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Verplank holds on to
narrow lead
Scott Verplank held his
own Saturday with a 3-under-par 68, a score that figured to be worth more than
a one-stroke lead anywhere else but this year's edition of the Tour Championship.
On another calm day of low
scoring at Champions Golf Club, David Duval soared into contention with a 63,
and Jim Furyk joined the mix with birdies on half of his holes for a tournament-record
62.
All but four players in
the 29-man field shot par or better.
When Verplank three-putted
for bogey on the last hole, the stage was set for a grand finale to the PGA Tour
season.
The Tour Championship features
only the best players on tour this year, and most of them are putting on quite
a show.
Verplank was at 200, and
will be paired Sunday with Duval, who won at Champions in 1997.
Ernie Els kept his hopes
alive for his first victory of the year with a 6-under 65, holing a 45-foot par
putt on the 17th hole to finish at 202. He was joined by Bernhard Langer, Mike
Weir, Sergio Garcia, Bob Estes and Kenny Perry.
``You've got to shoot better
than 68 or you go backward,'' Els said.
Furyk's 62 put him at 203,
along with PGA champion David Toms.
About the only player missing
from the list was Tiger Woods, who made bogey on the 18th hole for the second
straight day and had a 69. He was six strokes back and still in the hunt, although
he was in no mood to talk.
Adding to his frustration
was getting put on the clock while playing with Estes.
Verplank was poised to seize
control of the tournament when he holed a 20-foot eagle putt from the fringe on
No. 9, giving him a 32 on the front and a three-stroke lead. He played the back
nine in 1 over, which brought everyone back into the hunt.
Champions is playing about
one stroke easier than two years ago, and Verplank summed up the low scoring by
saying of his 68, ``I didn't feel like I was hitting on all cylinders.''
``I don't think I can go
out and par every hole and win,'' he said.
That won't be the case with
so many players so close behind, starting with Duval.
The British Open champion
has been playing better with each round, although he was hampered Friday with
by hitting into the hazard twice on one hole and taking triple bogey on the par-5
13th.
Asked the difference in
his 63, Duval replied, ``Making birdie where I made triple bogey, and two other
bogeys.'' He had some other help, like a 60-foot eagle putt on No. 5 and chipping
in from 70 feet on No. 12.
Some players get on a roll
and start protecting a good round -- he gets only more aggressive, a trait he
picked up as a kid while watching his father, a club professional, post low scores
at their course in Jacksonville, Fla.
``It's something you learn,
and not everybody has,'' Duval said.
There was no other choice Saturday.
Furyk certainly didn't back
off, with six of his birdies inside 10 feet.
``Someone was going to shoot
a low number, and I'm glad it was me,'' Furyk said. ``I'm happier about getting
back in the picture, in the thick of things.''
The six-pack of players
just two strokes out of the lead includes a couple of two-time winners this year
(Estes and Garcia), and three players trying to win for the first time this year
to get to Kapalua for the winners-only Mercedes Championship.
No one wants to get there
as badly as Els, who owns the longest active streak on the PGA Tour with at least
one victory each of the last seven seasons.
``There's a lot of guys
out there who have won twice, and I haven't won once,'' Els said. ``This year
hasn't been easy.''
Frustrated with his putting,
Els finally came through with one birdie putt of 35 feet, two of them in the 15-foot
range and the biggest one of all -- the 45-footer -- that saved par.
This is his best chance
to win since August, and the opportunities have been rare since the Big Easy the
beginning of the year. But even two strokes out, Els faces a tough task.
Sure, only 29 guys are in
the field. But those 29 players are the best in golf.
He ticked off the names
in front of him and around him, especially Verplank, who won the Canadian Open
two months ago.
``He's going to be tough
to catch,'' Els said. ``But I'll have a chance.''
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