Spieth, Palmer brace for DFW showdown with Colonial title on line

A day that included multiple charges up the leader board by Tarrant County golfers ended Saturday with the promise of a classic battle between Dallas and Fort Worth in the final group of the Dean & DeLuca Invitational.

Dallas resident Jordan Spieth, the No. 2 player in the world golf rankings, will carry a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round at Colonial Country Club in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title in Texas.

He’ll be joined in the final group by Colleyville resident Ryan Palmer, a Colonial member who longs for the opportunity to stare down his close friend in a high-stakes round at his home course.

Spieth played his way into the lead with a third-round 65 to reach 12-under par. Palmer, who stands at 11 under, posted a third-round 66 after a strong surge over the final 10 holes of his weather-delayed second round.

Webb Simpson, a co-leader after 36 holes, also reached 11 under as part of a packed leader board. But the list of pursuers, which includes Fort Worth resident Martin Piller (10 under), gets overlooked because of the DFW Connection in the final pairing between golfers from opposite sides of the Metroplex.

The rivalry works on multiple levels. Spieth, 22, played college golf at Texas. Palmer, 39, played at Texas A&M. The two play frequent practice rounds at PGA Tour events, often with more than bragging rights on the line.

Spieth, the reigning U.S. Open champion, acknowledged there will be “a fun dynamic” in the final pairing but attempted to downplay any rivalry-related angles while reminding reporters that 12 golfers remain within five strokes of the Colonial lead. Palmer went all-in on rivalry talk.

“It’s going to be a blast,” Palmer said. “It’s my home course, my house this week. I wanted to be with him in the final group … in front of the members of Colonial. It will be a nice DFW clash. A Longhorn and an Aggie, that’s going to be the fun part of the thing. I’ll tell Jordan to wear burnt orange and I’ll wear my maroon, but both colors won’t look good with that jacket.”

Fashion choices will be optional for both front-runners, as well as their pursuers, as everyone seeks to claim a plaid jacket at Hogan’s Alley.

This much is certain: Spieth, who offset six birdies with a lone bogey at No. 18, does not anticipate a repeat of last week’s closing 74 at the AT&T Byron Nelson when he unraveled while playing in the final group.

“I’ll be disappointed if I don’t win,” Spieth said. “Being in this position two weeks in a row, last Sunday was a tough one for me. This tournament, it’s special to me as well. I feel really good about my game. All parts of it. I’m confident about where everything’s at.”

Spieth found only 4 of 14 fairways off the tee Saturday. But he made up for it with crisp iron play, making five birdie putts from inside 12 feet and chipping in for birdie at No. 11 from 32 feet.

Palmer, who made six birdies during his third round, collected nine birdies and an eagle during his extended, 28-hole workday Saturday. He said his swing felt dialed in to the point that tournament officials “can put the pin anywhere and we’ll find it. That’s the confidence I had with what I was doing.”

But a missed 3-footer for birdie on the closing hole prevented Palmer from sharing the 54-hole lead with Spieth. He hopes to make up the difference Sunday and, in the 70th anniversary of Fort Worth’s annual PGA Tour stop, can draw inspiration from a historic precedent.

In the inaugural Colonial, held in 1946, Dallas golfer Harry Todd held the 54-hole lead. But he was overtaken in the final round by Fort Worth’s Ben Hogan, who posted a closing 65 that stood as the course record for 24 years.

Whether Palmer can channel that type of magic in front of his hometown fans remains to be seen. In fact, Palmer acknowledged he might not even be the people’s choice as he tours the course with Spieth.

Asked which DFW golfer would draw the bigger gallery, Palmer said: “I’ve got my few hundred. I was told he beat me in ticket sales, so I guess he will. But you see what he’s bringing to the game. You expect it … I can’t wait to get out there and really pick at him. He’ll pick at me and, hopefully, we’ll have fun and it comes down to the last hole.”

That’s how it unfolded 70 years ago at the inaugural Colonial, when the Fort Worth guy took down the Dallas guy by one shot to allow Hogan to become the first golfer to place his name on the club’s Wall of Champions.

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 8:59 PM with the headline "Spieth, Palmer brace for DFW showdown with Colonial title on line."