Love moves two shots clear

Davis Love III won't need an unbelievable comeback to win this Pebble Beach National Pro-Am - not if he can excel as the front-runner.

Love shot a 5-under 67 on the tough Spyglass Hill course Saturday, taking a two-stroke lead over Mike Weir, Tom Lehman and Rod Pampling into the final round.

Two years ago, Love erased a seven-stroke Sunday deficit to win at Pebble Beach - but he hasn't won a tournament since. Injuries kept him off his once-dominant form, and he dealt with mental stress from five top-five finishes without a victory last season.

He vividly remembers his final round at Pebble Beach in 2001, when he went 8 under on the first seven holes and streaked past Phil Mickelson - but with a lead, better health and a clear head, he hopes he won't need to repeat himself.

"This is a lot better," said Love, who shot his second straight 67 for a 10-under 206 after three rounds. "You don't have to go out and shoot a course record. (Two years ago) I went out thinking I needed to birdie every hole. Today, I just got on a roll and kept it on a roll."

Six players held the lead for part of the third round, but Love's steady play at Spyglass - away from the celebrity-studded field crowding Pebble Beach Golf Links - allowed him to climb ahead. Weir matched Love's 67 with a brilliant front nine, while Lehman and Pampling both remained steady.

But Saturday - also the cut day in the pro-am - is usually a mere prelude to the real action at Pebble Beach.

The last three tournaments were won with dramatic comebacks. Matt Gogel erased a four-stroke deficit to Pat Perez last season. Tiger Woods, who skipped this season's tournament, rallied from seven strokes down on the final seven holes in 2000.

Given the beautiful weather and the resulting fast conditions, the most successful players believe a comeback will be even more difficult this year - but at Pebble Beach, nobody is ruling it out.

"Under these conditions, it's so hard to hit the ball close every time," Love said. "Every shot is a trick shot. The courses are playing very, very hard."

Lehman, who has won just once since 1996, has plenty of motivation to get back on top. He met his wife, Melissa, at Pebble Beach in 1984, but she's at home this week in the last stages of her pregnancy.

"I wasn't anywhere near the lead once last year, so it's nice to have a chance again," said Lehman, who shot an uneventful 70 at Spyglass. "I really think that I still have the game and I have the desire, and it's just a matter of getting in position."

Weir arrived at Pebble Beach in top form off his victory last week in the Bob Hope Classic, and he scorched the front nine at Pebble Beach after beginning the day four strokes off the lead. Playing partner and fellow Canadian Wayne Gretzky even got into the spirit, playing his best round of the pro-am.

Starting with a 15-foot putt for an eagle on No. 2, Weir went 7 under through the first seven holes, chipping in from the fringe for another eagle on the sixth. But Weir missed birdie putts on the eighth and ninth holes, and he went 2 over on the back nine.

"I played outstanding today, just as good or better on the back nine," Weir said. "I caught a couple of really bad breaks at the end. I guess the golf gods had had enough of me making birdies for today."

Pampling, an Australian without a PGA Tour victory, stayed in striking distance for the second straight day.

Twenty-five pro-am teams made the cut for Sunday's final round, with New England quarterback Tom Brady, aging rocker Glenn Frey, Arizona first baseman Mark Grace and actor Chris O'Donnell among the surviving celebrities.

It was the best day of the tournament for stargazing, with the lion's share of the famous amateurs playing Pebble Beach. Bill Murray, who also made the cut with playing partner Scott Simpson, kissed women and tried on new hats at nearly every hole.

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