Purdy pulls four shots clear

Ted Purdy shot a 6-under-par 65 Saturday to take a four-stroke lead over Heath Slocum after three rounds of the MCI Heritage.

Purdy, whose only career victory came on the Nationwide Tour last year, has the lead in a PGA Tour event for the first time. The 30-year-old seized control with five birdies on the front nine and continued his stellar play down the stretch, moving to 12-under 201.

Purdy, who won the First Tee Arkansas Classic in a playoff last year, qualified for the TOUR by finishing 15th on the Nationwide money list.

Purdy's confident he can finish things off.

"As long as I trust my stuff, I'll be fine," he said. "I can do it tomorrow."

Purdy's play was a surprise, considering he missed the cut in his last two tournaments and had just one score in the 60s in 12 rounds before this week. His best finish in a tour event was a tie for 11th at the 2000 Tucson Open, where his $72,000 in earnings surpassed the $46,600 he made in 27 TOUR events the previous year.

While Purdy soared, British Open champion Ben Curtis faded with a 4-over 75. Curtis, the second-round leader after a season-best 66, struggled with his putting and fell into a tie for 13th.

Purdy made a 14-foot birdie putt at No. 4 to tie Curtis for the lead and moved ahead with a 9-footer for birdie at the fifth. He added a third straight birdie on the sixth hole, then closed the front side with a 10-foot birdie putt, extending his lead to two strokes.

Purdy added a 12-foot birdie putt at the 12th, raising his putter as the ball disappeared into the cup.

Purdy, who went 33 holes without a bogey, moved to the top of the leaderboard against a field lacking some star power after the Masters.

Ernie Els, who finished second to Masters champion Phil Mickelson last week, has played steady golf. Even with Saturday's 68, Els was six shots behind Purdy. But he still believes he can make a run, under the right circumstances.

"It all depends on our leader," Els said. "Ted's playing beautifully. If he can come back to the field a little, we may have a shot."

Defending champion Davis Love III was closer to missing the cut Friday than earning his sixth title here at Harbour Town. He is 10 shots behind Purdy after a 69. The round was Love's first under 70 on a course he usually dominates.

Curtis had a miserable day as his putting let him down again. He left a 23-foot putt about four feet short on the first hole and settled for bogey. He missed birdie putts inside 12 feet on the fifth, eighth and ninth holes, then missed one for par from about 11 feet on the 12th after Purdy's birdie. Suddenly, he was trailing by four shots.

His struggles continued as he made double bogey on the par-3 17th and wound up eight shots behind the leader.

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