Kenny Perry extends lead to seven shots

Kenny Perry is playing so well at the Colonial that he knew he was about to have another good round when he missed his first putt. Yes, missed.

``I hit the prettiest putt you've ever seen. I don't know how it missed,'' Perry said. ``Perfect speed, perfect line.... I knew immediately my putter had a good touch.''

Just like it has all week.

So comfortable with the course that his vision problems aren't even a concern, Perry shot 6-under 64 Saturday to set another Colonial scoring record and take a seven-stroke lead over Billy Mayfair and Steve Stricker going into the final round.

Perry broke his own 54-hole scoring record at 18-under 192, and has just one bogey -- on No. 8, his 17th hole Thursday. He has made 51-of-54 putts from 15 feet or less, including a 5-footer after blasting from the sand to avoid a closing bogey Saturday.

``My game's here. It's just a matter of me being patient tomorrow and going out there and winning,'' Perry said. ``I've played to the fat part of the greens and made a lot of nice 8-10 footers. If I do that again tomorrow, they're not going to catch me.''

And the players chasing him know that.

``Winning a tournament would be great, but that doesn't seem reality now,'' Stricker said.

``I thought if I can get into double figures, I will give myself a chance (Sunday),'' said Peter Lonard, who shot 65 to get to 10-under 200 and in fourth place. ``I actually didn't plan on Kenny getting over 20.''

Perry has the best score at the end of three rounds on the PGA Tour this season, although Joe Ogilvie's 193 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January was 23 under.

The 44-year-old Perry is playing even better than he did when he won Colonial in 2003, an event more known for Annika Sorenstam becoming the first woman in 58 years to play on the PGA Tour.

During his victory two years ago, Perry matched the course record (61), set the 54-hole scoring record for an eight-stroke lead and then won with an overall record of 19 over.

``My golf swing, rhythm and pace feels similar to how it did in 2003,'' he said. ``I'm having a lot of the same feelings, a lot of the same flashbacks, and I'm hitting a lot of the same shots. It's neat.''

This year, Perry started with a 36-hole scoring record of 12 under.

Perry gets excited each time he gets to the first tee and sees the wall where his name is engraved with other Colonial champions, including Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead.

Unless there is an unprecedented collapse Sunday, Perry's will become only the 10th name on the wall more than once. He has won this season, at Bay Hill in March for his eighth PGA victory.

Playing in record heat, with temperatures in the upper 90s, on another day with little or no breeze, very unusual for the Colonial, Perry separated himself from the field.

Mayfair, who hasn't won since 1998, and Stricker, trying to regain full-time playing privileges on tour, both had 66s.

Even those low rounds couldn't get them close to Perry, who hadn't shot better than 66 this year before getting to Hogan's Alley, where he has rounds of 65, 63 and 64.

Phil Mickelson, who trails Perry by 16 strokes after a third-round 68, was the only other player to carry a seven-stroke lead into a final round this year. Mickelson was the first wire-to-wire winner at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February.

After a couple of opening pars, Perry had three birdies in a five-hole stretch. And even when appearing to be in trouble, Perry made it look easy.

Perry missed the fairway on the 563-yard first hole, hitting his second shot from a terrible lie into more rough. He then pitched to 18 feet for that first putt. He didn't play enough break and missed by inches, but got exactly what he needed.

``It's always kind of a barometer for my round when I hit that opening putt with the right pace on it,'' he said.

His approach at No. 5 wound up in a deep bunker fronting the green, but he blasted to within 3 feet to save par. The drive on the next hole was in the left rough, but he pitched to 12 feet for birdie, and then followed with another at No. 7 with an approach to less than 4 feet.

Perry, who twice had laser surgery on his eyes, finds it difficult to read greens or see clearly from long distances and shady spots. He plans to visit an eye doctor next week and expects to be wearing glasses after that.

He's seeing thing fine at Colonial, just missing several other long putts in the third round.

A 32-foot birdie chance stopped within a foot of the pin at No. 9, and a 45-footer rolled within 2 feet at the next hole. There was a two-putt birdie at the 611-yard 11th, when the first putt from 62 feet stopped within a foot, and he later had two 24-footers that stopped within about 12 inches.

Mayfair would have been closer if not for the 188-yard 16th hole, where he had to make an incredible recovery after his tee shot bounded off the bleachers and landed on a cobblestone path by the clubhouse. He got a drop, pitched past the hole and two-putted from 54 feet uphill for a bogey.

After opening his round an eagle 3, with an approach at No. 1 to less than 5 feet, Mayfair got to 5 under on his round and was alone in second place before No. 16.

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