Owen's adventures continue at Sawgrass
The most eventful week of Greg Owen’s golf career continued when a quadruple-bogey eight sent him tumbling off the leaderboard at the Players Championship in Florida.
Up to joint second when he began his third round with two birdies, Owen crashed to 28th place in the space of just two holes – and with it left himself a mountain to climb not just to get back in contention, but also to earn himself a Masters debut in two weeks’ time.
All this, of course, came just six days after his blow-out at Bay Hill. Poised to lead by two with one hole to play there he three-putted from three feet on the 17th and then bogeyed the last to lose by one.
It meant a rise only to 53rd in the world, with the top 50 qualifying for the Masters after this week’s event.
Rounds of 71 and 68 had re-ignited his hopes of being part of the first major of the season but with a swirling wind and lightning-fast greens wreaking havoc he could not avoid becoming a victim.
After three-putting the short third he pushed his drive into the water down the next and then, after being forced to take a penalty drop on the ladies tee hit his next onto the bank of a fairway bunker and from there carved his fourth shot wildly right.
That left him no option but to take a second penalty drop and after chipping on to 12 feet he two-putted.
Behind him overnight leader Jim Furyk ran into problems too. A bad drive into the trees on the long second led to a penalty drop and then he putted off the green in amassing a double-bogey seven.
When he bogeyed the third Furyk was back to five under and it was Trinidad-born Stephen Ames, runner-up to Craig Perks in 2002, who led at eight under.
Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh were one behind and Mike Weir, helped by pitching into the hole at the fourth for an eagle two, was in the group tied for fourth on six under.
However, David Howell was another to suffer badly.
The current European Tour number one resumed on two under, six behind leader Jim Furyk, but after three double bogeys in a front nine 42 and then three bogeys he had crashed all the way back to six over par and 72nd out of 74 with two to play.
Lee Westwood had double bogeys on the fifth and eighth as he shot 73 for level par, while Darren Clarke had an adventurous time too.
Clarke, who last Saturday equalled his lowest-ever round in America with a 63 at the Bay Hill Invitational, birdied the first and made an 11-foot eagle putt on the second.
Three more birdies followed, but there was also a double bogey at the eighth when he three-putted from only nine feet and then another on the last after he carved his drive into the rough.
With two bogeys on his card as well Clarke was round in 72 for one under.
Ian Poulter, who needs a top-three finish tomorrow for Augusta, had re-ignited his hopes with a second round 68 for four under and although he covered the first eight holes in one over the troubles of others kept him just in touch. He stood 17th.
Tiger Woods was one stroke further back after going out in 37.
