Former TCU golfer Tom Hoge surges before stumbling on back nine

TCU ex Tom Hoge shot like a bottle rocket into contention by rolling in three birdies on his front nine Saturday before his driver went sideways on him on the back.

“I was playing really solid on the front,” Hoge said. “Kept the ball in good spots. Pretty much the opposite on the back. Drove it all over the place. It’s hard to play from the rough out here, and I’ve got to have a few more birdie putts than I had today.”

Hoge opened his last nine with a double bogey on No. 10 and successfully scrambled the last eight holes to at least give himself a chance Sunday at the AT&T Byron Nelson at the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas.

Hoge mixed in a birdie, at No. 11, with another bogey to finish with a 1-under 69 in the third round and a 9-under total. The former Horned Frogs standout from North Dakota will begin the final round seven shots back of leader Brooks Koepka.

At one point, Hoge stood in third, two strokes behind the leaders.

Who is your caddie?

TCU golfer Turner MacLean is serving an impromptu internship this week at the Nelson.

Kyle Reifers, playing in his sixth straight event, wasn’t planning to play but at the last minute changed his mind, so he needed a caddie. The Jim McLean Golf Center in Fort Worth hooked them up.

“I’m glad he played,” said MacLean, a Fort Worth Country Day grad who just completed his freshman year. “It’s worked out there pretty well. We’re having a lot of fun. He’s hit so many good putts that haven’t gone in. Hopefully, we can make a few tomorrow.”

Reifers is glad he played, too. He’s in sixth entering the final round at 12 under after shooting a 65, his third straight sub-par round.

MacLean said he used Wednesday to walk the course and get to know Reifers. On Thursday, it was “full go. I kind of got thrown into the fire a little bit, not sure what I got myself into, but it’s been cool.”

Said Reifers: “He’s really been great. It’s been a breath of fresh air [this week]. Taking it easy. I’ve had a different approach. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Woodland surges

Kansan Gary Woodland turned in a second consecutive bogey-free round on his 32nd birthday in making a significant move up during Saturday’s third round.

After a disappointing 71 on Thursday, Woodland has turned in two straight 6-under 64s to move to 11 under, five shots behind Koepka.

A quickly arranged virtual meeting with swing coach Butch Harmon on Thursday night seems to have done the trick. Woodland sent video of his swing through his phone for the coach to analyze.

“I got out of whack there on Thursday,” Woodland said. “I think I was pressing a little bit. My alignment got off, I was tight and I was rushing everything. He slowed me down, got me to relax and back to some of the fundamentals we were working on and dialed in pretty good.”

His driver was a little squirrely on Saturday. Woodland hit only four of 14 fairways, but his irons and putter were spot on.

Charity event

Tournament officials issued a clarification about Monday’s charity event at Cottonwood Valley, hosted by Colleyville golfer Ryan Palmer, that benefits underprivileged children in need of dental work. The event, the United Rentals Battle at the Byron, is not open to the public as Palmer stated earlier this week. It is a private event and the public will not be allowed on the course to watch the participating teams.

Briefly

▪ Mansfield High alum Martin Flores shot a 2-over 72 on Saturday to slip to 5 under. He had a double-bogey 6 on No. 4 in a 3-over front.

▪ Tim Wilkinson (11 under) shot a third-round-low 63 to move 40 places up the leader board.

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Former TCU golfer Tom Hoge surges before stumbling on back nine."