championship for his third PGA Tour victory. O’Hair closed with a 3-under 69 in blustery conditions to beat Bubba Watson and Lucas Glover by a stroke. Tiger Woods was fourth, two strokes back.

Notes: Woods won the 2001 tournament, his last top-10 finish at TPC Sawgrass. He won the first of his record three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles in 1994 on the Stadium Course. … Phil Mickelson won in 2007, beating Garcia by two strokes. … Twenty-four of the top 25 players in the world ranking are in the field, with only No. 16 Lee Westwood missing. … Fred Funk won in 2005 to become the oldest champion at 48. In 2004, Adam Scott became the youngest winner at 23. … Greg Norman set the tournament record in 1994, opening with a 63 and adding three 67s for a 24-under 264 total. … Jack Nicklaus is the only three-time champion, winning in 1974 at Atlanta Country Club, 1976 at Inverrary and 1978 at Sawgrass Country Club. … The Pete Dye-designed course was renovated after the March 2006 event. … The tour will be in Texas the next three weeks for the Texas Open, Byron Nelson Championship and Colonial.

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This week: PGA Tour's Quail Hollow Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.

Second-round score: Even-par 72.

Position: Moore (1-over 145) finished tied for 75th, and missed the cut by one stroke. South Africa's Retief Goosen and American Bubba Watson lead at 136.

Recap: It was a mad, mad, made ride for the Puyallup golfer all day. He was 2-under on his round after making an 11-foot birdie on the par-4 eighth putt to cap back-to-back birdies. But Moore barely got his second shot out of a fairway bunker on the long par-4 ninth, and ended up with a double bogey. A final bogey on the par-3 17th sealed his fate, ending a string of four made cuts in a row.

Next: The Players Championship starting Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.