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McCarron opens three shot lead

The last time Scott McCarron won a golf tournament, he shot a 1-over 73 to hold on in the cold and wind at the BellSouth Classic.

A score like that on Sunday may not even get him in the top 10 at the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas.

McCarron shot a 9-under 63 Saturday in ideal conditions that left the TPC at Summerlin course defenseless to take a three-shot lead over Tom Lehman.

He knows he may need another 63 to hold the lead in the final round.

``No lead is comfortable,'' McCarron said. ``You have got to make birdies out here. These guys are going to be shooting low scores tomorrow.''

No one was lower Saturday than McCarron, who overtook Lehman on the back nine to open a three-shot lead. Two more shots back are Rory Sabbatini, third-round leader Craig Parry and Bob Estes.

McCarron had a tap-in birdie on the first hole and made eight more against nine pars to get to 26 under on an inviting course that features reachable par-5s, perfect fairways and soft greens.

``I'm going to go out there shooting for birdies,'' McCarron said. ``In Atlanta, I played defensively to win. I can't do that here.''

His closest pursuer agreed.

``This is the kind of course where you can make a lot of birdies and go low,'' Lehman said.

In the same tournament where he won enough money to keep his PGA Tour playing card as a rookie in 1995, McCarron shot the lowest of his four consecutive rounds in the 60s.

He has fond memories of Las Vegas, which would grow even fonder if he were to earn the $810,000 first prize that would also bump him into the top 30 and put him in the Tour Championship.

``It's a lot of fun for me to play here,'' McCarron said. ``I will be here every year.''

Lehman, who began the day a stroke behind Parry, made a 40-footer for birdie on the first hole and had the lead after his third birdie of the day on the seventh.

But he bogeyed three of the next five holes, and needed to rally down the stretch to remain in contention for his first win in nearly two years.

``I'm disappointed with the bogeys I made but I felt I played reasonably well,'' Lehman said. ``I just kind of lost the feel a little bit.''

Lehman, who opened the tournament with a record-tying 63-62, consistently drove the ball over 300 yards on the manicured fairways of the Summerlin course. But a few wayward irons in the middle of the round cost him a chance to hold onto the lead.

McCarron's 63 was matched by Sabbatini, who limped noticeably around the course. Sabbatini said he has tendinitis in his Achilles tendon, but that it didn't bother his swing.

``It's actually been an advantage,'' Sabbatini said. ``It takes my mind off things between shots. It makes me play one shot at a time which is the way youwant to play out here.''

DIVOTS

The TPC at Summerlin course, with a par of 72, played to an average of 69.7 in the fourth round. ... Fred Couples, who started the day 16 under, stayed there after a par 72. ... First prize in the $4.5 million tournament is$810,000.

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