Valero Texas Open round three: Parnevik needs to mind out

After looking pretty locked on all week, I’m not so sure about Jesper Parnevik coming into the final round. It’s not so much the gradual decline in his game over the three rounds, but the way he seems to be talking himself into losing before he’s stepped up to the first tee. He didn’t have to spell out that he was already nervy on Saturday - the figures speak for themselves.

Interesting that in his interviews both he and his questioners seemed to think his putter and slightly errant driver were to blame, while he had a good day with his irons. The stats say completely the reverse. He pretty much found the same number of fairways, but could only reach 11 greens in regulation against 15 on Thursday and 14 Friday. His putting stats were better even than Thursday’s sizzling round.

Since the turn of the century at least, only once has the third round leader failed to win - two years ago when Robert Gamez took the prize from one back after round three. But Parnevik knows that the way this course is playing he can’t rest on his laurels. Which is why I fear those mind games already playing in his head will take their toll on wobbly Sunday.

If they do, I suppose we have to factor in Mathias Gronberg to take his first PGA Tour victory, although I still can’t quite buy it. For me his short game doesn’t have what it takes to win a showdown. Justin Leonard, on the other hand, has been getting better each round. On Saturday he hit every fairway and missed only one green for his second successive bogey-free round. In fact he’s bogeyed just one hole all week.

All the top players have been posting some impressive numbers, albeit the course has not been putting up a huge amount of resistance. But another performance that stands out is Ryan Armour. Only a perceived slight weakness with the putter stopped me mentioning him before the off, and he upped his game significantly on Saturday to hit 64. If it does come down to a war of the putters, he’s currently top of the fiery flat sticks. Sadly, I think a deficit of six is probably too much to ask, even if Parnevik throws everything away.