It was the 10th time the Canadian has had at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, but he has only one victory when leading going into the final round.
Protecting this one might be the toughest yet.
Camilo Villegas ignored the swirling wind and increasingly firm conditions at TPC Boston to shoot 63, putting him in the final group with Weir for perhaps his best chance at his first PGA Tour victory.
Three shots behind were Sergio Garcia (68) and Vijay Singh (69), part of the playoff last week at The Barclays that Singh won to move atop the standings in the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.
And right behind them were Jim Furyk, looking for his first victory in an otherwise solid year, Ernie Els and Ben Crane, whose 63 came during the morning before the wind hit full strength.
“I’ve got my hands full,” said Weir, who was at 17-under 196.
Ten players were separated by five shots going into the Labor Day finish, the kind of shootout the Deutsche Bank Championship always seems to produce.
Tiger Woods isn’t around to take part in this one, and neither is defending champion Phil Mickelson. He played an ordinary round of 1-over 72 and missed the 54-hole cut, leaving questions about whether he will play next week in St. Louis in the third round of these playoffs.
Weir has been around the week since opening with a 61, but he was equally pleased with a 67 considering he struggled to find fairways and hit only half the greens. But he got moving in the right direction with a 7-iron that stopped just under 3 feet away on the 14th, one of only eight birdies on the day.
Sluman wins Champions First Tee Open
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Jeff Sluman won the First Tee Open for his second Champions Tour victory, closing with a 5-under 67 at Pebble Beach for a five-stroke victory over Fuzzy Zoeller and Craig Stadler.
Sluman, a six-time PGA Tour winner who won the Bank of America Championship in June for his first Champions Tour title, had a 14-under 202 total. He opened with a 69 at Del Monte and shot a 66 on Saturday at Pebble Beach.
“I’m happy to finally be playing the kind of golf I knew I could play out here,” Sluman said. “It’s been a struggle, but I’m glad to be feeling comfortable.”
In 1992 at Pebble Beach, Sluman finished second in the U.S. Open and Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Zoeller shot a 69 for his best Champions Tour finish since 2004. Stadler, the inaugural tournament winner in 2004, had a 71.
Sluman, who carded the day’s low round, became the eighth Champions Tour player to win twice this season.
Fred Funk, playing ahead of Sluman, briefly tied the winner at 11 under after a birdie at the fifth hole. Sluman also birdied the fifth hole to move into a lead he never relinquished.
Funk stumbled and finished with a 71. He tied for fourth a 8 under with Chip Beck (68), Mark McNulty (69) and Phil Blackmar (73). Scott Simpson (68), the 2006 tournament winner, David Eger (71) and Steve Thomas (72) finished at 7 under.
Havret wins
Johnnie Walker
GLENEAGLES, Scotland - France’s Gregory Havret shot a 3-under 70 for a one-stroke victory in the Johnnie Walker Championship, and England’s Oliver Wilson finished 10th to clinch Europe’s 10th and final automatic Ryder Cup spot.
After the tournament, Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo used his two picks on Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, a decision that left Darren Clarke off the European team for the first time since 1995.
Havret sank a 10-foot par putt to win the title at 14-under 278. Graeme Storm (68) was second, and Peter Hanson (69) and David Howell (71) tied for third at 11 under.
Wilson’s 69 meant Nick Dougherty needed to win the tournament to have a chance of making the European team for the Sept. 19-21 matches against the United States at Valhalla. Dougherty (70) finished seventh.
