Steele hangs on for Frys.com lead

Associated Press

NAPA, Calif.

Brendan Steele did just enough to keep the lead Saturday in the Frys.com Open.

He just missed a chance to do a lot more.

As one player after another was piling up birdies on the closing three-hole stretch at Silverado — eagle opportunities on each hole — Steele had to settle for three pars for a 3-under 69 and a one-shot lead over Andrew Loupe and Kevin Na.

Loupe had five straight birdies early in his round and four straight birdies late for a 63. Na played the closing stretch with an eagle and a birdie for a 64.

The PGA Tour season opener was wide open going into the final round with 16 players separated by only four shots.

Steele was at 14-under 202 as he tried to go wire-to-wire and pick up his second PGA Tour victory.

He could have made it easier on himself over the closing holes. Steele couldn’t get up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 16th. His tee shot was slightly pulled and bounced out of a tree back to the fairway and short of the green on the 296-yard 17th hole, and he could get no closer than 20 feet with a wedge on the par-5 18th.

“It’s frustrating, because I thought I hit some good shots and good putts,” Steele said. “It happens.”

A pair of PGA Tour rookies were among the eight players two shots behind at 12-under 204. Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, coming off a win in the Web.com Tour Championship two weeks ago, went eagle-birdie-par for a 65. Harold Varner III played that stretch in 1 over, having to scramble for a par on the 17th and missing the 18th green long with a wedge to make bogey. He shot 69.

Grillo drove near the 17th green and nearly took out Rory McIlroy, who was still playing the hole. Grillo was under the impression the group had left.

And if he had hit the four-time major champion?

“Would have put me out of my misery,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy opened with two quick birdies, though frustration set in quickly and he whacked the flagstick with the end of his putter after missing a par putt on No. 4. He finished with a 71 and was eight shots behind in a tie for 39th.

“I played better than I score,” Steele said. “That was a great round that Andrew shot. I didn’t see it, actually. The way it firmed up at the end yesterday and how firm it was today, you really had to be on your game in order to do that. I guess you never underestimate the talent level out here.”