Maruyame extends lead to three

Shigeki Maruyama is known as the ``Smilin' Assassin,'' and he certainly lived up to his nickname Saturday in the Byron Nelson Classic.

Hamming it up for the crowd on a hot and blustery afternoon, the Japanese star holed a 7-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 2-under 68 that gave him a three-stroke over Cameron Beckman going into the final round.

It was the first time Maruyama has held the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

``Big pressure tomorrow,'' he said, wrapping his hands around his throat for emphasis and letting out the hearty laugh that has become his trademark.

Maruyama was at 12-under 198, and his three-stroke lead was the largest at the Nelson Classic since Ernie Els had the same margin in 1995.

A victory Sunday would give Asian golfers their second straight PGA Tour victory. Last week in New Orleans, K.J. Choi became the first South Korean to win on tour.

Still, Maruyama is in a league of his own.

Despite the language barrier, he is one of the most popular players among his peers because of his infectious smile.

``I cannot keep serious face, even for a minute,'' he said.

Maruyama said he wants to be like Tiger Woods, his demeanor suddenly serious as he raised his right hand in a mock wave and tugged on the bill of his cap.

``I tried,'' he said. ``But I smiled that time.''

The goal of everyone else is to wipe that smile off his face, and it might not be easy.

Beckman had a 4-under 66, the best score among late starters who faced the brunt of gusts that approached 30 mph. He will play in the final group with Maruyama, a tee time Beckman covets after his disaster three weeks ago in Hilton Head.

He was paired with Justin Leonard in the final round, shot 42 on the back nine and closed with a 7-over 78.

``I'm trying to redeem myself,'' said Beckman, who won the Southern Farm Bureau Classic at the end of last year for his first victory. ``I was really trying to get in this position this week. This is where I want to be. My first two years on tour, I was scared of that.''

Maruyama also earned his first PGA Tour victory last year at the Greater Milwaukee Open, becoming the first Japanese player to win on the mainland.

This field is much stronger, boasting eight of the top 10 at the start of the week, and the conditions figure to be far more of a test.

``I expect good play, like a big-name player,'' he said.

Plenty of big names are in the hunt. Fifteen players, including Woods, are within seven strokes of the lead. If that sounds like too much, consider what Els did Saturday.

The Big Easy started the third round nine strokes out of the lead, in a tie for 60th. A bogey-free 64 shot him into a tie for third at 203, along with past Nelson champion Loren Roberts, Lee Janzen, Ben Crane and Jim Carter.

``It's definitely a major move,'' said Els, who finished his round about 20 minutes before Maruyama teed off. ``I'm in with a chance now. I don't know what the leaders are going to do, but it's not going to be easy.''

Maruyama managed to increase his lead, but other players had their problems.

Phil Mickelson was at 9 under and just one stroke out of the lead at one point until a poor drive on No. 15 led to a double bogey. He pushed his tee shot so far to the left that he hit a provisional, thinking it was out-of-bounds.

Instead, the ball was on a bed of leaves, close to the chain-link fence.

``Am I allowed to stand on the fence?'' said Mickelson, taking his creative shotmaking to a new level. The answer was no, but Lefty still managed to punch out to the rough, came up short of the green and couldn't get up-and-down.

He eliminated a good birdie opportunity on the par-5 16th by driving into the right rough, then took bogey on No. 17 from the bunker.

Mickelson finished with a 71 and was at 204 with Nick Price, Duffy Waldorf, Frank Lickliter and Paul Stankowski, his playing partner, who had a 72.

On Friday, Stankowski suggested that Mickelson's aggressive style of play was not the best approach, that more players should aim to be like Tiger.

Woods plodded along with pars, but birdies on two of his last three holes gave him a 69 and left him at 205, needing another low round on Sunday to have a chance.

``That's not what I had in mind,'' he said.

Still, he clearly is capable. Woods has shot 63 in the final round of the tournament the past two years, both times coming up short. His final-round average on the TPC at Las Colinas is 66.

Woods' late surged featured a brilliant shot on the 192-yard 17th, a stinger 5-iron that pierced through the wind and landed inches from the hole, stopping 3 feet away.

After his round, Woods looked back to the scoreboard behind the 18th green to see that Maruyama, who had been at 12 under through eight holes, had dropped a stroke.

``He's going to have to come back to us a little bit,'' Woods said.

He and everyone else nearly got their wish.

Maruyama dropped shots on the 10th and 12th holes, but recovered in time to salvage his round and increase his lead.

Divots

Phil Mickelson was walking to the fifth tee when fans from a balcony in a nearby mansion started chanting his name. Mickelson looked over and threw his golf ball toward them some 100 feet away. ... Ernie Els, who experimented with lighter shafts in his irons last week, switched drivers on Saturday in his round of 64. Els said he is waiting on a new design from Taylor Made expected to come out next month. ... David Duval, who was paired with Woods, had a 72and was at 208.

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