Daly follows 8-under 63 with epic collapse, falls to last place

And things were going so well for John Daly.

Less than 24 hours after he had carded an 8-under-par 63, Daly had one of the epic collapses in the history of this or any other tournament as he posted a 15-over 86 Saturday to go from tied for sixth to 72nd and last place at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Daly's third-round card at TPC Summerlin included a quadruple-bogey 8 at the par-4 No. 3, a triple-bogey 7 at the par-4 12th, double bogeys at Nos. 2 and 10 and three straight bogeys at holes four through six. He also bogeyed Nos. 8 and 15.

"I can't remember a time where I had a stretch of so many bad holes," Daly said. "I was just hoping I could stop the bleeding. You get off to a start like that, your body goes into shock."

Daly might have reinjured his right elbow while playing out of the rocks at No. 3, where he took his quad. He didn't make any excuses for the injury possibly impacting his round, but he got the elbow iced to keep it from swelling.

His best moment came at No. 17, when he birdied the par-3 hole after chipping in from 35 feet. He had started the hole 16 over.

"I couldn't make a 4-footer," said Daly, whose other birdie came at the par-5 ninth. "It was just a rough day."

Henderson's Nick Watney, who was playing with Daly on Saturday, was stunned by what he saw.

"You never want to see that happen to anyone," said Watney, who struggled somewhat himself, finishing his third round at par 71 and sitting in a tie for 12th place, nine shots behind co-leaders Ryan Moore, Jonas Blixt and Brendon de Jonge. "It was tough for all of us."

Watney said Daly's troubles did not impact his round.

"I was struggling on my own, so what John was dealing with really didn't have anything to do with what I was doing," he said.

Daly has until his tee time this morning to decide if he wants to play his final round. If his elbow still is bothering him, he can withdraw for medical reasons. He had not made a decision as of Saturday evening.

■ LUNDE PLAYS WELL - Before play began Thursday, Charley Hoffman was asked who would win the tournament. The former UNLV star thought about it for a moment, then said, "Lunde."

That would be Bill Lunde, Hoffman's former college teammate and close friend. He has had a nice week at TPC Summerlin, and a 4-under 67 Saturday put Lunde in a tie for 12th place at 10 under.

He might be too far back to make Hoffman's prophecy come true. But you don't necessarily need to hold the championship trophy to feel like a champion. In Lunde's case, the fact he's playing today and in a position to pick up a decent-sized check is victory enough.

"My game is making progress, and I feel like I'm on the verge of having a big round," Lunde said.

Lunde is trying to retain his PGA Tour card. The top 125 have exempt status, and he is 157th. Three events remain after today, and a good finish at TPC Summerlin can close the gap for Lunde.

"I've been on all sides of this deal," he said. "It's not life or death. But I'm starting to make some putts, and things are starting to come around. I'm just enjoying being out here."

■ MEDIATE WITHDRAWS - Rocco Mediate withdrew after a third-round 74. A PGA Tour official said Mediate, who was at 211 after posting rounds of 69 and 68 the first two days, did not give a reason.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.