Wilson leads Phoenix Open

Mark Wilson had some fun on the amphitheater 16th hole in the third round of the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., donning a cheesehead and joining caddie Chris Jones to lead the rowdy fans in Packers chants.

The Wisconsin player, 2 strokes ahead of three players when play was suspended Sunday because of darkness, will be careful not to get too carried away this morning when he hits the 20,000-seat hole in the final round.

“I’m just going to try to make birdies in a smart way, not going to be firing at every pin,” said Wilson, the Sony Open winner last month in Hawaii. “That’s silly. Just hit smart shots and try to roll in the putts.”

Wearing a yellow visor and green shirt in support of his beloved Packers, Wilson did just that late Sunday, breaking a tie with Tommy Gainey with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th. Gainey 3-putted the hole for a bogey.

“I birdied some tough holes,” Wilson said. “The 4-iron I hit on 12 was the best swing of the day and I rolled in that putt. Just felt good.

“Been a long ride. I mean, four holes the first day, 28 holes the next day and then four holes and now 31 holes, and we’ll do five more tomorrow and see what happens.”

Wilson and Gainey were facing 20-foot birdie putts on the par-5 13th when they decided it was too dark to finish the hole.

“I was thinking about putting it, but it’s hard to read and it’s a goofy little putt,” Wilson said. “It’ll be a lot easier tomorrow morning.

“Someone was screaming in my head saying, ‘Don’t putt this tonight!’ So, when I heard that voice, I said, ‘Let’s mark it.’”

Wilson was 18 under on TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course.

Gainey was tied for second with Vijay Singh and Jason Dufner. Singh shot a 5-under 66, while Dufner had four holes left.

The start Sunday was delayed a half-hour because of frost. About nine hours of playing time has been lost to frost and frozen turf, forcing the Monday finish.

Wilson completed a 68 in the third round Sunday and was 2 under through 12 holes in the final round. He got Super Bowl updates from the on-course announcers.

“The saddest thing is I couldn’t watch the first half of the Super Bowl,” he said.

Qatar Masters:

Thomas Bjorn of Denmark won the Qatar Masters, shooting a bogey-free 3-under 69 to beat Alvaro Quiros of Spain by 4 shots at Doha, Qatar.

Bjorn led overnight and finished at 14-under 279 to earn his first win since the Estoril Open in Portugal last year. The Dane had 3 birdies in the final round, including one on No. 18 to capture his 11th European Tour title. Quiros closed within 2 shots of the lead with a birdie on the 14th but faltered at the end.

World No. 2 Martin Kaymer shot a 1-under 71 to finish 2 under in a tie for 28th. He needed to finish at least second to overtake Lee Westwood for the top ranking.