JACOBSON TAKES LEAD, EYES FIRST PGA TITLE

The top of the leaderboard is crowded entering the final round of the 2011 Travelers Championship.

Eight players are within four strokes of the lead. Twenty-seven are at least 10 strokes under par.
However, Frederik Jacobson’s 63 Saturday afternoon gave him a one-stroke lead over Bryce Molder going into Sunday’s fourth and final round.

Jacobson started the day tied for 13th at seven under. He got off to a strong start, birdieing 4 of his first 10 holes. He also has yet to bogey the entire tournament, the only player to do so. A boagie-free day for Jacobson Sunday would mark the first time a TOUR player has done it over the course of a tournament since Lee Trevino in 1974.

“I’ve been driving the ball well, kept it in play and kind of haven’t gotten into too much trouble,” Jacobson said. “It obviously takes some good par putts every now and then to keep a round like that going.”

Jacobson is seeking his first PGA TOUR title, with his previous best finish coming in April with a tie for fifth at the Valero Texas Open. 2011 has been a strong year for the Swede, having finished in the top 25 six times.

Amateur Patrick Cantlay entered the day with the lead after shooting a course-record 60 in the second round Friday. Flanked by groves of fans, the UCLA freshman shot a 72 to drop to a tie for 10th place.

Molder entered the day at seven under and tied for 13th but had not finished the second round due to Thursday’s rain delay. He reeled off consecutive 64s to put himself within a shot of first place. James Driscoll also fired a 64 to move to 13 under par and just two strokes back of the lead.

“It was funny,” Molder said. “For the first 27 holes of the event, I played as solid as I’ve played all year. I got up this morning for the third morning in a row at 5, which is really early coming from the West Coast, and just was not feeling very good. I did not hit it very well. I managed to shoot one under on nine holes, but I putted well and went straight to the range and just worked for 30 or 40 minutes, got stretched out, which felt a lot better because I wasn’t feeling great.

“Then when I got to the range again to warm up, I could already tell that the club was in a better spot and it felt a little better,” Molder added. “Early on, I felt very comfortable out there, and that was really my key.”

Tee-times will begin at 8:25 a.m. Sunday. Jacobson and Molder are set to tee off at hole No. 1 at 2 p.m.