Els maintains healthy advantage

Ernie Els, nicknamed "The Big Easy," found it hard going in the latter stages of his round today. Still, he emerged with a tournament record and a comfortable lead in The International.

Despite faltering down the stretch with two bogeys over his last five holes, Els rode the strength of four early birdies to carry an 8-point lead into Sunday's final round.

"I felt like I was out there forever," Els said. "What did it take, 5 1/2 hours? Everything was kind of OK until I got to the 14th tee, when we waited 15 to 20 minutes and a weird wind came up. I just didn't play well coming in.''

Els took some comfort -- but not too much -- in his lead, which is the largest heading into the final round since this tournament went to its current format in 1993.

"I know I've got to play well tomorrow,'' he said. "I've got to shoot lights out, I have to be aggressive. I know these guys are going to try to catch me. I can't go out and feel too relaxed about things, as if it's in the bag.''

Els, who began the third round with a 6-point lead over Stuart Appleby, had 6 points today for a total of 40, eclipsing the previous 54-hole record of 39 shared by Phil Mickelson and David Toms.

Mickelson and Greg Norman were 8 points back at 32 under the modified Stableford scoring system used in this event.

The scoring system awards a player with 5 points for an eagle, 2 for a birdie, zero for a par, minus-1 for a bogey and minus-3 for a double bogey or worse.

For the first time in three days, weather did not intervene. Lightning caused suspensions of play Thursday and Friday, forcing 72 players to conclude their first rounds Friday morning and 51 to finish their second rounds this morning.

Norman had a 6-point round to get to 32, and Mickelson rallied into contention with seven birdies worth 14 points to match Norman's total.

Australia's Stuart Appleby and Spain's Sergio Garcia were at 30, and Edward Fryatt had 28.

Els, whose 34 points after two rounds also set a tournament mark, gave his closest pursuers little cause for optimism, birdieing Nos. 2, 3, 8 and 10 to raise his total to 42 points for a 10-point advantage over Norman.

His birdie on the difficult 10th hole came despite a drive into the rough. He hit a prudent iron to the left edge of the green to avoid the pond which fronts the putting surface, then drained a 25-foot putt.

Els eagled the 10th hole on Friday. Asked if he felt he had gained revenge on the hole, which likely cost him the 1995 title and hurt him in other years, Els said, "I definitely did. With 7 points in three rounds, all is forgiven.''

Els, five times a runner-up this season, suffered his first bogey since Thursday on the par-5 14th hole when he drove into the rough, pitched out and flew the green with a short iron, failing to get up and down.

"Making a bogey on 14 is a major sin in this format,'' he said.

Els saved par after missing the green at No. 16. He drove into the gallery off the 18th fairway, reached the green with his iron shot but lipped out his second putt for another bogey.

"It's disappointing not to finish with a birdie and par on 17 and 18,'' Els said, "but I have an 8-point lead, so I can look at the bright side of things.''

Norman, playing in his first tournament since hip surgery five weeks ago, had three birdies on the front side but also came undone at the 14th with a bogey following an errant drive.

He birdied the par-5 17th, leaving a 12-foot downhill putt for eagle just short that would have given him 5 points. Norman then bogeyed No. 18 after missing the green.

The 45-year-old Norman, hitting his driver prodigious lengths as in his prime, said, "I had to keep up with these young swivel-hips out there.''

Norman agreed with Els's assessment of the wind. "It was like I've seen in Australia, which is very unusual for here. It probably turned one of the easier days into one of the toughest four or five holes.''

Mickelson, the only two-time winner of this event, said his goal was to "play well enough so that, if I can get really hot tomorrow, I might be in a position to catch Ernie. I'm very pleased with my round.''

Tom Lehman, tied for fourth after the second round, withdrew today because of an injured right leg.

The field, cut to the low 72 players and ties after the second round, was cut again to the low 36 players and ties for Sunday's final round. Unlike the formative years of this tournament, all scores are cumulative for the four rounds.

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