Fleisher increases lead to five shots

After a bomb threat suspended play for 90 minutes Saturday, Bruce Fleisher extended his lead to five strokes at the RJR Championship, shooting a 6-under-par 64 at Tanglewood Park.

With several players on the course shortly before 10:30 a.m. EDT, a threatening note was found in a port-a-let between the eighth green and ninth teebox.

Play was halted at 11:05 a.m., and the clubhouse was evacuated for inspection by the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department and the Special Operations Response Team. Authorities also searched golf carts and automobiles.

Sheriff's department bomb dogs sniffed all areas of the clubhouse, as well as all carts and automobiles in the vicinity of the clubhouse. No suspicious packages or bomb residue was found.

The clubhouse reopened at 12:30 p.m. and the tournament resumed at 1 p.m.

"The suspension was unfortunate," said Hale Irwin, who is five shots behind Fleisher, his playing partner Saturday. "It wasn't silly, it was tragic."

"Hard day the way it started," Fleisher added.

Fleisher extended the lead he built Friday, when he became the third player in Senior PGA Tour history to shoot a 60. He is bogey-free through 36 holes with a Senior Tour-record total of 16-under 124.

"You just can't look behind you," said Fleisher, who needs a 64 to match the tour record in relation to par for a 54-hole event. "I can't look over my shoulder. I have to keep plugging."

The previous 36-hole record was 126 by Jim Colbert at the 1994 GTE West Classic and Irwin at this event five years ago.

Irwin has gone 65-64 through the first two rounds but still is a distant second at 11-under 129. Don Pooley also shot a 64 and is alone in third at 130.

"I'm amazed to have shot 65-64 and be five shots back," said Irwin, who also has played the first 36 holes without a bogey.

The top 27 players on the leaderboard all cracked 70 on Saturday. Morris Hatalsky fired a 63 - coming in at 7-under 28 - that left him in a tie for fourth at 132.

"Obviously, there were a lot of birdies to be had, especially on the back nine," Hatalsky said.

Fleisher made his first of six birdies at the par-5 sixth hole, tapping in from two feet. He had the same distance at the seventh, but he had four fewer birdies on the front nine than he did Friday.

"It's always hard to follow up a round like yesterday," he said.

Fleisher rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt at the 10th hole and tapped in for birdie at the 11th. He matched Irwin's 64 with short birdie putts at the 16th and 18th.

"Obviously, playing with Hale was a big thrill," said Fleisher, who is winless since last year's U.S. Senior Open but has a tour-high 23 straight rounds at par or better. "Heckuva competition."

Irwin crept within three strokes of Fleisher on the front side, with birdies at the first, third, sixth and ninth. He added a pair of birdies on the back nine to give himself a slim chance at another title.

Inclement weather is expected to roll through the area Sunday, so tournament officials have gone to a two-tee start for the final round, with the last group going off at 11:45 a.m. EDT.

"I'd like to have one more day to try to catch Bruce," said Irwin, who has won three of his tour-record 35 titles this season and is 26-under in his last four rounds. "He's played very well.

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