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Verplank and Flesch retain lead

Steve Flesch and Scott Verplank shared the lead at the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday with one of the lowest 54-hole scores in PGA Tour history.

Flesch wasn't satisfied.

"I don't want to sound like sour grapes, I just know what it could be," he said after a 6-under 66 at the Tournament Players Club at Summerlin. "Conservatively, it could be another 10-under par."

Verplank shot a 66 at the Southern Highlands course to join Flesch at 23-under 192. That ties for the third lowest 54-hole total at a Tour event.

Stuart Appleby was one shot back after a 63 at Summerlin, while Scott McCarron (64), Tim Herron (66) and Woody Austin (65) were at 195 in the 90-hole event.

Both the 72-hole tour record of 256, set by Mark Calcavecchia at the 2001 Phoenix Open, and the 90-hole record, 324 by Joe Durant at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 2001, are in jeopardy.

Flesch opened the tournament with a 62 and shot a 64 on Thursday. His drives split fairways and his iron shots hugged pins again Friday, but he felt his putting could have been better.

"The first six holes today, I missed four (birdie putts) inside 10 feet," he said.

Flesch said he's missed "a ton of birdie putts" this week, but the tournament stats say otherwise. Through the first four rounds he was averaging just over 1.5 putts per green.

Verplank had seven birdies and one bogey, his first of the tournament. He got a share of the lead with a birdie at 18, where he pulled his drive into a bunker, hit a 5-iron out and then a sand wedge within a foot.

Verplank missed 5-foot birdie putts at Nos. 12 and 16 and a 5-footer on his bogey at 11.

"Having said that, I made a nice 20-footer (for par) on my second-to-last hole," he said. "If you were perfect, I'd have made all three of those."

In a tournament where birdies come in bunches -- Jerry Kelly tied the Tour record with eight straight Friday -- the pace kept picking up speed.

Kelly's birdie run was part of a 65, but at 18 under he was still five shots off the lead. So is Bill Glasson (63), who had two eagles and shot 29 on the front side at Summerlin.

Kelly started the day 11 under and bogeyed two of the first four holes. He steadied his round with two pars, then ran in birdie putts from 6 inches to 25 feet on Nos. 7 through 14.

"All of a sudden I started making everything," he said. "It's scary to be 11 under and feel like you're getting killed."

Appleby had an eagle and seven birdies -- five of them in a row -- at Summerlin.

"You hit the ball well and you create opportunities and you make some of those opportunities," Appleby said. "You've got to have five days in which you make a lot of putts inside 20 feet."

Flesch called it "one of those weeks."

Not for David Duval.

The downward spiral continued for the former No. 1 player in the world. Duval didn't break par in any of his three rounds and finished at 9 over, near the bottom of the field.

The field was cut to the low 70 scores and ties Friday, with the cut at 9 under.

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