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Haas takes over lead into last day

Maybe it is simply Jay Haas' turn to get the good bounces again in the Bob Hope Classic.

Haas, who won the Hope 14 years ago, figured it was going to be a good day Saturday when he hit an 8-iron from a divot in the rough on the first hole and the ball flew some 150 yards, bounced onto the green and plopped into the cup.

Getting a jump-start from that opening eagle, the 48-year-old Haas went on to shoot a 9-under 63 and take a one-shot lead through four rounds of the five-day Hope.

``That first hole was kind of indicative of the week,'' he said after finishing the day at 26 under, a stroke ahead of Kenny Perry and Cameron Beckman.

``I've played very well all week and done a lot of good things. But I didn't hit a great 5-wood shot, pushed it just in the rough to the right. The ball wasn't sitting terribly, but it was not where I would like it. Then I hit the shot and said, ``Maybe I can get a birdie here. And all of a sudden, it disappeared.''

Haas, who also opened the tournament with a 63, said he knows he will have to remain aggressive during Sunday's final round.

``I still think somewhere in the mid-30s (below par) is probably what it's going to take to win,'' he said. ``Somebody could come out of the pack at 23 or 24 under -- it's funny to say that's the pack, but it is here -- with a 10-under.''

Joe Durant won last year at 36 under, a PGA Tour record for a five-day event. This year, he missed the cut, with a 72-hole score of 278.

A nine-time PGA Tour winner looking for his first victory since 1993, Haas won the 1988 Hope with a 338 total, closing with a 70 for a two-stroke victory over David Edwards.

Haas already was 34 and a 12-year veteran of the PGA Tour for 12 years when he won the event. If he can win again, he will become the oldest Hope champion.

He tied for 38th last week at Hawaii, and has parlayed accuracy with his irons and a steady touch on the greens to take the Hope lead. He rolled in a 30-footer on No. 16, and made a string of putts from 15 feet and closer on his way to eight birdies.

The pros rotate among four different courses and play with amateurs the first four days of the Hope. Sunday's final round will be played by the low 70 pros and ties, at the Palmer Course at PGA West.

Among those within close striking distance of the lead was Phil Mickelson, who shot a 65 to go to 22 under in his first event in five months.

Haas played the fourth round at Indian Wells Country Club, away from the circus atmosphere at PGA West, where the pros teamed with celebrities and were trailed by large galleries. The crowd included several thousand teen-age and younger girls, most following Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync and Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean.

Pro wrestler Bill Goldberg also drew a large and vocal group and ended his round by tossing his caddie into the lake at No. 18 -- a stunt that looked suspiciously as if it were scripted.

Perry, the 1995 Hope winner, shot a 10-under 62 at PGA West to move into excellent position for a run at the lead over the same course on Sunday.

Perry, like Haas, is feeling lucky.

``The first day at Indian Wells, I hit three balls out of bounds that didn't go out of bounds. They hit houses or trees and came in,'' he said of his opening 69. ``Then I shoot (second-round) 64 at Tamarisk and played great, and I hurt my hip. I was going to withdraw from the tournament. I couldn't get my right foot on the ground.''

But therapy helped a bit and he limped out again Friday.

``I played one-legged at Bermuda Dunes (for a 68). Then I felt great today and made a lot of terrific shots,'' he said.

Beckman, who broke into the winner's circle last year in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, had a 65.

Kirk Triplett (67), Deane Pappas (67), Brandel Chamblee 66) and David Berganio Jr. (64) were at 264, two shots out of the lead.

Duffy Waldorf, who shared the third-round lead with Triplett and Pappas, lost ground by shooting a 68 that dropped him three shots out of the lead.

John Daly, playing for the first time this year, shot himself out ofcontention with a par 72, leaving him at 15 under.

Divots

Chrysler sponsors the Hope. ... Putting on a show on his final hole, Goldberg first flopped down on the green, used his putter like a pool cue -- and missed a 5-footer. He then picked up the ball and dunked it into the cup. Then he sent his caddie sailing into the water, barely clearing a large rock just off the bank. Throughout the tournament, Goldberg had a stock of prop clubs in his bag, ``angrily'' breaking one over his knee after some of his many muffed shots. ... Cool as a cucumber on the mound in the World Series, Randy Johnson feels pressure when he's pitching up to the green with a large crowd looking on. ``It's a bit overwhelming to be off the green and have to chip onto the green. You've got a thousand people watching you and you're out of yourelement,'' the Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher said.

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